Since then, I returned to le Calandre and Da Vittorio. My
meal in the former was the least satisfactory of the three dinners I have had
there, but Massimiliano is certainly a gifted chef and even the least good of
the three meals had its high points and should still merit 17. My dinner at Da
Vittorio, on the other hand, following the unfortunate demise of the gallant
and generous Signor Cerea, was still quite good, but not on par with the past
two performances. It is possible that this is a temporary situation as the
restaurant has also moved to a larger location with a new kitchen
(unfortunately the large room has an uncanny resemblance to characterless hotel
dining rooms serving safe continental cuisine). Clearly it takes time to adapt.
The two major Italian guides (L’Espresso and Gambero Rosso)
rank two Michelin two star restaurants as the highest in the country: Gambero
Rosso and Vissani. I had eaten in the former, and the performance was the lower
end of the two star category. I have always been curious of the latter.
I was also curious as to whether La Pergola would repeat the
same performance as last year.
Now I have the answers.
At this point I consider La Pergola to be the only Italian restaurant
that truly deserves the three star rating in Michelin (although I have never
dined at Enoteca Pinchiorri). Vissani, on the other hand, has some qualities,
but its performance hardly justifies its current two star rating.
Overall, it is clear that dishes are very well thought out
and ingredients carefully selected at La Pergola. The service, under the
direction of Umberto Giraudo, formerly
from Louis XV, is the best I have seen in Italy and one of the best anywhere.
In Vissani, on the other hand, one feels that there is a great master who
conceived “interesting” combinations in a split second when he was in the
middle of doing other things and then scribbled his ideas on the paper and left
the execution to others. It is unclear whether the grand master has ever tried
these dishes. (My friend, Francesco, who has reviewed Vissani favorably
actually does not think that Gianfranco Vissani tries all his new dish ideas
before they are put on the menu.) One can surmise that Vissani trusts his
intuition as much as Berlusconi has trusted his political acumen, and it is
his relatives (son and sister), and the
head cook, Signor Mori Schwichi, who are in charge of the kitchen. This
contrasts with the painstaking perfectionism of the German Heinz Beck of La
Pergola who gives the impression that he considers himself not a magician or
“artist” but a skilled artisan who will not include a dish on the menu unless
he is 100% sure that it works.
And his combinations do work. Take the appetizers: “Scampi carpaccio on lime gelee with papaya,
caviar and Tequila ice crush” and “Fritto of zucchini flower with shellfish
consommé and caviar”. The former is as
good as the similar dish I had tried last time, but the addition of Tequila
granite with a dash of salt and bitter citrus notes elevates the squeaky fresh
scampi (langoustine) to a higher plane. The fatty richness provided with good
non-pasteurized Iranian Oscietra complements the symphony of flavors.
Similarly, a good dollop of the same caviar works harmoniously with the
shellfish consommé (which is intense but not over reduced), and the soft boiled
egg the delicate zucchini flower are coated with the lightest imaginable
coating that makes me wonder how many hours Beck must have spent to reach this
level of perfection. Timing and temperature of the deep frying is also perfect
in the sense that the ingredients are very crisp outside and juicy inside.
Mikael Johnson, who has mastered this technique, would have approved of this
dish!
Compared to these entrees, the recommended “zolfini bean
soup with wild pig (cinghiale), leek tart, and sliced asparagus and beet” at
VISSANI was simply an amalgam of ingredients which were neither in
juxtaposition, nor in accord with each other. The dish was not bad, but it was
“awkward” and a questionable suggestion
to commence a meal. It was simply quite heavy and robust, although the quality
of pureed zolfini beans was memorable.
