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Vinous Maps BYOB at Michael Chiarello's Ottimo
United States: California, Vinous Table
, Apr 2017
This BYOB Dinner at Chef Michael Chiarello’s just-opened Ottimo in Yountville showed just how powerful wine can be in its ability to bring people together. The occasion was the formal launch of the Vinous map of the vineyards of Yountville, a project our maps team has been working on for several years. It was great to share this night with my colleagues Alessandro Masnaghetti, Kelli White and Bryce Wiatrak.
Vinous Table: Aquila Nigra, Mantova, Italy
Italy: North, Vinous Table
, Apr 2017
Aquila Nigra, Mantova’s best restaurant, is where generations of the city’s denizens have spent, at least ones, a family Sunday lunch or celebrated an important life event. It’s one of Italy’s best restaurants for outstanding dishes steeped in local tradition and authenticity.
Vinous Table: Il Ridotto
Vinous Table
, Mar 2017
If it’s not Venice’s best restaurant today, Il Ridotto certainly has the city’s most interesting and inventive food. The small dining room offers a gourmet dining experience enhanced by fine ingredients and a fairly priced, well thought out wine list.
Vinous Table: La Gare, Le Mesnil sur Oger, France
France: Champagne, Vinous Table
, Mar 2017
La Gare is an ideal place to stop by for an informal meal while visiting wineries and vineyards in Champagne’s Côte des Blancs. Housed in a former train station, La Gare is full of old world, countryside charm.
Vinous Table: Trattoria Al Pompiere, Verona, Italy
Vinous Table
, Mar 2017
Readers spending time in Verona and looking for a hearty meal with well-cooked dishes and a fairly priced wine list especially rich in local wines of the Veneto (with some older vintages going back to 1995), would do well to check out Trattoria Al Pompiere. Super popular, Al Pompiere is always packed. Italians and foreigners alike fill the tightly spaced tables in two rooms decorated with exposed wooden beams, old photos of past and current patrons and host of other rustic charms. One caveat - the noteworthy din made up of happy chatter and laughs does not make for an especially romantic evening. The eye gazes over the cheese corner, where about 100 different Italian cheeses are in full view, before moving to the charcuterie corner, which is a filled with about 40 different salumi. As if that weren’t enough, prosciuttos and salamis hang from the rafters in true postcard style.
Vinous Table: Da Fiore, Venice, Italy
Vinous Table
, Mar 2017
In the eyes, mind and taste buds of many, Da Fiore is the best restaurant in Venice. A few of the city’s most famous recipes are tweaked with creative touches and lightened up, but the culinary wizardry of owner/chef Mara Martin is such that her traditional renditions of Venetian classics are hard to beat.
Vinous Table: Guido Ristorante at Fontanafredda
Vinous Table
, Mar 2017
Over the last few years, Guido Ristorante has become one of my favorite spots in Piedmont. Located in the stunning Villa Reale at Fontanafredda, Guido brings together a contemporary take on Piedmontese classics in a refined, striking setting. High ceilings and spread out tables add to an impression of airiness to the room. Guido is a perfect spot for a relaxed, leisurely dinner away from the hustle and bustle that is so common in other spots during truffle season.
Vinous Table: Hana Japanese, Rohnert Park, CA
Vinous Table
, Feb 2017
A completely unassuming strip mall in Rohnert Park right off Highway 101 might seem like an unusual place to find top-notch sushi, but locals and well-informed visitors alike swear by Hana as one of the best spots in all of northern California.
Vinous Table: La Tour d’Argent, Paris, France
Vinous Table
, Feb 2017
The legendary restaurant La Tour d’Argent offers amazing panoramic views of the Seine and Notre Dame, a spacious, bright dining room, a monumental wine list and many classic food preparations. So I was curious to try the cuisine of new chef Philippe Labbé, who took over the kitchen from Laurent Delarbre in May 2016.
Vinous Table: Philippe Gaertner Aux Armes de France, Alsace, France
Vinous Table
, Feb 2017
Philip Gaertner walked away from the Michelin star rat race in 2005 and has never looked back. His family restaurant, which once held two stars,has been open for business since 1920, and remains a sure bet for precisely cooked Alsatian and French classics. In fact, it’s one of my favorite country restaurants anywhere.