Fred Plotkin’s book, Italy for the Gourmet Traveler, was first published by Little, Brown in 1996. It was, and remains, the most complete guide to Italy’s nonpareil gastronomic and enological heritage. It received a British edition in 2000 by Kyle Cathie, which now has worldwide publishing rights. The 4th edition was published (in the USA the publisher is called Kyle Books) in 2007 and an updated and fully revised 5th edition appeared in the UK and USA in May 2010.

To coincide with the publication of the 5th edition, Fred was a guest blogger for the New York Times in June 2010. Here are links to his posts, which are full of the flavor of this peerless book:

Intro: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/18/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin/

1st batch: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/21/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-2/

2nd batch: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/23/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-round-two/

3rd batch: http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/25/q-and-a-with-fred-plotkin-round-3/

Most books of this type limit themselves to major Italian cities and famous food destinations. They are inherently restaurant guides intended to direct the tourist to places to eat that are either trendy or economical.  By contrast, Italy for the Gourmet Traveler’s mission is to introduce the reader to the food and wine heritage in all of Italy by identifying places to eat in more than 500 cities and towns in all 20 Italian regions where particular recipes, wines or customs hold forth.

This is a book for the person who wants to learn about the cultural patrimony that is Italian food and wine and not merely a directory indicating where to eat if you happen to be in Rome, Florence or Venice. It is written for the person who lives to eat rather than one who eats to live. It also has listings for cooking schools, local festivals, museums dedicated to subjects such as pasta, olive oil, wine and even wine labels. Plotkin’s wide-ranging interests are reflected in his commentaries about politics, opera, medicine, agriculture, history, painting, sculpture, architecture, cinema, and more.

What some readers have never realized is that Fred Plotkin writes and updates this book all by himself. Unlike guidebooks produced by groups of researchers who have greater or lesser competence in their subject, Plotkin brings 35 years of experience living, eating, traveling, studying and working in Italy to create a very personal book that reflects his taste and knowledge. He returns to Italy several times each year, checking on places listed in his book and unearthing new ones. Some readers have asked why certain restaurants, enotecas and cooking schools have remained in the book since the first edition. Fred Plotkin has always responded that to delete a listing where high standards have been maintained would be punishment for people who seriously devote themselves to what they do. Fred’s Italy is not about “the next big thing” but rather about that which is classic, timeless and peerless.

As any experienced traveler knows, things change. A restaurant may change the day it is closed, a chef may move to another restaurant, a popular dish may be removed from a menu. While such change happens less often in Italy than it does in New York or London, it does happen.  Readers who have found discrepancies are kindly asked to send them to igt@fredplotkin.com.   These will be reported on this Web page. Similarly, if there is a place recommended in the book that pleases or displeases you, please write to Fred with your input.

In addition, Fred will make occasional postings on this page when he has found something notable that is not in Italy for the Gourmet Traveler.  Please consider this page a forum for those who are seriously interested in discovering the incredible variety of Italian foods and wines while they are traveling in the big towns and hidden gems found throughout the passionate peninsula.

                        HERE ARE SOME RECENT FINDS

             AND RECOMMENDATIONS FROM FRED

                      (arranged alphabetically by region):

LAZIO

ROMA

Bakery

Pasticceria “Boccione” Limentani. Via Portico d’Ottavia 1; tel 06/687-8637.

In the heart of Roma’s Jewish ghetto is this bakery whose fragrances will lure you in case you did not spot it from the street. Italian and Jewish traditions merge here, with felicitous results. The crostate are more like American pies than the fruit tarts of Italy. I would travel far for their cherry and almond paste crostata. Others include ricotta and cherry and chocolate and ricotta. The pizze are heavy with candied fruit, raisins, almonds and pine nuts and seem the right thing for every Jewish holiday, except Passover. Enjoy!