We have continued our meal with two pasta dishes in both
restaurants. At Pergola, one pasta was new (“artichoke and mint ravioli with
mezzancole and bottarga”) and one was a repeat of an old favorite
(“fagottelli”). I have reviewed
fagottelli before, which is a reconstitution of the classic carbonara. All I
can say is that no matter how many times I dine at La Pergola in the future, I
intend to always order this dish. The ravioli, on the other hand, is also
special. Clarity is always a focus in Beck’s cuisine, and there is no question
about the integrity of artichoke, which, even in its disguised puree form,
reveals its Roman origins (what French call “artichaut epineux,” the narrow and
small artichoke which is now in season). Grey mullet roe and fresh Sardinian
prawns, which had not developed the iodized taste, were in perfect harmony with
the artichoke flavor. One can not easily improve the harmony of flavors in this
dish, although it is possible to make this even more stunning by substituting
the incomparably sweet San Remo
gamberi for the mezzancole.
The two pasta dishes were much more complicated at Vissani,
but only one of the two was successful. That is, “the ravioli made from farro
and stuffed with foie gras and sweet onion and topped with sea urchin ice cream
in a sea urchin sauce flavored with marjoram” sounded like a curious
proposition, but it turned out to be one
of the most memorable pasta dishes of our latest Italy trip. This dish, which
reminded me of the best dish I had at El Bulli last year (“brain and sea
urchin”) was rich, unctuous, yet light on its feet at the same time. It was
neither salty nor fatty, as one would have expected. Actually it was the only
instance in the meal when I could understand why Vissani is considered a
culinary tour de force.
Unfortunately the other pasta was the worst course of the
meal at Vissani. A lasagna was served
with “gamberi rossi”, veal jus, truffle infusion, crunchy rape on top, and
blueberry jus, served alongside the dish in a bowl. Had I ordered that dish
because I was craving for “gamberi rossi”?
Probably. If so, over cooked ravioli, finely shredded gamberi from which
all taste seemed to have evaporated, and an overpowering veal stock which
reminded me supermarket quality canned stocks, ended up masking the remaining
flavors of shellfish. While I was having this dish, signor Luca Vissani (the
son) was telling me that he found the use of black truffles too excessive and
the flavors too strong at L’Ambroisie. I can see that we have different tastes.
Personally I did not detect any hint of truffle on this dish, and my final
recollection was that of muddled and confused flavors, haphazardly put together.
For the fish course, we had filet of sea bass (spigola) in a
shellfish-saffron consommé with asparagus at La Pergola. It was topped by a
“tea” sorbet sitting on a crispy wafer made of lemon and served with the fried
head of shrimp, cubed lemon jelly and asparagus on a skewer. In Vissani, on the
other hand, we had langouste (aragosta) served with a puree of fava beans,
turnips, prunes, lobster, and Norcia black truffle sauce and zucchini.
I was disappointed with the quality of aragosta and the
preparation at Vissani. I don’t always understand why langouste (aragosta) is
twice as expensive as lobster (astice), but I am always excited with aragosta.
The one at Vissani did not taste as sweet as the ones I am accustomed to having
in Corsica/ Sardegna, Iles des Porquerolles, or Brittany. The sauce was also unsatisfactory.
I could again not detect the taste of Norcia black truffles as the crumbles
tasted like nothing. (Signor Vissani would say that the taste is very
“subtle.”) The puree was made of dried rather than fresh fava (broad) beans. It
lacked the clarity of the fava taste (and the first fava beans had hit the
markets!), and the prune imparted a not so subtle note. Again flavors were
muddled, but the aragosta itself was still preferable to the quasi-farmed small
Maine
lobsters served in many multi-starred restaurants worldwide.
The bass was top quality at La Pergola, as memorable as the
salt crusted “spigola” we had had 10 months earlier. This time Beck presented
the bass in a more complex format containing sweet-grassy-salty-citrus flavors.
I admire the chef’s boldness in combining these flavors. Serving the
salty/crunchy/warm deep fried head and the shell intact was also an interesting
juxtaposition to the soft/cold sorbet. But somehow I found this dish to be
quite challenging to fully enjoy. That is, by the time one can understand its
logic and discovers the true sequence of the bites, it may have been too late
to derive maximum satisfaction from this dish. One has to take very small bites
from the shell, as it tastes very aggressive. Any big bite (as I have done and
averted my partner not to do) imparts a bitter and lingering flavor on your palate which then cannot fully assess
the outstanding quality of the spigola. After the dinner I tried to explain
this concern to Mr. Beck. Would it be possible to sharpen the focus of the dish
and minimize the risk without losing its complexity and marriage of flavors? It
was very heartening to see how carefully Beck listens to and appreciates constructive
criticism. Clearly he does not intend to rest on his laurels.
