Bencò Restaurant: Taking the Culinary Spirit of Calabria to Rome

Posted by Rowena Dumlao - Giardina 4/13/2020

Bencò Restaurant: Taking the Culinary Spirit of Calabria to Rome

After their restaurant experience in the southern Italian region Calabria, restaurateurs Arturo Converso and Manuel Bennardo, respectively uncle and nephew, take the flavors of the Italian southern region Calabria to Rome with their exquisite innovative proposals in their newly-opened 35-seat family-run restaurant, Bencò.

Bencò is located in the Prati district of Rome, with good proximity to the Vatican, amidst elegant Art Nouveau buildings that host a myriad of shops, hotels and restaurants. The door of Bencò opens at Via Fabio Massimo where a modest door leads to a flight of stairs towards the lower ground well-lit dining area. It is the ideal place to taste revisited Italian cuisine where old-time flavors linger in the mouth.   

The kitchen is entrusted to Paolo Cappuccio, a multi- awarded chef and teacher of Mediterranean cuisine, who shaped the kitchen of Bencò keeping in mind the philosophy of proprietors Arturo and Manuel wherein the traditional flavors of their family table remain without changing the origins. Executing Benco's proposals is the young and talented chef Gennaro Pernice who came from the kitchen of Perpetual Restaurant of Rome. Gennaro's approach is dedicated to the Italian tradition but focuses on the modern techniques as he plays with diverse consistencies in the plates. His platform is characterized by the simplicity and quality of the ingredients that enhance the Calabrian region. 

The menu has sea and land proposals with particular attention to the handmade pasta of Gennaro. Appetizers range from €14 to €16 while a plate of raw seafood is €26. Pasta, risotto and legumes are between €13 to €16 while the main courses of meat and seafood are between €22 to €26.

A decisive equilibrium of flavors attained with creativity and precision of technique define the kitchen of Bencò. Most creations can hold your interest but particular what excels is the Bronze Wire-Drawn Fettucine with Oxtail on 24 Months Parmigiano Reggiano Fondue (Fettucina Trafilata in Bronzo, Coda di Manzo su Fonduta di Parmigiano 24 Mesi) as well as the Pork Jowl Braised in Val di Neto Petraro Red Wine, Pan Juice with Small Seared Vegetables and Wild Herbs (Guancia Soffice Brasata al Petraro, Il Suo Fondo Cottura con Piccoli Ortaggi Scottati alle Erbe Spontanee).