===============================

LOMBARDIA

VOLTA MANTOVANA (Mantova)

Cooking School:

Residenza Paulonia Cooking School; Via Boselli 3/A; tel/fax 0376/838458;info@residenzapaulonia.com; http://www.residenzapaulonia.com/home/home.html

Claudio Pelladoni and Adriano Ansaldi run this school with great passion. It is a good place to learn the fundamentals of the cookery of Lombardia and Veneto. Claudio is the chef and Adriano is in charge of all of the aesthetic questions that attend creating and serving a meal. Though in the province of Mantova, the school is quite close to Valeggio sul Mincio, Verona and Brescia. Sunday afternoon and Monday evenings are the times for set events, but it is possible, with a group, to organize lessons at other times or even to host events such as weddings and receptions.

=================================

PIEMONTE

TORINO

Chocolate

Chocolate-obsessed torinesi avidly chart the ups and downs of the great producers in the city that claims to have invented the chocolate bar. At the moment, Guido Gobino (Via Lagrange 1, at Via Maria Vittoria) is number one. http://www.guidogobino.it/#/en/who-we-are/history/1/

Dining

Ristorante Sotto La Mole. Via Montebello, 9. tel 011/817-9398. Closed Wednesdays and Sunday in the summer. Also, 3 weeks in June and 10 days between late December and early January.  Open only in the evenings, though groups can inquire about reserving for lunch. info@sottolamole.eu.  Moderate to moderately expensive.

It is not easy to find any place to eat in Torino on a Sunday, let alone one that would be worthy of a gourmet traveler. This fine restaurant is in the city center, and is a place I favor before or after an opera at the nearby Teatro Regio. I might have one or two courses or, if I plan to devote myself to gastronomy rather than Verdi, will go for the menu degustazione, which offers seasonal Piedmontese specialties. The tiny agnolotti del plin or the delicate tajarin pasta are above reproach, especially when truffles are in season. Risotto is also impeccable. This is also a place where one can sample the increasingly hard to find finanziera, a specialty of Torino. Lamb, rabbit, beef and veal are delicious here and sourced locally. While the giandujot with its gorgeous Piedmontese chocolate and hazelnuts is very tasty for dessert, I favor pesche ripiene (fresh peaches filled with amaretti) in season and pere cotte (Martino pears cooked in wine) in the colder months because fruit-based desserts are more in the spirit of local tradition.

======================

 

TOSCANA

FIRENZE

Dining

Trattoria al Tranvai. Piazza Torquato Tasso 14; tel/fax 055/225197.

www.altranvai.it.  Closed Sunday plus Monday lunch. Moderately inexpensive to moderate.   This is a good option in the San Frediano quarter, not far from the Ponte Vecchio. It will not win prizes but offers good value for money on homey Tuscan specialties such as ribollita, pappa al pomodoro, a very good cacciucco (the fish stew from Livorno), trippa (Florentine tripe) and lesso con le cipolle (boiled beef with onions). There is also lampredotto, a meat that is delicious until you find out what part of the cow (not bull) that it comes from. Just enjoy it. What makes the difference in this restaurant is that very good local olive oil is the common denominator in most of the preparations and I, for one, can tell the difference. Try for yourself. It is also possible to have meals here without gluten. The torta di fichi e noci (figs and walnuts) is a good option to end the meal.

Da i’ Conte Diladdarno, Via De’ Serragli 108/r; tel/fax 055/22501; www.contediladdarno.it. Closed Mon-Fri at lunch and Mon at dinner. Moderate to moderately expensive.

The menu is full of lusty and savory things to eat. You could do a lot worse than getting a tagliera (cutting board) with salumi toscani and Tuscan pecorinos of different ages.  Ask for some marmellata di peperoncino, a piquant marmalade that heightens the sensation on the palate. If there is lardo di Colonnata, have some with warm bread and rosemary. Try pasta with sugo strascicato, a rich meat sauce. I also like the chitarra del Barsanti, strand pasta with tomato, garlic, hot red pepper, parsley, cream, and a hint of anchovy. There is zuppa carabaccia, a favorite of the Medicis, that is a soup with onions, raisins and pine nuts. Tuscan beef is available in many forms, but don’t overlook the scamerita di maiale, a tender cut of pork often served with artichokes. If you have had too much meat already, one can choose from many delicious contorni. I like the luscious purè ricco, whipped potatoes flavored with pancetta. It makes a good foil to combine with cooked greens and Tuscan beans.

