In no particular order, here are five memorable March meals I enjoyed at restaurants in Milan and beyond.
Pastamadre
What better place to indulge in artichoke season than my beloved Pastamadre? We enjoyed them (stem and all!) halved and fried golden with caper mayo alongside a succulent octopus arm over a velvety white bean sauce and puntarelle topped with bottarga. It should come as no surprise that a restaurant named as such has stellar pastas. So stellar, in fact, that you want to try every single one on offer. The good news? They’re always kind enough to divvy up the portions if you ask. So, if you’re in a sharing mood, the more people in your group, the more you’ll order and, therefore, the more you’ll taste.
So, we enjoyed two half-portions each of the signature spaghetti alla chitarra–a yellow tomato sauce clings to the toothsome pasta that’s then topped with a blob of stracciatella and pink shrimp tartar. It’s ethereal. And the pasta special that day was one for the books: gnocchi made from Piedmontese cow milk caciotta with artichoke ragu- yes, yes, yes, yes, yes! The meatless sauce was as textured, hearty, and flavorful as its carnivorous counterparts, and stood up to and complemented the pillowy, lush gnocchi. It was fuori carta, so who knows if those dreamy little delights will cameo again? If they do, I hope I catch them. Artichoke season is fleeting, so I’d love to see what else they do with them. website
Feel
I popped into this Como restaurant one Sunday for a particularly glorious lunch. We started with small bites of a polenta uncia “leaf” with black garlic and Parmigiano and a “fishbone” with alpine herb aioli, lavarello (lake fish) bottarga, and edible flowers, mushroom panna cotta, a duck liver tartlet with cedar jelly and burned onion. The meal continued with an erbette-wrapped catfish served with almonds and wild fennel and braised tongue with celeriac glaze and lovage. For the main, we each had the linguine al carpione, and we finished with hay mousse flavored with birch and honey and a Saffron gelato fragrant with blueberry and lemon sauces. Due to a time constraints, I couldn’t get the buckwheat souffle (which requires an extra 20 minutes), so that’s a must for next ttime! If you want to read more about Feel, head to this round-up of the best restaurants in Lake Como that I recently updated for Conde Nast Traveller. website
Trattoria San Biagio
Another Lake Como must you can read more about in my Conde Nast Traveller piece! We started with a silky carpaccio di Parzono with sharp grana and tart lemon gel; Burőla, a pork salami paste typical of Brianza that we slathered on crostini and topped with pickled onions and spinach (pictured above), and hordes of veggies–among them Jerusalem artichokes (one of my faves!). For my main, I couldn’t resist one of my all-time favorite dishes: polenta uncia, which arrives bubbling! It will probably be my last of the season, as summer is approaching, and the dish is much more suited to winter. Though I have previously availed myself in July, so who knows!? Anyhoo, I digress. So, I finished with Tiramisu. Of course, I was torn between that and sacher torte, but, for better or for worse, the latter wasn’t on offer that day, so I didn’t have to make a decision. website
Rosticceria Palazzi
Milan’s dining scene just keeps evolving! New ownership has seamlessly upgraded this beloved neighborhood institution while keeping its original integrity intact. This historic gastronomia opened in 1992 and new management acquired it from its namesake family earlier this year: Matias Perdomo, chef of the Michelin-starred Contraste and his team, and Marco Magnacavallo and Juliette Bellavita, the founders and former owners of Tannico. During my recent ape-turned-dinner, I feasted on so much deliciousness, from gratifyingly gooey cacio e pepe rice supplì to a luscious, nuanced parmigiana. Next time, I’m taking the pizza al trancio (aka Milanese-style pizza) route. website
Jin Yong
One of the best Chinese restaurants in Milan–and a veritable posto del cuore–has new digs! Jin Yong moved from Via Paolo Sarpi, the heart of Milan’s vibrant Chinatown, to Porta Ticinese near San Lorenzo. You can read all about my March lunch there here. website
