Ristorante Il Centro: Priocca D'Alba's (Piemonte) contribution to culinary excellence

In the week or so that I recently spent in Piemonte, no higher praise did I hear, nor better dining experience had I, than for/at Ristorante Il Centro, the establishment owned by the Cordero family and located almost in the shadow of Chiese parrocchiale di San Rocco e Sant'Elisabetta in Priocca d'Alba.

Ristorante Il Centro (Used with permission)

Chiese parrocchiale di San Rocco e Sant'Elisabetta

I first encountered this restaurant at the Labor of Love (the Suzanne Hoffman book on Piemontese wine families) pre-launch dinner and was impressed by: the wine cellar (both its esthetics and content): the sommelier Giampiero Cordero (knowledge, charm, kindness, and engaging character): the food (pleasing in both appearance and taste; innovative); the ease with which a large party was handled; and the overarching sense of humbleness which emanated from all of the family members that I met.

As I went around Piemonte visiting wineries and other restaurants, the question invariably asked was "Where have you eaten while in Piemonte?" When I mentioned Il Centro, the feedback was universally positive. Luca Cigluiti of La Spinetta and Contratto said that it is the only restaurant in the region where he feels he could eat every day. The food, he said, was tasty and did not leave you feeling heavy upon completion. With all of the goodwill directed at the restaurant, we decided to pay a return visit and did so for its Sunday Brunch.

Before discussion of our brunch experience, some background is in order. A noted eatery had existed at the current location for 100 years before it came into the Cordero family by acquisition in 1956. Pierin Cordero and his wife Rita, abetted by the culinary skills of Pierin's mother Lidia, began to firmly imprint the Cordero name on this establishment. When Pierin died in 1970, Rita took the reins and continued to build on the gastronomic traditions established by Lidia. When Pierin died, Enrico was 18 years old and he left school at that time to take over management of the enterprise. Elis dropped into the restaurant seeking employment and one year later was running the kitchen. And today her culinary skills are widely lauded. Their children are involved in the family business with Giampiero having primary responsibility for cellar development and wine service while his sister, who is a journalist in New York City, is responsible for marketing and some financial aspects of the business.

Giampiero, his mom Elis (also the Chef), and his dad Enrico
with Suzanne Hoffman at the Labor of Love pre-launch dinner

The restaurant's philosophy is that tradition and innovation are not necessarily countervailing forces and that careful attention to both will continue to yield success. And the the success of the application of that philosophy is reflected in the wide acclaim that the cuisine has garnered. The restaurant also receives kudos for the cellar and its contents. The cellar has a table in its outer chamber where tastings or small dinners can be held and an inner chamber where more than 600 labels of regional and international wines are kept.

So back to the brunch. We chose to eat the 5-course tasting menu which drew three selections from the appetizers and one each from the first- and second-plate sections of the menu. The first two dishes ordered were Acacia Flower and Salumi (the salumi had a lighter color due to no chemicals being used in its preparation) preparation and Sweet and Sour Pepper and Anchovies. The acacia flower had been dipped in flour batter and then lightly fried and had a crunchy texture along with hints of sweetness and some salt. The pepper had been cured in-house from September of last year using sugar, olive oil, and vinegar,  a combination which provided an explosion of contrasting flavors in the mouth.

Acacia Flower and Salumi

Sweet and Sour Pepper and Anchovies

The first wine ordered was the Contratto For England Rosé 2010, a sparkling wine from the Alta Langa Metodo Classico DOCG. A clean, unyielding nose with a subdued mousse, strawberry flavor, and a bitter finish. Bitter rose water with limited persistence.

The second course ordered was a Veal Cooked Under Salt and Prawns with Asparagus. I had had the veal on my previous visit and it was still excellent. The saltiness calls out for an ameliorating liquid.The Prawns had been lightly fried in a lemon, ginger, and olive oil emulsion and was giving, with a dark brown color. Very pleasing. The asparagus had a piney flavor and a crunchy texture.

