The Milanophiles Jaclyn DeGiorgio

Pastamadre restaurant is a must-visit when you're in Milan. Today, Jaclyn speaks to chef Francesco Costanzo about his beloved restaurant in the Porta Romana district.  

Many people don't know that Milan has a prolific natural wine scene, one that's on par with its counterparts in big European cities like Paris, London, and Barcelona. She speaks with Alessandro Ambrosi, the owner of an enoteca called Vinello a Milano, which specializes in natural, biodynamic, and organic wines. 

Here are links to the places, wines, etc., discussed:


Jaclyn's blog post about natural wine in Milan Vinoir, owner is Gianluca Ladu Pastamadre, owner is Francesco CostanzoEnoteca Naturale Six natural wine producers from Lombardia to keep an eye out for according to Alessandro:
Barbacarlo in Oltrepò PaveseFausto Andi in Oltrepò PaveseGemma by Mirco Pauletti in Collina del Milanese San Colombano al LambroJosef by Luca Francesconi in Garda Colli Mantovani (Hills of Lake Garda north of Mantua, close to the Veneto border) Barbacan  in Valetellina (The link is  to the winery's epic Instagram account!)Orto Tellinum  in Valtelllina Photo: Instagram, @vinelloamilano

Warning: as I mention in the beginning of the episode, there was a problem with my mic, so my voice sounds a bit faint at parts, but you can hear my guests perfectly: chef Cesare Battisti of the restaurant Ratanà and Gabriele Zanatta of Identità Golose. They co-wrote a beautiful book Cucina Milanese Contemporanea (Contemporary Milanese cooking) available in both Italian and English. 
My blog post with the recipe for risotto with pumpkin and ‘nduja

Gina Tringali of Casa Mia Tours provided me with the details about trippa alla romana. 

Cesare’s picks for a great risotto alla milanese (besides Ratanà of course!)
Rovello 18 Trattoria Massueli San Marco Trattoria della Pesa  Trattoria del Nuovo Macello Gabriele’s picks for Chinese food 
Gong MU Dimsum Bon Wei Mao Hunan Gabriele's picks for Japanese restaurants
IyoCasa RamenGabriele's picks for pizza
Crosta Berbere Denis Pizza di Montagna Gabriele's picks for cocktail bars 
RitaMag Cafe Ca.ri.co 1930 Museums suggested by Gabriele 
Fondazione Prada Triennale 

Since it's winter, Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses the Barbajada, the historic Milanese hot chocolate that's few and far between these days.

Sources
Milano e I Secoli blog post Domenico Barbaja Wikipedia page Minerva A NewsTasting the World Milano in ContemporaneaIo Voce Narrante Jaclyn's local coffee spot: Torrefazione Hodeidah
Jaclyn's blog post about where to the Barbajada in Milan

Panettone features prominently in the media every holiday season, but this year Milan's signature leavened delight garnered some aberrant attention, which food writer Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses in the episode.  Warning: she's rather upset by some of the shady practices! 

Here are links to the sources cited and/or consulted for the episode.  
US Department of Justice press release regarding seafood in North Carolina Jaclyn's panettone in Milan post on A Signorina in Milan (her blog) Panettoni industriali spacciati per artigianali: la truffa in quasi 300 pasticcerie, Luca Venturino, Dissapore Taranto, nasconde dosi di cocaina nel panettone ma i carabinieri scoprono tutto: un arresto by Raffaella Capriglia, La RepubblicaPanettoni industriali rivenduti come artigianali a prezzi quintuplicati, denunce e sequestri del Nas in tutta Italia by Alessio Ribaudo, Corriere della Sera Panettoni industriali venduti come artigianali, a Genova scattano i controlli dei carabinieri del Nas by Marco Fagandini, Il Secolo XiXPanettoni artigianali... ma per finta. Una pratica diffusa in tutta Italia scoperta dai Nas by Riccardo Cristilli, La Gazzetta dello Sport    

Food writer Jaclyn DeGiorgio discusses some of her top dining experiences in Milan from the past year. Just to clarify, the list is by no means exhaustive as she set specific criteria for this episode: restaurants she either visited for the first time or those that she returned to after a significant amount of time elapsed between visits. Below are links to the restaurants  she mentions in the article, and here's her blog post about Via Melzo, Milan's de facto "restaurant row." 


Restaurants in Milan
La Sala Bistrot Remulass  (sister restaurant of Ratanà) Røst Osteria alla Concoreanza Trippa PastamadreInsieme Altriementi Gerli dal 1870 Il Giardino di Giada MU Fish MezèSpore BitesFrangente Stadera Exit Pastiricio Ubrana Ciciarà Outside Milan, but still in Lombardy
Materia  in Cernobbio (Lake Como) Trattoria San Biagio in Erba (Lake Como inland) Marco Polo 1960 in Ventimiglia, Liguria Happy 2023 a tutti, and thank you all for listening....alla prossima!