Tales on the table

Osteria di Passignano - Tavarnelle Val di Pesa (Italy)

Visiting Osteria di Passignano is an experience that I will never forget. This upscale restaurant is part of the Antinori empire and located in the middle of beautiful Chianti wineries.

Before our meal, we visited the amazing wine cellars located underground the Abbey of San Michele Arcangelo a Passignano, right by the restaurant, which dates from the 890s and where some of the very best Antinori’s wines are aging in wooden barrels. During the visit, we were explained the story behind the place and I found it particularly interesting to learn how the famous Tignanello label was previously not prestigious inside Italy and even labeled as “Table Wine”, since it did not follow the certification requirements.

That is because this wine was a pioneer in mixing San Giovesi grapes with Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as using French oak barrels for the the aging process, given Piero Antinori’s passion for classic Bordeaux wine production. It was only when wine critic Robert Parker came across a bottle of TIgnanello during a blind tasting that this label started to receive its much deserved recognition - first internationally and then inside of Italy. From that point forward, it slowly began to change how Italian producers thought about wine and ended up being a watershed in the country’s wine culture that became much more focused on quality from that point forward.

We then headed back to the restaurant and had a glorious tasting menu for dinner that displayed traditional Tuscan cuisine. I particularly enjoyed the guinea fowl in milfoil pastry and the gnocchi with beef cheek and mushrooms. To make it all even better, we chose a wine pairing that served different Antinori labels for each dish, including the celebrated Tignanello and Solaia.

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Mugasa - Sangalhos (Portugal)

In simple terms, Leitão à Bairrada is Portugal ‘s version of suckling pig. It is often served with potato chips, slices of orange and a salad on the side.

The Bairrada region, famous for its wine production, is also home to some of the finest pigs in the country. But there are places and places to go for Leitão à Bairrada… and then, there is Mugasa.

Mugasa is a temple in the country’s gastronomic scene and the biggest reference when it comes to the preparation of leitão. It was sitting at the top of my bucket list for many years, but the path to get there made me increasingly excited for the meal I was about to have.

While driving through scenic local roads, basically all signs on the side pointed to a restaurant specialized in this dish. For a foreigner exploring the region for the first time, it looked like there was nothing else around there. No restaurant serving different types of food, no gas station, no convenience store. Nothing but the famous leitão à bairrada.. In all of my travels, I had never seen anything like it.

Upon arriving at Mugasa, the place looked a bit fancier than I expected, making me feel slightly underdressed. But the atmosphere was very casual and friendly, making me quickly forget my outfit.

The waiter placed a nice combination of olives, sheep cheese and bread on the table and I promptly ordered a cabidela to get things going. And after I finished it, it was a matter of time before the main attraction came to the table.

The leitão did not disappoint at all. The meat was juicy and tender and very well seasoned with their special sauce that was rubbed on the whole animal.

The preparation of such a special dish requires the techniques to be truly mastered, as it involves intelligently playing with the temperature to ensure a juicy meat and the much anticipated crispy skin. At Mugasa, the animal is then cut in a way that makes it easy for customers to enjoy this delicacy to the fullest. The product is undoubtedly of the highest quality, but the technique required to properly roast in their famous ovens is equally important for such a unique end result.

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@califadeleon was recently awarded a Michelin star, becoming the first taco stand to receive such honor. While it is not for me to say if it is deserving of such recognition or not, I can attest that their tacos are spectacular.

This tiny taqueria also closes late at dawn, which meant that it could be easily squeezed into my schedule after finishing work for the day.

The place was packed with people, so I can only imagine how the lines are now after the Michelin guide release. As the place itself does not have much space, customers were lined up on the sidewalk, right by street vendors selling anything from socks to cell phone accessories.

The 100 square foot place has no seating area and orbits around a beautiful grill where the tacos are prepared. Here, only four options are offered, all being meat-based: Pork chop, beef steak and beef rib and gaonera, their most famous taco, which is basically a beef filet.

All of the above cuts are prepared in very thin slices on the grill and seasoned with a squeeze of lemon and salt. That ‘s it. Pure and simple. Two types of salsa, red and green, are offered for customers to add to their liking, and both bring a welcomed acidic touch to the overall flavor.

Corn tortillas are freshly made in front of the clientele before being placed on the grill, and I was lucky enough to find some space at the counter to witness all of the action happening.

