By David Landis–
When people from the states think of visiting Italy, the definitive tour includes the big three: Venice, Florence, and Rome. Lesser known is the region south of Turin known as Langhe in Piemonte (Piedmont), but this soon-to-be-discovered gem has delights you’ll find nowhere else in Italy. Among them? Truffle hunting with dogs, pasta cooking classes (where you learn how to make the region’s celebrated local dish, tajarin), culinary innovation, luxury hotels, sparkling wine caves that evoke an ancient cathedral, hazelnuts, the famed Barolo red wines, and more.
The Gay Gourmet was lucky enough to visit Langhe, and in short, it’s a must-do experience, from the vineyard vistas to the 5-star accommodations, to the gastronomical creations, and, of course, the truffles.
Where to Stay
Our home base for our adventure was the five-star Casa di Langa, up in the hills in Cerretto, Langhe, in the Alta Langa region. Even though it’s only about a 30-minute drive, it feels like a world away from the nearest big city, Alba. It’s a modern, sustainable edifice painted dusty rose to look like an ancient Tuscan villa, and it’s surrounded by acres of lush gardens. The building looms large on a hill, but because it’s only 39 rooms, it feels like the exclusive boutique hotel that it is. It’s clearly a luxe experience that was a highlight of our trip. We’re told that it’s owned by an American entrepreneur; they have thought through every detail, with quality shining from start to finish. There’s the spare but contemporary Scandinavian-inspired design; the large suites with ample storage, huge walk-in showers, and private decks with awe-inspiring views; and a comforting full-service bar with an outdoor terrace. Case di Langa also houses the inventive gourmet restaurant Faula, helmed by its visionary chef. More on that later.
Another great option? Relais Villa d’Amelia in the town of Benevello. Although we didn’t stay there, the welcoming General Manager Mauro Tezzo was kind enough to give us a tour of this expansive, 19th century restored farmhouse surrounding an interior courtyard and located amidst seven hectares of rolling hills. The property reminded me of the opulence and privacy that define the Beverly Hills Hotel. The bar is cozy and intimate, sporting wooden ceiling beams, with a fully-stocked liquor cabinet serviced by a knowledgeable bartender. The rooms range from well-appointed suites to standard rooms, all refurbished with modern amenities. The in-house restaurant, DaMa, unites a fusion of Asian and Indian influences with more traditional Italian recipes. The results? More on that later, too!
Both sumptuous properties, by the way, are quite affordable by San Francisco standards, with prices starting at 330–350 euros.
Where to Eat
The choices of where to eat are endless, but luckily, my pal Daniela Ferrero at the Langhe Experience Tours and Events was able to help guide me. Here are some of the highlights.
Let’s start with Faula (meaning “tale” in Italian) at Casa di Langa. I have to say, this was a pleasant surprise. Often, hotel restaurants simply don’t make the grade. This one surpassed it with flying colors. The tasting menu brought together flavors of Piemonte in new and different ways, and the visual feast was dazzling. Chef Daniel Zeilinga is a talent to watch. Among the highlights? A vegetarian “Flavors from the Garden” array of seasonal products grown organically right on the property (including the tastiest zucchini roll I may have ever had, as well as a carrot course that blew my mind); a white truffle menu with beef tartare, agnolotti, guinea fowl with local hazelnuts (yes, they grow in Langhe); and a yummy chestnut buckwheat and quince apple dessert. Service was spot-on, and the wine pairings gave us a peek into the many local varieties (Langhe Tres Plus, Tibaldi Bricco delle Passere, Gavi, Nebbiolo, and Barolo) that are tasty as well as in abundance in the area. This was a five-star culinary experience.
Chef Michelangelo Mammoliti at La Rei Natura (in Serralunga d’Alba), who has two Michelin stars to his credit, might be the biggest gastronomical star in the region. This restaurant can hold its own with the best of the best in New York, San Francisco, Paris, London, and Mexico City. The difference with this restaurant is how the talented chef brings international influences to the fore, while still honoring Piemonte cuisine. The dining experience, in a chic modern setting, starts by being escorted to a private lounge where a glass of champagne (and a water menu!) awaits. The waitstaff walks you through the dinner offerings, all while enjoying aperitivo (appetizer) bites that are an unexpected treat and a meal in and of themselves. Those “bites” included: a chickpea fritter, red pepper naan taco, tuna and squid ink Oreo-like sandwich, prawn and smoked avocado tart, eggplant arancini, and bell pepper ice cream with crumbles.