==========================

VENETO

MESTRE (Venezia)

Mestre is the mainland city that does all the heavy lifting so that the old city of Venezia can manage to work her charms on visitors. Mestre is more like modern Italy, with industry that attracts workers from Asia (especially South Asia), Africa and the Americas. The town is a railway hub for northeastern Italy and most people never think to stay there. I often spend the first or last night of an Italian journey there, at the Hotel Bologna (Via Piave 214, tel 041/931000; info@hotelbologna.com), which offers a decent breakfast and comfortable rooms that are ideal for getting a good night’s sleep as long as you ask for one that is on the quiet side of the building. The Mestre railway station is right across the street, as are buses and taxis to go to Marco Polo airport or the stazione marittima from which cruise ships set sail.

Dining

Osteria La Pergola. Via Fiume 42, tel 041/974932. Closed Sundays, and Saturday at lunch. Moderate.

La Pergola is in a residential neighborhood and with not a tourist in sight. It is a 20 minute walk from the train station. Service is good, food is tasty and the outdoor tables are pleasant to linger at. On a recent visit, while battling jet lag, I had tagliatelle with fresh tomatoes, followed by a good salad. Stick to simple dishes here and savor the friendly atmosphere. I had two glasses of sauvignon blanc, both produced by my friend Alvaro Pecorari of Lis Neris in Friuli. The first, simply named for the grape, was fresh and bracing. The second, called Picol and gently aged in oak, was more complex but not obsessive. The winemaker worked in service of the grapes, and not the other way around. This is an important distinction and it requires knowledge, taste and humility to bring it about. The owner of La Pergola admired my selections and said to me that the first wine “should be consumed with your friends” while the second one “should be consumed with your woman.” I like how Italians do wine pairings.

Ristorante Moro, Via Piave 192, tel 041/926456; closed Sundays. Moderate to moderately expensive.

Lino Moro and his family show great pride and care in their restaurant, just 5 minutes walk from the Mestre station. There are unusual salumi and cheeses as well as ingredients not often found elsewhere. Among the top dishes I tasted were a frothy baccala mantecato served with polenta; gallina padovana in saor (a rare breed of hen from Padova whose rich flavor provided ballast for the sauce of vinegar, pine nuts and raisins) and oca con cren, goose with horseradish. Save room for a cheese course, with selections from one of the best carts I have found in Italy; each cheese can be accompanied by a suitable jam or preserve. I had a cherry preserve with runny Taleggio and a pear/ginger jam with Stilton.  A bottle of 2005 Teroldego Rotoliano by Elisabetta Foradori, one of Trentino’s top winemakers, was a steal at 20 euros. Teroldego is one of the most undervalued grapes in Italy and unknown abroad. I believe this is due, in part, to the fact that people cannot pronounce it (teh-ROLL-de-go) and because people in northeastern Italy jealously keep most of it for themselves.

VENEZIA

Dining

Anice Stellato. Fondamenta della Sensa 3272 in Cannaregio; tel 041/720744. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, plus some days in February and August. Always call ahead. Moderate (for Venezia).

This restaurant is a few minutes walk from the Jewish Ghetto in a part of Venezia that sees very few tourists. A few doors down is Tintoretto’s house, certainly worth a look. Anice Stellato (Star Anise) is mentioned in the print version of my book, but I want to report that two visits in 2009 found the food better than ever. It is in the Venetian tradition, but with personal touches. Seafood is the specialty here and I can recommend everything. The seafood risotto is superb, as are every fish “in saor,” especially the gamberi. I enjoyed pansoti (pot-bellied ravioli) filled with scallops and shrimp. Two excellent desserts are the frozen zabaglione and the grapes preserved in grappa. While the notion of “house wine” served in a carafe is no longer the assured proposition in Italy it once was, the house white here was a delicious pinot bianco, one of my favorite grapes.