Mini tour of late autumn gourmet surprises. In Brescia, where the world of Areadocks is still expanding, a former railway warehouse with four different restaurants inside, a very metropolitan boutique hotel and much more. In the Florentine area, for a snack at the Tuscan table of a noble estate. Finally in Milan, for a five o’clock tea “imported” from the United Kingdom, which is taken away the day after the Epiphany. And for a fine dining dinner in the restaurant of a deluxe hotel, which gives us a risotto to copy for the holidays.
Metropolitan area
AREADOCKS, Brescia
The redevelopment of a former railway warehouse from the early twentieth century, which has lasted 25 years and is constantly renewed. A complex with four restaurants, five cocktail bars, a pastry shop, a concept store (sophisticated, highly studied) and now also a boutique hotel with 13 suites that teleport you to New York, each a “unique piece”, design and welcoming, hyper tech and at the same time comfortable, plus an interior design studio. In Brescia with its 6 thousand square meters Areadocks is an immersive, coherent, you can go in and not come out for days.
Above, the entrance to Areadocks, in Brescia.
Above, the room of the Oriental restaurant in Areadocks, in Brescia.
Around the world, at the table, is already on the menu. From “Hamachi, apple and black garlic”, which is an Oriental fish dish, zen japanese restaurant, to the gourmet pizza “Il prawn doesn’t complain”, with Patanegra lard and pink prawns North Department. To the Loft’s meats are on displayfor solid connoisseurs (excellent sliced Garronese beef with three Treviso radicchio salad)… And then, cocktail bar, DJ set, piano bar… And the feeling of a intelligent work in progress.
Above, a corner of the North Department restaurant in Areadocks, in Brescia.
Areadocks, via Gerolamo Sangervasio, 12/A, Brescia. https://www.areadocks.it/
Tuscan character
Dianella warehouse, Vinci
Dianella warehouse, in Vinci.
Lots of wood, nicely mismatched seats, only organic productsgood oil and “house” wine, Villa Dianella from the Passerin d’Entrèves family, also organic: in Vinci, Magazzino Dianella is genuinely Tuscan and designed for a quick lunch or Sunday brunch, for an aperitif, for a snack… And for a real dinner with the flavors of the territory, which are found in theadjoining shop: not only oil and wine, also honey, soaps, candles…
Grape and toasted ham lasagna from Magazzino Dianella.
Here the lunch menu changes every day and the ingredients come from chef Alessio Bagnoli’s trusted local producers. OR directly from the garden. Tradition wins with discreet contemporary touches. Among the evening starters, we like liver timbale with Malvasia saba and Tuscan caper powder. Then, the Grape and toasted ham lasagnetta and the Mucco Pisano Tartare with crunchy vegetables. The additional opportunity: to taste (by reservation) the house wines, also paired with food.
Warehouse Dianellavia Pietramarina 107/109, Vinci. https://magazzinodianella.it/
An English tea
Mandarin Oriental, Milan
A London ritual in Milan, (almost) entirely London. Afternoon Tea at the Mandarin Oriental in via Andegari in fact, it was born in collaboration with The Rosebery, the sister bar in Hyde Park, London. A triumph of splashbacks and porcelain for the traditional, exquisite “scones“, offered in a light version (so to speak) with red fruit coulis and sour cream instead of “double cream”, and for a small pastry masterpiece: the Winter Wonder Fan, hazelnut shortcrust pastry with mandarin cream and whipped yuzu ganache, created by pastry chef Marco Pinna with a UK recipe. Then delicious sandwiches, the inevitable panettone with mascarpone cream and, for those who are not satisfied with tea, also a glass of bubbles. Only until the day after the Epiphany.
Afternoon Tea at Mandarin Oriental Milan.
Mandarin Oriental Milan, via Andegari 9, Milan https://www.mandarinoriental.com/it
Autumn first fruits
Pellico 3, Milan
Mise en place of Pellico 3, at the Park Hyatt in Milan.
