Restaurants have their own too format. There are those of haute cuisine, modern taverns, romantic bistros and large spaces suitable for tables with friends. Among the most versatile formulas, although demanding for those who decide to adopt them, thenon-stop opening 8-24: the restaurant welcomes customers from breakfast to dinner, passing through lunch, snack and aperitif.
Your service at any time
In Italy we are still a long way from what happens in other countries, where it is possible to have an entire meal at any time of the day. There is a tendency to diversify the offer according to thehours: cappuccino and brioche in the morning, tea and cake in the afternoon, drinks and snacks when the offices close, à la carte dishes at noon and for dinner can arrive at the same table. Basically, everyone's dream habitue: being able to satisfy all your gastronomic desires in your favorite place. But a nice puzzle for those who, as a restaurateur, want to fulfill these wishes.
The room becomes fluid
He knows it well Sandra Ciciriello, Milanese entrepreneur, woman of the dining room and of wines who, now three years ago, studied a "fluid" approach for her new restaurant, 142 Restaurant (pictured above), inaugurated at the end of 2019 together with the chefs Nello Barbieri And Chiara Orrù and the pastry chef Alessandro Montanari. Alessandro's laboratory is the keystone that allows you to keep up such a demanding routine. “Kitchen and pastry literally have two different operating temperatures”, explains Sandra. "This is why we have separated them into two distinct and autonomous spaces: each has its own storage, washing, preparation areas, there is no department that clashes with the other". Outside meal times, the kitchen is not engaged except in basic preparations, such as soft-boiled eggs offered for breakfast along with French croissants, cakes, single portions, savory croissants, bun and toast. At the cafeteria tailor made add freshly squeezed juices, smoothies, yogurt, tea and herbal teas for an afternoon break. Lunch and dinner are à la carte: “We have decided not to diversify the offer”, Sandra emphasizes, “so as not to complicate our lives and to allow midday customers to discover and taste all our dishes”. Including signature dish which are already small classics: the Tribute to Lucio Fontana, creativity applied to bread, butter and anchovies from the Cantabrian, Oro Mio, spaghetti with bottarga emulsion, or Fatti un Negroni, oysters that marry the famous cocktail. After lunch, the kitchen brigade is operational again from 6pm for an aperitif, when the pastry counter "disappears" thanks to a glass that becomes opalescent, and the bar comes to life. The pre-dinner drinks are accompanied by classic snacks (olives, dried broad beans, pinzimonio), seasonal vegetable spherifications, chicken and capricciosa sandwiches, octopus tacos. Overlooking the open kitchen, the place is welcoming, with books and magazines to browse, knick-knacks, paintings on the walls that invite you to take a break and look around. “The coffee bar is very local,” says Sandra. “Those who live or work in the surrounding area come for breakfast and lunch. The clientele expands for the aperitif and dinner, on Saturday and Sunday we have customers who come on purpose, both for breakfast and for lunch and dinner ".
The city that never stops
The 142 was the first to take the road to an opening all day long under the banner of fine dining. But in a city in constant motion, like Milan, there is no shortage of other examples of pop clubs that have been able to diversify the offer.
It is open seven days a week, from nine in the morning to late evening, A place in Milan at Cascina Cuccagna. Here chef Nicola Cavallaro coordinates the bar and restaurant activities that start from breakfast with homemade cakes, protein pancakes, savory swivels and fresh fruit to the quick meal with stuffed miche of own production, hamburgers and focaccia. For lunch and dinner, the cuisine is traditional with some fashionable and creative concessions. At noon, between cappelletti in broth, tagliata and grilled chicken, hummus and shrimp tacos pop up, in the evening the Puntarelle Caesar salad is enriched with anchovies from the Gulf of Catania, the creamed cod is intensified by the 'nduja, and the braised cap is not missing of the priest but not even the quinoa burger. The cutting boards served with an aperitif are very tasty.
Food Typography is the bistro and food hub on the Martesana canal which, from Friday to Sunday, anticipates opening at 9 (usually it is 11) and offers breakfasts based on artisan pastries, focaccia, fresh bread. At lunch (in season, with outdoor tables by the water) the offer changes daily, with lots of vegetable cuisine, soups, stews, traditional dishes and homemade desserts. Although dinner is not scheduled, except for specific events, the artisan aperitif lasts until late in the evening and accompanies the natural wines, the strong point of the place, with a selection of raw milk cheeses and cured meats from small producers.
