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April 25, 2006
LA PERGOLA AND VISSANI
In a past post I had inquired whether Da Vittorio and Le Calandre were the two best restaurants in Italy, awarding both 18 on the gastroville scale. This was before I had dined at La Pergola. In my last year’s post I had also lauded La Pergola and awarded it 18.
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 12, 2006
L’ASTRANCE: AT CROSSROADS
I recently had my second meal at this deservedly celebrated restaurant after a hiatus of two years. My first meal had revealed the courage of a young chef who was so ingredient focused that when he came across some outstanding cherries and strawberries he did not shy away from offering them in their natural format as a pre-dessert course with no manipulation. At the same time, the chef, Barbot’s, desire for minimal treatment of ingredients and his determination to eliminate sauces as binding elements in his dishes embodied some risks. That is, his cuisine seemed very dependent on the quality of the raw material and their proper execution, and any single mishap on these counts would prove more disastrous for this chef than for some other celebrated French chefs. In addition, elimination of binding elements implied that Barbot’s cuisine was very much dependent on the synergies between the dominant ingredient of a dish and the supporting elements. In that regard, although it was clear that Barbot was a painstaking researcher, he had not reached the maturity level and instinctual assuredness of his mentor Monsieur Passard of Arpege. I was very curious to try the restaurant a second time, and when I called, Monsieur Rohat, the co-partner and manager of the dining room, graciously granted my request, adding that they no longer served an a la carte menu, but a menu surprise for the whole table. "Is there anything you don’t eat?" he added.
As we had flown that day (March 28, Tuesday) from Roma to Paris amidst a general strike and student demonstrations (which, personally, I am in favor of because they remind me of my childhood’s Paris and a healthy resistance against importing US style "flexible" labor institutions), we were starving, as we had not had anything to eat the whole day. We were first to arrive at 8PM to l’Astrance. This rare situation gave me a chance to marvel how fitting the space for Barbot’s delicate cuisine was, and as guests began to arrive I glanced and noticed that the clientele was quite different than two years ago. That is, it was less bohemian and unconventional and clearly more "bourgeois", as fitting the plush and chic 16th arrondissement.
Normally, as more mature diners substitute for a younger clientele when a restaurant achieves fame (and increases its prices!), chefs tend to turn more conventional. I have not seen this in the case of Barbot. Indeed two of the most successful dishes, both of which merit 19, were hardly conventional. One of them combined a very rich beef tail (queue de boeuf) and Breton Belon oyster ragout with beets and an infusion of camembert. This was a luscious, decadent, and delicious "mer et terre" combination, where the beet jus added just the required acidity to balance the complex gras and iodized notes. Overall the dish was a study in how not to compromise deliciousness when one tinkers with texture and unusual combinations. Less unorthodox, but equally sumptuous, was a fried langoustines dish. Two gros langoustines, as fresh and sweet and big as the ones served at l’Ambroisie, sat on a pool of spinach with a foamy beurre blanc infused lightly by coconut milk and tamarind. It was served with a tartare of raw scallops and langoustines and with an infusion of small fresh shrimps (crevette grises). Clearly this dish is a nod to Pacaud’s now classic langoustines served on ethereal wafers and with a curry sauce, and Barbot seems capable of capturing what is the essence of French haute cuisine today, that is, harmonious and complex preparations which are not heavy or cloying.
All of the ingredients in these dishes were bound together by well conceived infusions. Some other dishes were even lighter and less robust, displaying elegance and extreme freshness. The foie gras, which was layered by thinly cut crunchy Paris mushrooms (which resemble what I know as button mushrooms), and a slow cooked tuna dish with crunchy new cabbage, were extremely delicate dishes. Barbot’s careful use of acidity, that is lime and lemon coulis and/or peel, and spices, such as ginger in the case of tuna, as well as his aptitude in concocting very thin pastries (in the case of the foie gras millefeuille) did add additional layers of flavor and texture to these dishes. At the same time, although these dishes are successful in their own right, one can’t help but remember some more multilayered and satisfactory preparations elsewhere (such as Mugaritz’ foie gras, Pacaud’s tuna). To me these dishes reveal both the promise as well as the limits of minimalism which inspires Barbot’s cooking philosophy.