Veal Cooked under Salt

Prawns with Asparagus

A Smoked Sturgeon and Roasted Quail Salad followed. The sturgeon was the least favorite of my dishes as the earthiness and the texture did not work well together for me. It may also have been overdone. The Quail, on the other hand, was pleasing to both the eye and the palate. The little drumsticks just begged to be handled; and when they were, they rewarded with salt and smokiness, great texture, and perfect temperature. The breast chunks were well marinated and did not suffer from lack of proximity to a bone (How far away from a bone can you be if you are quail meat?). This latter dish was accompanied by home-made peppers and pearled onions.

Smoked Sturgeon

Roasted Quail Salad

I was pleased to see a 2011 GD Vajra Riesling on the Il Centro list. After consultation with Giampiero, I ordered a bottle. It reinforced my convictions regarding this wine. It had a light golden color, hinting at the development it had undergone. On the nose, initially, petrol, golden apple, white pepper, and a soapiness. On the palate pineapple (underripe), intense acidity, minerality, and tamarind. A long, drying finish which evolved into an intense chalkiness with a metallic undertone. After a while in the glass, the wine transitioned to lemon-lime dominance both on the nose and palate but still distinct petrol. Additional time in the glass brought grapefruit into the equation and a growing black pepper and Indian spice presence. Minerality still present. Wine more focused and weightier on the palate. Giampiero mentioned that, three or four years ago, there were only three or four Riesling producers in the region, with Vajra the leader. With the success of the pioneers, there are now over 20 Riesling producers in the region but Il Centro will only carry three; one of which is Vajra.

The Ravioli Stuffed with Pork Ribs and Sweetbreads and the Gluten-Free Pasta in Tomato Sauce were excellent dishes both. The Ravioli was another of the dishes I had tried previously and was excited to revisit.

Ravioli Stuffed with Pork Ribs and Sweetbreads

Gluten-Free Pasta

The final dishes were a Breaded Veal Steak with Salad and a Roasted Cod with Crispy Vegetable Thins. The veal was excellent with the soft inner core contrasting admirably with the textured, seasoned breading. The codfish was wonderful, a savory explosion of tomatoes and herbs. This dish was paired with a 2009 Marzino Abbona Terlo Ravera.

Breaded Veal Steak with Salad

Roasted Cod with Crispy Vegetable Thins

The dishes served were excellent but I would be doing the restaurant a disservice if I did not mention the service. Giampiero was an excellent Wine Steward, being there exactly when needed (whether for conversation or for wine orders) and his scope of knowledge (in terms of the wines and winemakers) is immense. He likes to think of the people who make the wine when he is drinking it as his enjoyment is increased if he knows its story.

The wait staff was well-trained and quietly efficient. You got the sense of them hovering just off set and rushing in at the slightest indication of need. Enrico was a presence, pitching in in a silent yet familiar manner. He knows everyone sitting around you, knows their life stories. His conversations with the guests are substantial.

In Piemonte? Visit this place. You have been before? Go again.

©Wine -- Mise en abyme

American Gymkhana: Modern Indian cuisine wends its way to Orlando

Raj Parr recently visited Orlando for a tasting of his domestic and Burgundy wines. At the completion of the tasting, he tarried a bit to taste some of the wines that Ron and I had brought to the event. In discussing his schedule for the remainder of the day, he mentioned that he was having dinner at American Gymkhana. I knew that it was a new restaurant on the Orlando scene and that the cuisine was Indian but we had not eaten there (and not because of lack of effort on my wife's part). When I ran into Raj at La Paulée I asked him about his experience at American Gymkhana and he said the food had been surprisingly good.  In the intervening period, my wife had gotten excellent reviews from friends who had visited. With this growing mountain of evidence that this restaurant was cooking good food, my wife would be restrained no longer. We were going to American Gymkhana. And so we did. Last Thursday.

American Gymkhana is owned by Restaurateur Rajesh Bhardwaj, the Founder and CEO of Junoon New York (the only Michelin-starred Indian-cuisine restaurant in NYC) and Junoon Dubai. I struggled a bit with the choice of the name, both before and after its meaning was explained. Gymkhana's were the meeting places of the elite during the period of the British Raj in India. Go figure.