A completely different mood for Quore Italiano, the chain of restaurants – 5 in the city – which, according to the motto "pasta, pizza and tradition", does not forget breakfast and welcomes customers from early in the morning: in Piazza Oberdan it opens already at 7 am. At lunch and dinner times, the kitchen gets smart with bruschetta, crostini, gourmet montanarine, traditional first and second courses including risotto, tortelli, roasts and cutlets, pizzas with organic dough and Roman shovel.
What if the answer is pizza?
That must also have been the question he asked himself Francesco Bedussi when he decided to expand the business of the family ice cream parlor, a Brescia, adding the cuisine and, of course, the pizza. After all, he trained with pastry chefs like Gianluca Fusto, a master of leavening like Rolando Morandin, protagonists ofhaute cuisine like Davide Scabin and Enrico Crippa. Today, the cafeteria is entrusted to the Modbar, a state-of-the-art machine for state-of-the-art espresso and filter coffee, the ice creams are made from raw milk with all the homemade bases, the pastry ranges from mignon to levitated, the kitchen focuses on selected raw materials, such as the Prussian heifer chosen for the raw, and respectful cooking. The flagship of the gastronomic offer remains the pizzas, with three doughs of your choice, all very light and fragrant, and rich gourmand toppings.
Breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner are the 4 moments of the extended day of the pastry shop Sirani of Bagnolo Mella (BS). In the morning you are spoiled for choice between simple bread, butter and jam, the typical cake of roses, scrambled or bacon eggs, focaccia with sweet and savory creams. For lunch, soups, pastas, pancakes and club sandwiches are served. At snack time it is time to taste the most creative cups, such as the Maldon salt and caramel ice cream, the beer cream or the lime and coffee sorbet. For dinner, a roundup of pizzas to share, including one with Calvisius caviar and Normandy butter.
Capitoline taste
The combination of pastry and cooking seems to be a good starting point for those who want to multiply the opportunities to attract customers. TO Rome, Madeleine Salon de Gastronomie is a French-inspired bistro open from 8 am to 1 am. In the proposal of patisserie of course there is no shortage of Proustian sweets that give the place its name, cakes by the slice, buttery croissants and macarons. At lunch and dinner, you can easily switch from a terrine of foie gras to an amatriciana with a selection of pillows and a BBQ cockerel. Then, it rolls into late boudoir, the part of the room dedicated to mixology and spirits, to be accompanied if desired with small fried foods or salads.
Option veg and pampering: the right address in the Eternal City is Romeow Cat Bistrot: from 10 in the morning until evening, strictly cruelty free pastry and cooking can be enjoyed while peeking (or stroking, if they get close!) the six house cats wandering around with a soft step. Muffins, cakes, spoon desserts, pancakes, "mood menu" to be accompanied with fair trade coffee, chocolate, vegetable milks, smoothies, extracts or, at the right time, cocktails. Lunch and dinner are marked by the seasonal vegetable garden and exotic influences and to keep company with salty cannoli, rice and spaghetti there are curry, ramen, tofu, seitan and tempeh.
Travelling
Multifunctional by definition: they are the service areas on the roads that, from non-places, they are transforming into place to be that almost … almost worth the trip. This is the case ofVilloresi Ovest motorway service station on the A8 dei Laghi, just outside Milan. Thanks to a skilful architectural recovery, it makes travelers and commuters take a step back in time. The 1958 project, signed by Angelo Bianchetti, has been renovated with great respect and functionality and today, under the grand original drop-shaped chandelier, you can drink an espresso on the fly, eat one of the iconic sandwiches, a pizza of Renato Bosco, a risotto of Andrea Ribaldone, a dessert of Luca Montersino or Sal de Riso.
Another important signature, that of Niko Romito, for Alt Station of Gusto in Castel di Sangro, on the SS 17: a "roadside restaurant" open from morning to evening, bar, shop and diner with a kitchen where you can enjoy desserts and pizzas, express fried chicken and the famous bombs of leavened dough, sprinkled with sugar, stuffed with cream or in a new savory version.
January 2022
Francesca Romana Mezzadri
