Centro Storico

Via Roma 6

2050 Serralunga
d'Alba (CN)

tel. + 011 39 0173
613 203

September, 2006

The tiny Centro Storico, appropriately located in the old
historical center of Serralunga, has become on of my favorite spots in Piedmont
for a casual meal. Visitors looking for a break from the region's more elegant
restaurants will delight in the informal atmosphere which includes a few tables
for outdoor eating during the summer months. There are no fancy linens,
finely-appointed tables or elaborately prepared dishes. Instead, diners will
find a surprisingly extensive and reasonably-priced wine list along with
hearty, delicious fare. The main attraction, however, is proprietor Alessio
Cighetti and his larger-than-life passion for food and wine.

On my most recent visit I had the good fortune of arriving
just after the burrata, so there was no way I was going to miss the chance to
taste this delicacy. Not for the faint of heart or those on a diet, the
calorie-laden burrata, a specialty of Puglia, is a soft, fresh cheese made by
wrapping mozzarella around a creamy, buttery center. Served with perfectly ripe
tomatoes and dressed simply with a fragrant olive oil from Lake Garda, it may
not have been an ideal dish to pair with wine, but it was delicious
nonetheless. Bruno Giacosa's 1997 Barolo
Le Rocche del Falletto presented its usual array of very ripe fruit and
spice cake nuances, with a soft, generous and engaging personality which makes
it a great choice for current drinking. My impression of the 1997 was
consistent with my previous experiences and I found it somewhat tired and
wilted, suggesting it won't be among the most long-lived vintages of this wine.

The sausage ravioli were robust and full of flavor but
somewhat heavy. It was perhaps the only dish that I would choose to skip on my
next visit. Our sirloin roast, on the other hand, was fantastic. Seasoned and
cooked to perfection, the deeply-flavored roast was immensely enjoyable. It was
accompanied by the most simple yet profound of dishes; rosemary-scented roasted
potatoes. Unlike the reheated variety one so often encounters even in New
York's finest restaurants, these delicate potatoes were cooked to order. The
care that was bestowed upon them elevated this dish to extraordinary heights.
Roberto Voerzio's 1995 Barolo La Serra
was an excellent match to the roast. It displayed attractive notes of spices,
cedar, roasted coffee beans and sweet ethereal fruit on a medium-bodied frame
of modest structure and fleshiness that is typical of this hail-plagued
harvest. Although it showed plenty of tertiary notes it also possessed good
underlying acidity, suggesting it will continue to drink well for another five
or so years, although it will never reach the level of this producer's best
wines. Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this showing given the vintage and
the vineyard.

Food:

Burrata

Sausage ravioli

Sirloin roast with rosemary potatoes

Wine: 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 1995
 </td>
 <td>
 Roberto Voerzio Barolo La Serra
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1997
 </td>
 <td>
 Bruno Giacosa Barolo Le Rocche del Falletto
 </td>
 <td>
 92
 </td>
 </tr>
</tbody></table>

&nbsp;--Antonio Galloni

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