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@restaurantepopular72 is the place to go for a quintessential “goiano” lunch. Dona Lourdes has been welcoming guests for decades in this establishment that serves homemade regional food and offers a taste of the Cerrado flavors.

The restaurant operates in a buffet style where clients can serve themselves as many times as they wish for a fixed price. The buffet displays staple dishes from the state of Goiás, making the restaurant a perfect destination for someone to learn a bit of the region’s culture through local food. Gueroba, pequi, frango caipira, quiabo and chica doida are a few of the classics offered here. All perfectly seasoned and executed, of course.

The restaurant also offers a variety of salads, freshly squeezed juice options and one of my favorites “disco de carne”.

With such an array of options to choose from, having lunch at Restaurante Popular is a true feast, making it easy for one to overeat. But it is crucial to leave room for dessert here. The restaurant offers amazing sweet options, mostly made with local fruits. Think guava, banana, figs and papaya sweets, to go along with dulce de leche and their signature Ambrosia. While we’re at it, the ambrosia here might be the best that I ever had. It is light and smooth, with a gentle cinnamon touch that does not overpower it.

All of this in a homey environment, with a very friendly staff and a loving atmosphere that makes you appreciate your meal even more.

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Savini Tartufi - Montanelli (Italy)

When thinking about truffles, probably the first place that comes to mind is Alba/Piemonte. But make no mistake about it, Tuscan truffles should not be overlooked.

When visiting the region, I enjoyed this delicacy in many restaurants. But for me, that was not enough as I wanted to see firsthand how the truffle hunting process works.

Truffle hunting can be a tourist trap depending on where you go, with truffles planted on purpose to assure that the visitors do not go back home empty handed. That is not the case with @savinitartufi, and I can assure that the experience there is as real as it gets.

Truffles are fungi that grow under the dirt, in the roots of trees. During our visit, our guide Luca explained everything there is to know about his passion and the training of the hunting dogs.

It starts with a little bit of truffle oil being put on their mother’s milk. And as they grow, little amounts of truffles are included in their diet, way before the actual hunting training starts.

Once we headed into the forest, the real action began. Luca brought 2 dogs with him, father and son. This dynamic, while not common, was fascinating, as we were able to notice the differences in behavior between an experienced and trained dog and one still learning.

During our visit, it was black truffle season, and we were able to witness the discovery of at least 4 beautiful ones. Upon smelling it, the dog starts digging, but it does not eat and recognizes that it is Luca’s job to pick it up. Once this is finished, he receives a treat.

Once we finished, we hopped back on the Land Rover and rode back to Savini’s shop, where they prepared us a spectacular truffle based lunch that included pasta, fried eggs and even ice cream.

With more than 100 years in operation, I loved to see how Savini is both a family business (with less than 30 employees) and a global one, exporting to different countries and top restaurants/chefs. It wasalso very beautiful to see how happy the dogs were to be in the woods and how passionate Luca is around the subject and the values he embraces day in and day out.

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Trattoria Sostanza - Florence (Italy)

@trattoriasostanzafirenze is a very small restaurant and a must go for anyone visiting Florence.

They cook most dishes on coals in a small kitchen that you have to walk past to get to the bathroom.

This old school trattoria serves an artichoke omelet that is sensational. It is light, silky and offers a taste that is not easy to find. If artichokes are in season, make sure to order it.

But the signature butter chicken is the absolute best dish on the menu. Chicken breast is not usually my favorite cut, but here it is superb. It is cooked in a ton of butter and served on the sizzling pan, then finished with squeezed lemon. Inexplicably good.

As a side dish, the white beans in olive oil are a very simple and yet surprisingly flavorful option.

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Tripperia Pollini - Florence (Italy)

Lampredotto is a Florentine classic that consists of the fourth stomach of the cow, the abomasum, boiled in a flavorful broth until tender. It is usually sliced thinly and served as a sandwich.

The base of the broth is made with tomatoes, onion and celery, but each establishment gives its own twist.

This classic dish does not exist anywhere else, but in Florence it can be found all over the city. And @tripperiapollini serves one of the best versions in town.

Here, the sandwich is very big and bread is soaked in the broth to absorb its flavors. They also offer a green sauce and a hot sauce to be added on top, both of which added an extra dimension of complexity to the dish and gave me a very pleasant memory of my days in Mexico.

Offal lovers out there should definitely not miss this spot when looking for a place to try this democratic street food.

