Archive for category: Torino

Inside a farmhouse of the sixteenth century, this place represents in terms of architecture a valid example of how you can blend culture, history and modernity. We are in the Borgo Vittoria district. Surrounded by modern buildings, in what was once the first countryside of the city, stands the Osteria 12 Arcate. The restaurant is developped in various rooms, which once housed the stables. In a pleasantly furnished environment with vintage photographs on the walls, you can enjoy exquisite Piedmontese cuisine. Among the appetisers to mention is the “hunched cardoon” flan with toma blue cheese fondue, the Fassona silverside in mustard crust and tuna sauce, the Battuta di Fassona with Langhe hazelnuts. Among the first courses: tajarin with sausage sauce or the classic agnolotti with hazelnut sauce, chestnut dumplings with game sauce. The second courses vary from fried rack of lamb with guinea fowl (faraona) with chestnuts and persimmon stuffing, the classic sliced Fassona meat on a bed of black cabbage. On Fridays fresh seafood, including the traditional fried codfish with “red sauce”. Desserts in line with tradition: bonet, panna cotta and fruitcakes. In the cellar all the classic red and white Piedmontese wines. An interesting menu of 3 starters, two tastings of first courses and a second at 35 €. Tasting menu under 50 €, including drinks.

On San Francesco d’Assisi street and a few steps away from Piazza Solferino the Rabezzana wine bar is an institution: it promotes the Rabezzana wine label (they also carry labels from all over the world) since 1911. The osteria opened a few months ago in the basement of the building and chef La Padula from the Da Vinci of Scurzolengo has been serving up Monferrato cuisine specialties. The decoration is just like the one you would find in a French “cave” where you can go to listen to good music with barrel tables and contemporary art pieces on the walls. On the menu you’ll find dishes that range from round steak with Piedmontese sauce and two types of “bagna cauda”: normal and light with Jerusalem artichoke instead of garlic. The menu changes seasonally but you’ll always find the donkey meat and traditional plin “agnolotti”. Their wine list has over 900 labels which are also on sale at the wine bar. For those who aren’t able to finish a bottle the Osteria has reintroduced the old tradition of the “Buta Stupa” meaning that the client can take unfinished wine bottles home. A meal will set you back about 40€.

In a seventeenth-century mansion, you will enjoy Piedmontese cuisine in an atmosphere of the past and elegant frescoed rooms. The menu features both land and sea dishes. In the local menu we find the best traditional dishes: Russian salad, vegetable fondue, steamed silverside with tuna sauce and warm rabbit salad with vegetables, followed by fondue dumplings and Piedmontese agnolotti with roast sauce. Among the second courses, braised meats, pork tenderloin with Nebbiolo sauce and juniper flavored steak. Among the seafood: carpaccio or fish of the day tartare, octopus with crispy vegetables, pan sauteed tiger prawns, lobster linguine or Gragnano spaghetti with fresh clam sauce. Among the second courses, tuna steaks with caramelized onions or Piedmontese swordfish with peppers, anchovies, capers and mint. The chef’s desserts are a must try: the unmissable bonets and homemade amaretti. Excellent service, very kind staff and perfect hospitality guaranteed by the owner. Good wine list with particular attention to local Piedmont wines. Excellent ratio between quality and price: appetizers between 15 and 20 €, first from 18 to 25 € and second between 20 and 30 €. Carmagnola is worth a visit, and eventually you can choose to stay in the comfortable Hotel San Marco, a short distance from the restaurant owned by the same management.

It will be love at first sight with this venue close to Piazza Adriano, which offers a genuine Piedmontese cuisine. The tasting menu, priced at 38 Euros, starts with a vitello tonnato whose meat and capers sauce both convey the soul of this region’s gastronomic tradition, and its typical flavors. Next, agnolotti with roast sauce and a meat and vegetables filling – once common in the countryside. Follows a light fritto misto (fried mix): its salted component boasts chicken and loin Milanese, veal meatballs, brains, testicles and liver; the sweet kick is given by bran, plums, bananas, and amaretto biscuit, among others. With a glass of wine, the price reaches 45 Euros. The a la carte menu offers traditional Piedmontese options, such as tartare, batsoa (pig’s foot), Torino fillet (battered with bread sticks called Grissini, so that it is also known as “Grissinopoli”), Finanziera (a dish loved by Cavour, with offal and giblets). Among the desserts the zabajone is recommended, but the bonet and the crepe suzette also won’t disappoint. The selection of wines is wide, with renowned labels from the whole region, but also bottles by smaller producers. The restaurant joined the Buta Stupa initiative, so you have the option to take the bottle home, if you don’t finish it.

Located right in the old town of Moncalieri, a stone’s throw from the “Real Collegio Carlo Alberto”. Up until the end of the Eighteenth Century, the premises formed part of the church of San Francesco; later, these became an Osteria (a traditional tavern), preserving their charm and elegance. The cuisine respects reverently the Piedmontese tradition: Paola Manni, the floor manager, and her husband Marco Carcini in the kitchen, offer typical local starters such as vitello tonnato in the “ancienne” version (without mayonnaise), Fassona meat Battuta, Moncalieri’s tripe salami, and cardoon and Jerusalem artichoke flan with fondue. The selection of first courses includes purple yam gnocchi, risotto with chestnuts and Castelmagno cheese, and a pumpkin soup with hazelnut Seiràs pralines. A special mention goes to Rosa Rossa’s “hunched” Agnolotti with roast sauce, handmade on the fly. Among the second courses, you can find “humble” dishes such as the traditional Finanziera, the Savoiarda tripe, the Cherasco Snail, but also Ruchè-braised beef. The desserts – such as bonet, pannacotta, and hazelnut cake with zabajone – are all homemade. An interesting selection of homemade, sourdough aromatic bread is also offered. The wine list is comprehensive, and it features classic Piedmontese wines produced by well-known wineries. The price for the Piedmontese tasting menu is 34 € (excluding wine), for dining a la carte around 40 €.