You are then escorted to another dining room for the main event. To begin, we ordered a local Gavi dry white wine, which paired well with everything that followed. The amuse-bouche was a carrot starter with a carrot and cumin sandwich and carrot soup. Standouts on the menu included a beetroot cooked with papillon pasta, accompanied by plant-based milk spiked with a bit of spice. The homemade focaccia (with cinnamon and tonka bean, of all things!) and modern caper papadum were served with a variety of Italian olive oils, which we could compare and contrast. Another delicious offering? Falafel ravioli (who knew?) with basil, flowers, and yogurt reduction. The sweet corn miso quail cooked Mexican-style in tamales, with corn risotto and epazote-flavored jus, was dynamite, as well as the pike sautéed and served in a lemongrass green sauce (grown in the restaurant’s own garden).
But the big winner was a dish the chef sent out since it’s a mainstay of his: a spaghetti that, believe it or not, has a hint of American barbecue, is cooked with prosciutto reduction extract and is topped with black sprinkles. For those with extra time, diners are walked to a third dining room for dessert (although we elected to stay where we were). A deconstructed cannoli and a light, linden crème brûlée were the perfect end to a phenomenal meal and an elevated experience. Bravo!
Guido Peradotto at Ristorante DaMa at Villa d’Amelia is another rockstar chef to watch. Here, Indian, Japanese, and other international influences converge to create a modern Piemonte-style menu that tingles the tastebuds. An amuse-bouche with barley, mushroom, and pecorino foam tantalized to whet our appetites. The mica bread (baked in a clay pot) and focaccia arrived with a nori (seaweed) butter, an unusual but tasty Asian touch.
Next, we ordered a local Roero Arneis white wine, which paired nicely with all our courses. For our appetizer, we shared a traditional dish, vitello tonnato (cold veal in tuna sauce). Getting it right is a true test for any Italian restaurant worth its salt. This veal was tender, thinly sliced, melted in the mouth, and was topped with a welcome fresh green salad. For the following course, we sampled the guinea fowl ravioli with a parmesan cheese fondue in a Japanese dashi broth. Kudos to the chef for trying something new that combined East and West: it was rich and savory, but a little heavy on the salt.
For the mains, my hubby decided on the duck in filo dough with sweet potato and raspberry vinegar: an unlikely combination, but definitely a winner. And for me? Cauliflower cooked several ways, all delicious, including: cauliflower paper thin chips, cauliflower steamed perfectly, cauliflower leaf mousse, and burnt cauliflower mousse (how do these talented folks dream up these unusual dishes?). The desserts again displayed the chef’s creative prowess: Szechuan pepper Bavarian gelatin with lemongrass, peanuts, and black garlic (kind of a take on your Mom’s Bavarian jello); madeleines with citrus; chocolate tart with fig; and a chocolate covered bonbon with lime and basil. The verdict? We can’t wait to return!
Another charming restaurant we visited for lunch is Ristorante Civico15 in Canelli. With an intimate cave-like but artsy interior space and an inviting outdoor terrace in a small village, this restaurant cooks with aplomb. For our wine selection, we again chose the Roero Arneis white wine, since it’s local and crisp as well as dry. The starter was a local hazelnut “granola” bar with butter and another local favorite, anchovy. Our appetizer was a swordfish carpaccio that was thin and tender, accompanied by fig and onion. We chose the locatajarin pasta for our main. It’s a thin local tagliatelle, cooked simply with butter and shaved white truffles, a good choice since it was the beginning of truffle season in October. This might be my favorite dish in Piemonte: simple, satisfying, and surprising with that touch of truffle.
What to Do
Truffle Hunting With Dogs
At the top of the list, if you’re in season, is to sign up for one of the many truffle hunting expeditions with dogs that permeate the area. The documentary film The Truffle Hunters, all about the professional Italian hunters and their bonds with their dogs, will make you yearn to try your hand at this unusual but fun activity. In fact, our guide and truffle hunter, Carlo Marenda from the organization Save The Truffle, was featured in the film. He educated us when we visited about the timing of truffle seasons: black truffles have a winter and summer season, and white truffle harvesting begins in the fall.