We finished with a meat course in both places. Two of the
most interesting courses in Vissani (pig and duck) were only available for
parties of four. So we have opted for lamb shoulder long cooked in heavy pot
with various vegetables and its own jus. I gathered that the lamb was raised
locally, and it was about 15 kg,. so it must have been about six months old. I
don’t think they slaughter young lamb in Umbria.
It was not very special lamb, but quite good. The preparation was simple but
satisfactory, a good, rustic dish.
The venison with a hazelnut crust served with root
vegetables and a chestnut consommé at La Pergola was extremely good, one of the
very best main courses I had in this trip. The venison was tender and
flavorful, certainly not oxidized from over ageing, and had good punch to it so
that one becomes aware that one is eating game.
We had a very good cheese course at La Pergola, but could
not trust the turnover at Vissani to order one. (There was only one other table
occupied, and apparently they were food journalists.) The reggiano at La
Pergola is very special, and they serve it with a good selection of vinegars
from Modena and
also from Reggia Emilia. The gold labeled RE bottle (which guarantees that it
is 25 years old) was even more interesting than the 80 years old balsamico from
Modena. I was
also impressed by two other cheeses: Ragusano from Sicilia and Bitto
(Valtellinano Anni) from Northern Italy.
The desserts are on par and very good in both restaurants.
The seven deadly sins at La Pergola should satisfy both the fruit and
coffee-chocolate lovers. There seems to be a reliance on seasonal fruits in
varying textures and intelligently spiced. To my surprise the desserts prepared
by Paola Vissani are also very very good at Vissani. I especially found the
orange flavored sabayon (“zabaione”) tartlet with hazelnut coulis and a cornet
filled with orange cream to be at the level of three star desserts in France. The fresh
strawberry crepe (“crespelle”) served with cinnamon flavored ricotta gelato
(wonderful) and apple coulis was also on par.
It is also worth noting the quality of the bread courses in
Vissani.
I found the sommelier to be very attentive to my desires at
La Pergola. He remained within the financial parameters at which I hinted, but
recommended wines I had not known before. The Furore Fiorduva 2003-Cuomo is
very interesting in that it first reminds one of a good Fiano di Avellino, but
the finish is more minerally and with a dash of iodine. This wine goes well
with Beck’s food. The Sicilian Passopisciano 2002-Franchetti (Nerello Mascalese
grapes) was also intriguing. When I swirled and smelled the wine I was afraid
that it may have been in the international style but it was not. That is, the
bold and voluptuous flavors seemed honest and not overextracted. Certainly the
overall acid-tannin structure was balanced, and throughout the meal the wine
did not lose its early appeal. It was a good match with game too.
A cornucopia of dessert wines was consumed with the seven
deadly sins at La Pergola.
I have a couple of final remarks. I never noticed the
servers at La Pergola. My glass never stayed empty, but was not filled
excessively either. The performance there is a great ballet starting with the
offer of Champagne
(not Prosecco) and ending with the offer of infusions prepared with gorgeous
sterling silver antique samovars. The friendliness and the good will also comes
across as genuine and natural, never forced or cloying.
The staff at Vissani, on the other hand, also displayed the
great hospitality often observed in Italy. It must have been awkward
for them to serve only two tables. When they offered us to take our coffee and
desserts in a separate room, we felt like guests in a friend’s house. They also
bestowed us with so many presents (jams, pasta, cigars, beans) that we had to
purchase an additional suitcase to bring them back. Their warmth and generosity
gave us a clue about the ratings they get from the Italian press. I am sure the
moment Gianfranco Vissani decides to take his own creations seriously, his
namesake restaurant will live up to its reputation, and Umbrians may then begin
patronizing the restaurant.
Vissani: 14.5/20 (VM)
La Pergola: 18/20 (VM)
April 25, 2006
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