The atmosphere is international, the design Italian, the fine dining cuisine with the contemporary and gentle touch of chef Guido Paternollo (which has just received the special “Tradizione Futura” award from Gambero Rosso and Moët & Chandon). Dining at Pellico 3 of the Park Hyatt is an exploration that manages to surprise: the tasting menu (seven courses), for example, changes every week depending on the first fruits that arrive in the pantry, always creatively anchored to the season.
An appetizer to replicate: the “Amuse Bouche 2.0”, that is: variation of seasonal vegetables in different consistencies, with lime vinaigrette and chestnut honey”. An appetizer: the “I escape a little with roasted porcini mushrooms, puffed quinoa and vin jeune sauce”. The colors of the dishes, it goes without saying, are an autumn palette also in the menu: burnt earth, moss green, warm orange. Like mushrooms, spinach, quinces…
Memory on the plate
Paternollo explains: «The dishes must trigger a memory, generate familiarity, because only in this way can they immediately reach the hearts of those who sit at the table”. They certainly succeed Tortello stuffed with ‘nduja and ricotta of sheep and served with pomegranate sauceThe Pastificio Gentile tube cooked in clam water and fumet, with clam emulsion, turnip greens and mantis shrimp sauce. And then, there Lobster tail cooked over coals and served with burnt onion miso and coral sauce with Controne beans, a Slow Food presidium. Once you get to dessert, you really darewith satisfaction: yes toBelgian endive, served sweet and sour or plain, with candied grapefruitits molasses and yogurt ice cream.
The chef of Pellico 3, Guido Paternollo.
Risotto cooked in mushroom broth, glazed chanterelles, Pellico tarragon 3
We asked chef Paternollo to treat us one of his recipes to copy at homeduring the holidays. A “rich dish”, complex but not too much. Here it is a risotto, explained step by step. You will have time to experiment.
Risotto with glazed chanterelles to copy at home.
Number of portions: 4
Step 1: Mushroom broth
Ingredients: 600 g cleaned champignons, 2 liters water.
Method: put cold water and mushrooms in a pan. Bring to the boil and leave to simmer slowly for about 3 hours. This procedure will lead us to obtain a liquid that will taste very much like mushrooms and which we will use to cook the risotto.
Step 2: Teryiaki Sauce
Ingredients: 150 g sake, 200 g mirin (sweet cooking sake, ed), 150 g soy sauce, 30 g sugar.
Method: flambé the sake to remove all the alcohol. Add the other ingredients and reduce, for example reach the consistency of an icing.
Step 3: Cooking chanterelles
Ingredients: 50 g chanterelles.
Method: sear the mushrooms in a pan with a little oil and finish cooking by glazing them with the teryaki sauce.
Step 4: Cooking rice
Ingredients for roasting some rice: 200 g Carnaroli rice, 140 g dry white wine, salt.
Ingredients for cooking: vegetable broth, mushroom broth.
Ingredients for creaming: 80 g butter, 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano 24 months, lemon juice, finely chopped tarragon.
Toast the rice in the casserole fat-free, add salt and deglaze with white wine. Once the wine has evaporated completely, start cooking adding the mushroom broth. Cook the rice (about 11-12 minutes) while continuing to add mushroom broth.
Always taste the risotto, because if it becomes too tasty you will need to replace the mushroom broth with vegetable broth (usually half of the cooking time is wetted with the mushroom broth and the other half with the vegetable broth). Once the rice is cooked, let it rest for 1 minute covered with a lid before stirring. Then add all the ingredients for the creaming (butter, parmesan and tarragon), except the lemon juice, and cream the rice.
Once creamed, adjust the acidity and flavor with lemon juice and salt, only if necessary. Plating: spread the risotto on a flat plate. Then complete by placing 5 chanterelles glazed with Teryaki sauce on the risotto.
Pellico 3, via Silvio Pellico, 3, Milan
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