Le Dune, 

Via Dante 41

34070 Mariano del
Friuli (Gorizia)

Tel +39 0481 69021April 2008

Le Dune is not the kind of place readers visiting Friuli are
likely to happen upon by chance. The restaurant is tucked off a small road in
the sleepy rural town of Mariano del Friuli and is very easy to miss. Locals in
the know come here for Chef/Owner Giovanni Carta’s brilliant cuisine. Carta
works with the finest fish and seafood of the Adriatic, but adds a dash of
Sardinian flair with the pristine ingredients he sources from his native land.
Le Dune is most famous for their antipasti, which can number seven, eight or
more small tastes. The antipasti are so good I have usually focused virtually
all of my attention on them and have never made it beyond the pasta course,
despite having eaten here a number of times! In fact, I have never seen a menu,
as I prefer to let Carta surprise me with his creations. Le Dune’s wine list is
well-priced and offers a comprehensive selection of local bottlings, making it
a great place to explore the breadth of Friuli’s oenological landscape. The
atmosphere is fairly casual and appropriate for children, especially during the
day.

Highlights of this great lunch included the raw scallops in
the shell and the Sardinian red shrimp, both of which were succulent. In fact,
when fish is this profound, the natural question can only be; why bother
cooking it at all? Our four tastes of raw fish were all sublime. The squid and
octopus courses were tasty versions of traditional dishes. The highlight,
though, was the roasted Sardinian lobster, which was quite simply to die for.
The gratin topping was light and beautifully complemented the explosive, sweet,
richly-flavored lobster meat. This dish alone was worth a visit. Jacques Selosses’s wines are very hard
to find in the US, yet they are relatively easy to find in Italy, so I rarely
pass up an opportunity to drink them. The NV
Contraste (disgorged Feb. 2004) revealed a rich amber color. This 100%
Pinot Noir continued to put on weight and develop in the glass. It revealed
generous fruit intermingled with pretty, tertiary notes that had developed in
the bottle. This was a stunning, sensual Champagne that paired beautifully with
our raw fish courses.

We couldn’t go home without sampling the spaghetti alla
bottarga di muggine, the classic preparation of spaghetti topped with dried
fish roe that is one of the specialties at Le Dune. The 2004 Vitovska MM4 from the Vodopivec
brothers was lush and weighty. The tannins had softened since I last tasted the
wine about a year ago, but it had gained an added dimension of volume. A
powerful, intense wine, it was a superb match for our richer dishes, including
the Sardinian lobster and the spaghetti. Readers paying a visit to Friuli won’t
want to miss the superb cuisine of Le Dune.

Food:

Raw Scampi

Raw Scallops on the Shell

Raw Sardinian Red Shrimp

Carpaccio of Sea Bass

Poached Squid

Piovra of Octopus and Potatoes

Roasted Monkfish

Roasted Whole Sardinian Lobster

Spaghetti with Bottarga di Muggine&nbsp;

Wine:&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 N.V.
 </td>
 <td>
 Jacques Selosse Contraste (disgorged Feb 2004)
 </td>
 <td>
 96
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2004
 </td>
 <td>
 Vodopivec Vitovska MM4
 </td>
 <td>
 93</td></tr></tbody></table>

--Antonio Galloni

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