Italy 10: Piemonte 2

Alba: we go on a "truffle hunt" tour, which was not originally planned, but we have a couple of hours before dinner, so why not. They take us about 15 km south of Alba to meet one of the 4,000 licensed truffle hunters. 

Alba: the dog finds a black summer truffle. Even though it may be a "simulation" where the truffles are buried intentionally, as long as the dog thinks it is real, I consider it real. We do learn a lot. In fact, I would actually call this an efficient show and tell.

All'Enoteca: driving north in the dark for 20 minutes through numerous roundabouts to reach this well respected restaurant in Canale in the Roero region. The locally well known chef coming out to say hello is always a good sign. Food and service are about what I expected. Free inclusion of white truffle shavings on a cream of sweet potato dish with Jerusalem artichokes. Normally I drink no more than a glass, but I am taking advantage of the unusually low priced wine pairing which includes a Barolo (shown) as well as a local Arneis white.

All'Enoteca: a meringue dessert dish with Moscato d'Asti (the town of Asti being only 10 minutes away from this restaurant)

Alba: what, Nutella for breakfast? Well, it is not a model of healthy eating for sure, especially with their use of palm oil, but I feel I need to do this once, since the company which invented this addictive spread, Ferrero (also known for Ferrero Rocher), started right here in Alba. (Mr. Ferrero used hazlenut initially because chocolate was scarce.) I am checking the label and Nutella does have 13% hazelnut content.

Alba: Piazza Duomo is filled with booths this morning.

Alba: we head back to the white truffle market for "Truffle Sensory Analysis." The speaker, a member of the National Institute of Taste of Truffles (or something to that effect) and a judge during this festival, reminds me of an old cranky professor. And there is a test!

We leave the truffle talk early right after five truffles were passed around for grading (it feels like skipping out on an exam!) to get to lunch on time at Guido Restaurant in the Barolo region. After a 15-minute drive, we arrive at the Fontanafredda compound in the Serralunga d'Alba district, which is a former private estate of Victor Emmanuel II, the first king of unified Italy. 

I knew the restaurant was located in a historic royal villa occupied once by the king's mistress, but I did not expect upon arrival an element of grandeur for this traditional family restaurant. It appears that out of a number of possibilities for leisurely lunch in the Piedmont countryside, I have picked the right one.

(The restaurant moved here a few years ago from Pollenzo, a bit up north of here, where there is a University of Gastronomic Sciences. It may sound as legitimate as Trump University, but it was founded by the same person who started the Slow Food Movement, and actually awards undergrad and graduate degrees.)

Guido Ristorante, Serralunga d'Alba: located in a grand villa, the former residence of Contessa Rosa, the mistress of King Victor Emmanuel II 

Guido Ristorante: a huge table in a semi-private dining hall signals a pleasant lunch in a countryside estate

Guido Ristorante: an artist-commissioned menu and a complimentary aperitif

Guido Ristorante: one of their signature dishes, Vitello Tonnato (sliced veal with a tuna cream sauce), a Piedmont specialty

Guido Ristorante: this course, Agnolotti di Lidia, is in memory of the mother of the family. They bring out both the sauced (right) and simply boiled versions.

Guido Ristorante: this high quality ice cream also marketed separately. To say the servings are generous is an understatement (a big bowl on right). I am able to exercise some self-control though.

Guido Ristorante: next to our dining room is a bike that belonged to Victor Emmanuel II, whose portraits hangs next to Contessa's.

Villa Contessa Rosa: after lunch, the restaurant staff are kind enough to give us a quick tour of the bedrooms upstairs, this one belonging to the king Victor Emmanuel II.

Villa Contessa Rosa: a post-prandial stroll around a lake complete with a swan and turtles

Barolo: a small town made famous thanks to its namesake red wine. The weather has turned gloomy and dark, but we can't complain about the unusually excellent weather for the last two and a half weeks with no rain.

Barolo: walking down the petunia-lined main drag

Barolo: WiMu is the official name for this funky Wine Museum. There is even a museum of corkscrews in town.

Barolo: a view of vineyards from the castle the WiMu is located

Grinzano Cavour: the castle here is a former residence of an Italian unification hero, Cavour. Who would have thought we'd visit two historic sites from the unification era on the same afternoon in this corner of Italy, one belonging to the first king and one to the first prime minister. It is ironic that Cavour is the one that prevented the official marriage of Victor Emmanuel II to Countess Rosa after his first wife died. I did think about going to a restaurant within this castle but ran out of meals!

La Morra seen in distance: we do a quick drive through this town on a hill before returning to Alba.

Back in Alba, we are too full for a normal dinner, so we pick up some foccacia panini at Focacceria il Budego for four euros each. The server is a cheerful young lady who is impressed that we are from California and insists we take an extra sandwich for free.

Neive: Our last morning in Piedmont, we have some time to drive through the Barbaresco area again.

A view from Neive

Vineyards appearing manicured near Treiso, where we are heading for lunch

Treiso: we kill a few minutes at this local church next to the restaurant before it opens.

La Ciau del Tornavento, Treiso: an excellent view of the valley of vineyards from the terrace, which is a bit cold today, so diners are seated indoors

La Ciau del Tornavento: a variety of excellent warm bread 

La Ciau del Tornavento: not exactly traditional Italian, but this duck foie gras dish comes with four different preparations and represents an excellent value. A glass of Barbaresco is also reasonably priced.