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La Taverna di San Giuseppe - Sena (Italy)

@la_taverna_di_san_giuseppe is a traditional osteria serving authentic Tuscan food. The place, which is no stranger to the Michelin guide, is located in an old building that used to be a taverna. And its brick stone ambience resembles to this day a medieval establishment.

The great wine selection is kept in an Etruscan cave that dates back to 200 B.C and is enough reason on its own to make a lunch reservation.

I ordered pici, a type of pasta that is originally from the province of Siena, so I knew that I had to try it when in town. Even though it is not my favorite type of pasta, the dish was very good and perfectly executed. Pici is a hand-made pasta that is very thick. It is also usually made without eggs (only flour and water are used). Here, it was served in a typical wild boar and porcini mushroom ragu that was superb.

Everything else that we ordered was very tasty as well, including the lasagna and the braised wild boar marinated for 8 hours in milk and cooked in white wine.

Service was very friendly, making this restaurant a must stop in Siena. Just make sure to book in advance.

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Osteria Del Mirasole - San Giovanni in Persiceto (Italy)

Some people say that @osteriamirasole is worth the drive to San Giovanni in Persiceto. Well, that could not be further from the truth as it implies that investing a little bit of your time to get there is some sort of penalti. In my eyes, it is a pilgrimage. And the restaurant is actually worth the plane ticket all the way from Brazil.

Antica Osteria del Mirasole embodies everything I love about food. There is no bullshit here. No unnecessary narrative behind the dishes there. It is a place where you feel the truth behind each bite. A restaurant that thrives in its simplicity and showcases Emilian Romagnan heritage at its finest. Where the quality of ingredients and mastery of techniques are at the level of any of the world’s top restaurants, but in a more down to earth and real environment.

They own a farm close to the restaurant, where they source many of the ingredients and produce their own cheese. Their signature dish is the tortellini in creamy sauce, obtained through the skimming process of the milk used in their Parmigiano production. This dish deserves a post of its own and it is something that any food lover should taste at least once.

The tagliatelle Bolognese was the ultimate Italian trattoria comforting food. The meaty ragu sauce, called “cortile” is an umami bomb. Differently from other places that I visited, it consists of a mix of beef, pork, chicken livers and others, paying tribute to an ancient cultural heritage from the countryside of Persciceto.

The green lasagna was another spectacular dish, with a creamy bechamel from their dairy and a hearty meat ragu, combined in thin layers that ended with a beautiful crust on top.

This is also a meat lover’s paradise. Steak and different types of meat are cooked in a stone fireplace, with smoky notes from the wood embers that burn slowly and warm up the cozy dining room.

Tiramisu for dessert was the only possible way that I found to end such an epic meal at this neighborhood trattoria that conquered the world. Upon leaving my table, I could not help but feel happiness. Until next time, Mirasole!

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Trattoria di Via Serra - Bologna (Italy)

When planning my trip to Bologna, I was determined to find my way into @trattoriadiviaserra. But this is no easy task: the restaurant does not take online reservations and staff is usually too busy to answer the phone. Locals can drop by to make a reservation in person, but that becomes tricker for someone living on the other side of the Atlantic.

I tried calling for several days but after realizing that this would not get the job done, it was time for plan B. So I arranged for someone from my hotel to go there and make the reservation for me, only to be frustrated again since the restaurant did not take reservations from third parties.

So my only shot was to stop by in person and try my luck. I knew that upon arriving in Bologna, I would only have one day to make it work. So the plan was to go there at lunchtime and hope that they would have a table available for dinner. Odds were not exactly in my favor.

That’s when my girlfriend came up with an idea. We wrote a small paragraph in Italian explaining how much it meant to me to have a meal there, which I practiced for many times until the pronunciation was at least understandable. Upon arriving at the restaurant, I read my piece of paper in front of the host, karatê-kid style, and to our surprise the host smiled and was able to accommodate us for dinner service.

The dining room was small and intimate. The food was simple, rustic and very flavorful, consisting of Bolognese classics and a few dishes with a more modern twist.

All dishes were flawless, including the green fettuccine with ragu, another pasta with a variety of mushrooms on top and the caramelized figs with squacquerone cheese for starters. But the best bite of the night was probably a rabbit and sausage porchetta roll, which was roasted in the oven and served with potatoes. For dessert, their berry sorbet and the chocolate cake were the perfect ending to a meal that I will never forget.

In addition to great food, this is a place where you feel love on every corner and as soon as you step inside, you can understand their booking system.

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