Interestingly, two more dishes which reveal the same philosophy ended up in opposite poles. The slow cooked barbue (a turbot like fish which I admire) served with Pertuis green asparagus and morels and an accompanying light vin jaune sauce, was marvelous. The cooking method had extracted the maximum flavour from the very fresh, sweet fish, but had left the firm texture intact. Each bite revealed tender flakes and juicy, briny flavors. Crunchy asparagus, morels which tasted like morels, and the modicum of acidity and bitterness imparted by the deft saucing complemented the excellence of the barbu and did not detract from its deliciousness. Bravo!
Unfortunately the same slow cooking technique and minimum manipulation did not work with the lamb from Pyrenees. I was told that the gigot d’agneau from Pyrenees was slow cooked, and it was not cooked sous vide. Nonetheless, the texture was soggy, more like chewing a wet cloth, so it struck me like a bad example of sous vide. Is this the fault of cooking or mediocre quality? I don’t know. What I know is that there is delicious lamb in the Pyrenees. But the best lamb dish in my recent memory was a Pauillac gem that my gastroville partner, Mikael, found in a local butcher in Monaco and cooked for me when he invited me. Both pictures are below. Which one looks better?
Interestingly, the lamb I had eaten at l’Astrance two years ago was better, albeit not as good as Mikael’s Pauillac lamb. My conclusion is that, because Barbot opts for clear and focused tastes, which I admire, he may be flirting with potential disaster when he can’t find the quality material he needs (the lamb was accompanied by good leek and potato fondant).
A good sorbet (of lemongrass and red pepper) was served, and we concluded with a modern dessert combining mango-rhubarb-nougat glacee and caramelized walnut flavors.
This surprise menu is now 150 Euro per head. For an additional 100 Euro per head the sommelier offers to match dishes with different wines. Instead, for the same money, we opted for a 99 Roulot Bourgogne Blanc and a 2003 Roc d’Anglade from Pays du Gard which is 80% Carignane. The wine list is quite intriguing in that, as has been the case in the early years of Passard when he was a two star chef, l’Astrance, too, includes a great deal of new discoveries and some classics from the South of France. I expected the 99 Roulot to match our first course beautifully, and it did. Very harmonious and with good acidity (the sommelier rightly described the wine as very "vif" ) and minerals, the 99 Roulot is drinking beautifully and will improve. The Roc d’Anglade reminded me of a Peyre Rose, which combines a lush texture and forward crème de cassis and blackberry flavors with some elegance in the long finish. It also complemented the queue de bouef beautifully. I will look for this producer in the future.
I found the overall flow of our menu surprise good but not optimum. Serving the foie gras so early in the meal is unorthodox, and, despite the lightness of the preparation, I am not fully convinced. I also thought that the queue de boeuf was a more sturdy dish than the lamb. Somehow, compared to Can Roca and Mugaritz of Spain, Barbot has not perfected the flow of the meal yet (on the other hand, he doesn’t commit overt violations of good taste such as done at El Bulli). On the other hand, his consommé of smoked lard and grilled bread has to be tasted to see how clever the chef is, and this is a superb taste cleanser before the final course, the lamb dish.
Some other details are also satisfactory. The bread is very very good, and I was told that it is from Monsieur Poujauran. The service is discreet, and timing between courses is perfect. Monsieur Rohat is very attentive to details, and is a suave and gracious host.
Overall, this restaurant clearly deserves its current Michelin rating and should reach higher in the coming years. I found it to have improved during the last two years, as the chef seems capable of maturing and evolving towards a more luscious and complex style. I would be most curious and happy to return.
Ranking: 17.5/20 (VM)
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