La Ciau del Tornavento: tagliolini (basically tajarin?) with white truffle

La Ciau del Tornavento: another dish with white truffle (warm eggs) - why not, it will probably be a while before I will try this particular fungus again.

La Ciau del Tornavento: the service is efficient as requested, and we have time for a quick dessert before driving to the Milan Malpensa Airport. This is a chestnut-themed dish but the red comes from cachi. It is a persimmon season in California, and it's time to go home!

Italy 9: Piemonte 1

Heading to our final destination, the Piemonte region (in English, it drops the "e" at the end and gains an extra "d" - Piedmont). The train from Verona to Milan passes through Brescia. We don't have time to stop and explore this city in Lombarddy, but I am just thankful to be able to travel without being on hemodialysis. 

We pick up a car (stickshift, of course) at the Milano Centrale Station. Driving in Europe can often be a hair-raising experience but thanks to offline Googlemap, a two hour drive from Milan to Alba goes very smoothly.

Alba: the small town in Piemonte swells with visitors during the annual white truffle festival.

Alba: Tartufo everywhere, even in cookies

Piazza Duomo: our little hotel (a B&B really) is just behind the duomo, and true to its name, the renowned restaurant where we are having dinner, is on the second floor (first floor here) in the building on the right

Alba: just before we enter the restaurant, we run into a parade celebrating the opening of the festival

Alba: dignitaries following the performers

Piazza Duomo: the parade of amuse bouche starts. From bokchoi to amaretto (first row, right) to carbonara on a stick.

Piazza Duomo: hearing the music again as the parade returns to the square, I look down through the restaurant window.

Piazza Duomo: the amuse bouche continues, probably the most extensive I have seen anywhere (an edible green sponge with a foie gras nibble). The decor is simple pink with murals by Francesco Clemente.

Piazza Duomo: hazelnut bread (left) - when asked if the hazelnut is from a local crop, the server sounds astonished, "Of course! We make hazelnuts for the entire world!"
A glass of Barolo (Ceretta 2010) has a very reasonable price - a fraction of the cheapest available (Ornellaia) at Enoteca Pinchiorri in Florence.

Piazza Duomo: the chef Enrico Crippa states on their website "my cooking is deeply tied to the land, more precisely, to the vegetable garden, which over the years has become more prominent in my work." 
This dish is pure uncooked unseasoned vegetables with dashi only at the bottom (which you drink at the end). Who knew these plants could be so fragrant and flavorful. The sheet given to every diner lists over 130 ingredients. Being in the fall, the current version includes "only" 70 or 80 items.

Piazza Duomo: cocoa and coffee powdered risotto. White truffle shavings don't seem particularly generous, but it is just as well since they charge by the gram.

Piazza Duomo: the truffle is weighted carefully before and after shaving on our plates. I like the transparency. I should be the one being weighed before and after this trip! (Scales are not available in small hotels we have stayed this past week.)

Piazza Duomo: the petit fours include hazelnut truffles (chocolate truffle, that is), befitting Piemonte's claim to be the hazelnut capital of the world (Turkey would have something to say about that!) 

Alba: breakfast is served at our B&B, which basically rents out a few rooms above a wine shop (vinoteca), run by very hospitable people.

Alba: Piemonte (more specifically, the Langhe region) is known for wines - all the B's (Barolo, Barbaresco, and throw in Barbera, too) get an A grade by wine connoisseurs (which I am not, so fortunately I don't go gaga over them.)

Alba: the core event of the festival, now in its 86th year, is White Truffle Market, which is already crowded at 11am.

Alba White Truffle Market: all kinds of items are sold by local vendors, including pasta infused with truffle and Barolo

Alba White Truffle Market: there are enough free samples of sweet stuff, especially hazelnut based candies, I need self-restraint not to push up my A1C.

Alba White Truffle Market: I could have stopped at Asti while driving from Milan to Alba. The dessert wine bearing its name is ubiquitous.

Alba White Truffle Market: in a corner of the exhibition hall, you can purchase pasta. Here we order some truffle shavings on the locally popular pasta, Tajarin. 

Alba White Truffle Market: eating tajarin burro e salvia (just perfect with truffles), tajarin al ragu, and ravioli al ragu, while standing up in the busy marketplace, feels perfectly fine. At the next table (not shown), a family of five are busy putting the truffle they just bought on their pasta.

Alba White Truffle Market: on the wall of fame of sorts is the list of celebrity chefs scheduled to participate in demonstrations in the coming weeks. Glad to find Ugo Alciati at Guido's (lunch tomorrow) and Davide Palluda at All'Enoteca (dinner tonight, upper row).

Barbaresco: a 20 minute drive east of Alba takes us to the region famous for its namesake red wine. Kids helping Dad here while on a joy ride.

The town of Barbaresco in view (with a tower): the scenery is nothing spectular but these are the prized Nebbiolo grapes.
As we park at the edge of town, bustling with tourists, the wife gets impaled with small cactus thorns. The tape works pretty well in removing these Glochids but we have to cut the drive through the wine country short today.