<a target="_blank" href="http://www.ristorantecracco.it/">Ristorante Cracco</a> 

Via Victor Hugo,

20123 Milan, Italy 

Tel.: +39 02 87 67 74

September 2008

I generally avoid super-luxurious restaurants in Italy as my
experience is that simpler is better in a country where the richness of raw
ingredients is among the finest in the world. Ristorante Cracco is an
exception. Properietor Claudio Cracco is one of Italy’s most inventive chefs.
Cracco’s innovative, beautiful dishes combine aromas, flavors and textures in
whimsical creations that show off his creative flair. Not surprisingly Cracco
earned his stripes working for Gualtiero Marchesi, Alain Ducasse and Alain
Senderens. While his cooking reflects those influences, there are also plenty
of dishes that pay homage to the Italian classics, but in a modern,
deconstructed style. The ambience at Cracco is elegant and very formal by
Italian standards, yet I have always found the service to be friendly and
attentive. The wine list, though extensive, is also priced in the stratosphere;
even taking into account the restaurant’s luxurious setting and first-rate
service. Readers seeking a unique experience may want to inquire about the
small private dining room in the kitchen.

<img alt="" src="https://allgrapes.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads%2F1379216611497-01ristorante334x450.jpg"> While all of our courses were delicious, there were a few
standouts. The Insalata Russa was a good example of Cracco’s style. This
typically poor dish of carrots, potatoes, peas and mayonnaise was covered with
a light layer of caramelized sugar which added unusual flavor and texture to a
traditional Italian comfort food. Cracco’s Risotto al Midollo is a signature
dish in which the classic Milanese saffron-flavored risotto is topped with bone
marrow. This culinary tour-de-force was to die for. I am not a huge fan of
offal, but Cracco’s Veal Kidnes were incredibly tender and flavorful without
being overpowering.

Our selection of wines was equally eccentric. A bottle of David L’Eclapart’s NV Rosé Champagne
L’Alchimiste was interesting, if perhaps a touch on the sweet side. The
reds were all served blind. The 2003
Cuvée Catherine from Kistler was
full-bodied, expressive and simply divine in its generous expression of dark
fruit. Clearly a New World Pinot, the wine showed superb balance and tons of
harmony in an engaging style that made it hard to resist another taste. I was
less enamored with Silvie Esmonin’s 2003
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St. Jacques. Although the wine boasted notable
concentration, it seemed like the wine’s richness had been achieved at the loss
of clarity and precision. Unfortunately the wine provided little evolution over
the course of the night and remained surprisingly monolithic. Parusso’s 2000 Barolo Munie enjoyed a
very strong showing although I thought it was a much older wine than it turned
out to be. The intense scent of geraniums was reminiscent of Giuseppe
Mascarello’s Barolo Monprivato, but the wine displayed a level of density
consistent with a more modern approach. A stunning bottle of the 1989 Suduiraut Crème de Tête finished
off this dinner in grand style. An intense, layered wine, it burst onto the
palate with masses of perfumed, sweet fruit, all while maintaining an
effortless, graceful personality that paired perfectly with an ethereal
mascarpone-based dessert.&nbsp;

Food:

Dried Flowers in a Box

Insalata Russa

Oysters with Figs

Seafood Salad

Risotto al Midollo

Braised Veal Kidneys

Mascarpone&nbsp;

Wine:

<table>
 <tbody><tr>
 <td>
 NV
 </td>
 <td>
 David L’Eclapart Rosé L’Alchimiste
 </td>
 <td>
 88
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 Kistler Pinot Noir Cuvée Catherine
 </td>
 <td>
 94
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2003
 </td>
 <td>
 Silvie Esmonin Gevrey- Chambertin Clos St. Jacques
 </td>
 <td>
 89
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 2000
 </td>
 <td>
 Parusso Barolo Munie
 </td>
 <td>
 90
 </td>
 </tr>
 <tr>
 <td>
 1989
 </td>
 <td>
 Suduiraut Crème de Tête
 </td>
 <td>
 97</td></tr></tbody></table>

[Photo and credit:&nbsp;Ristorante Cracco, Milan, Italy]--Antonio Galloni

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