He also gave us an overview on how to truffle hunt, why the ecosystem must be maintained, and more importantly, how the dogs learn to hunt for truffles (they start early and truffles are mixed in with their food). The tour consists of a gentle hike through the verdant and scenic woods. Our truffle dog, Buk, is an adorable Spinoni Italiano pooch. He’s so talented that he could smell truffles from what seemed like a kilometer away and perhaps a foot below the surface. When the dog finds the spot and starts to dig, Carlo tells him to stop so he can gently remove the truffle without harming the roots, the dirt, or the leaves surrounding it. We had a successful hunt, capturing two white truffles and one black truffle that day!
Wine Tasting
Of course, Langhe is known as the home to Barolo and Barbaresco wines, but surprisingly, it’s also home to one of the most respected sparkling wine producers in Italy, Contratto Winery in Canelli. An historic UNESCO site, this winery has caves that evoke the mystery and spectacle of an ancient cathedral. Our guide Giulia was a font of knowledge about how these sparkling wines are created (which is a much lengthier process than I ever knew). The tour ends with a leisurely tasting of many different sparkling varieties at a sit-down table (with Frette linens, no less), accompanied by Italian breadsticks, local hazelnuts, salamis, and cheeses. It’s an elegant repast!
Back to Barolos, the popular Cordero di Montezemolo winery is a must. Set in the rolling hills of La Morra, this destination has delicate and dry Arneis white wines, but the stars are the red Barolo, Nebbiolo, and Barbera wines. Rich and robust, these wines pack a punch without dominating the tastebuds. Our delightful tour guide, Valerio Dogliotti (who calls himself the “Italian Trotter”), taught us about the harvesting of the grapes and their fermentation. But, best of all, he had us sample some of these spectacular local wines at a sit-down tasting in a modern, glass-enclosed tasting room overlooking the picturesque vineyards.
Pasta Cooking Class
No trip to Italy would be complete without learning how to cook like a local. So, last but not least, we had a private pasta cooking class with the marvelous chef Elena Currado at Ca Del Re in Verduno, an off-the-beat upscale restaurant with its own private kitchen. The dynamic proprietor Giovanna Bianco oversees the operation, which also includes a lovely bed and breakfast hotel, as well as a line of excellent wines, Castello di Verduno. We learned how to make three types of pasta from scratch (tajarin with shaved white truffles, gnocchi, and ravioli del plin). Then, we had the pleasure of eating the “fruits” of our two-hour labor, at a lunch accompanied by the establishment’s own wines. Fantastico!
So, dear readers, do add Langhe to your list of upcoming travel destinations. It’s still not overrun with tourists, delivers first-rate food, and embraces the soul of the authentic Italy.
Bits and Bites
Open Table reminded me that the fall version of San Francisco Restaurant Week is just around the corner, November 8–17. Prix-fixe menus from local restaurants start at just $10. And you can easily book online on Open Table. What a deal!
Casa di Langa and Faula Restaurant: www.casadilanga.com/
Relais Villa d’Amelia and Ristorante DaMa: www.villadamelia.com/
La Rei Natura: www.ilboscaretoresort.it/en/la-rei-natura/
Ristorante Civico15: https://ristorantecivico15.it/
Save The Truffle: www.savethetruffle.com/en/
Contratto Winery: https://www.contratto.it/en/
Cordero di Montezemolo Winery: www.corderodimontezemolo.com/
Elena Currado on Instagram: @elena_ilgdc
Ca ‘del Re: www.agriturismocadelre.it/
Castello di Verduno: www.cantinecastellodiverduno.it/
SF Restaurant Week: www.sfrestaurantweek.com/
Open Table: www.opentable.com
Langhe Experience: www.langhe-experience.it/
David Landis, aka “The Gay Gourmet,” is a foodie, a freelance writer, and a retired PR maven. Follow him on Instagram @GayGourmetSF or email him at: davidlandissf@gmail.com Or visit him online at: www.gaygourmetsf.com
The Gay Gourmet
Published on November 7, 2024
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