The restaurant is located on the top floor of the westernmost building in the "Vines Plaza" in the heart of Sand Lake Road's Restaurant Row. You climb two sets of stairs to get to the reception area and arrive there winded. Our guests had not yet arrived so we repaired to the bar. The bar, and associated lounge, were both pleasing to the eye; places where you would want to sit and have a drink or two. My wife is currently into a Jalapeno Grey Goose cocktail that the mixologist was unfamiliar with but which he constructed magnificently once told the components.

Once our guests arrived, we were shown to our seats. The restaurant is spacious; and the distribution of the seating adds to the sense of expansiveness. A large, clean-looking, open kitchen is sited at the eastern end of the restaurant. The barrel ceilings provide a sense of coziness and are accented by purple-hued lighting.

The menu was clean and simple with between six and eight items in each category and each dish having a subtext describing its components.

The first item brought to our table was a basket of Naan Bread. This leavened, oven-baked flatbread was the canary; except that there was no coalmine. It was heralding the gustatory pleasures to come. It was freshly made and accompanied by a mint dipping sauce. It had great flavor and texture and really did not need any hand-holding.

The Amouse Bouche was a Pineapple Salsa on a Masala Cracker. Cilantro, spiciness, and light tanginess. The mix of textures was intriguing with the crackling crunch of the cracker contrasting with the give of the pineapple chunks.

We had each ordered a dish from the starters and they began to arrive. The Gymkhana Chicken looked  a little much but was a treat on the palate. A dash of Yogurt Sauce and a portion of seasonal Lettuce were in attendance in the event that cooling influences were necessary but the intense flavors, the spiciness, and the temperature were right up my alley.

I also ordered a dish called Adraki Gobhi which was a cauliflower fritter made with ginger and galangal (also a part of the ginger family). At first glance it looked like a meatball but tasted anything but. The spicy red sauce was the cocoon for cauliflowers that had been firmed-up by slight roasting.

The Aloo Chaat was a "potato slider" with Yukon Potatos on the top, Purple Potatos on the bottom (in the styling of a potato chip), and Fingerlings in the middle. These were accompanied by a seasonal Fruit Chutney.

We accompanied the starters with a bottle of Paul Déthune Champagne.

My wife ordered a Lobster dish for her main course while I ordered Lamb Chops. Our table companions ordered Lamb Curry, Goat Curry, and Fish so that we could sample a broad array of the fare on offer. The Lobster dish was comprised of two whole Maine lobsters that were Saffron-Marinated and accompanied by a spiced lobster butter. The Nahile Lamb Chops were cooked with whiskey, ginger, black cardamom, and a garlic-whipped yogurt. The lobster was excellent but I could not wrap my head (or palate) around the Lamb. It had a cloying texture and the meat was not firm enough for my liking. I had gone from some very spicy foods to a milky, taste-free dish. I did not like it (In conversations the following day, the Chef told my wife that this meal was designed for people who did not like spicy meals. I wish the waiter had told me that.).

One of my tablemates had gotten the Goat Roganjosh, which is goat on the bone braised in Kashmiri chili and clarified butter, while the other had gotten the Lamb Vindaloo which was constructed with apple cider vinegar, Goan chilies, black pepper, and twice-fried potatos. Both of these were outstanding dishes, especially when some Roti was added to the mix. I lived in my neighbors plates.

At the conclusion of the dinner my wife asked the waiter about the owner and the waiter said that he happened to be in the building that evening. We asked to speak to him and once he had concluded the meeting with which he was engaged, he came over. Nice conversation. We thanked him for bringing this venture to Orlando. He talked a bit about the concept and about the fact that he was flying out from Orlando to Dubai to visit the Junoon there. We also met the Chef (Aarthi Sampath), and congratulated her on the food, and the Wine Director (David Pennisi) with whom we tasted a few wines.

Aarthi Sampath, Chef de Cuisine

David Pennisi, Wine Director

What we drank

All in all a wonderful evening. This modern twist on Indian cooking is pleasing on the palate and wallet.


©Wine -- Mise en abyme