La Crota Restaurant’s Piedmontese Culinary Identity with Le Strette and Cascina Gilli Wines
Authentic flavors of Piedmontese tradition make up the kitchen of La
Crota Restaurant. Recognized for recreating the experience of tasting
the most authentic and genuine Langhe cuisine, Chef Danilo Lorusso
perseveres in highlighting the richness of the flavors of his region by
reviving old dishes and bringing his personal touch to the kitchen.
Meaning wine cellar in the local dialect, La Crota is now reaching
almost four decades of activity from its opening in 1983. It has become a
special place and refined point of enogastronomic reference in Roddi,
one of the most charming villages of Langhe and Roero. The woods form an
ideal habitat for mushrooms and truffles which are two of the most
important ingredients that distinguish the culinary identity of the
region. Traditional handmade pasta passed on from generations like plin
and tajarin, meat and game dishes, hazelnut and pine nut desserts are
the integral elements that make up the recipes of the ancient kitchens
of Roddi that has found its niche at La Crota. But not only does food
make up the popularity of the restaurant because it also has a wine
cellar that offers a wide choice of DOCG and DOC wines from the region
like Barolo, Barbaresco, Barbera, Moscato d'Asti, Gattinara from the
small producers to the world-famous ones, another high point of
Piedmont.
Taking his inspiration from a land with such great treasure in culinary tradition, the chef creates an ambience in his restaurant where every guest can dwell on the unique aromas in one special place. The restaurant is located at the beginning of the town of Roddi which lies at the central part of the territory. Rolling green hills, castles, vineyards and woods make up the outstanding landscape of the area, a part of which has been declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Dining at La Crota is a 360-degree Langhe experience.
The
menu is seasonal with traditional entries for Appetizers (€10), Pasta
Dishes (€12), Main Courses (€9 to €12), and Desserts (€6). Veal sirloin
seared in the oven with tonnata sauce, ricotta and black truffle plin
with butter and sage, and local asparagus with porcini mushrooms and
butter are just some of the dishes that represent the world of La
Crota.
Enhancing the features of the dishes at La Crota were the wines
of Le Strette Winery and Cascina Gilli, both producers of Piedmont. Le
Strette, owned by brothers Mauro and Salvo Daniele, dedicate their wine
production to the Nebbiolo with the prized Barolo cru (Menzioni
Geografiche Aggiuntive), Barbera, Dolcetto and the Nascetta grape
varieties at the municipality of Novello. It is a company that was
founded in 1997 that works on the philosophy of cultivating these native
grapes and take out the characteristics of the grapes and the territory
from which they come from. Tasted during dinner were: Langhe Nas-Cetta
DOC 2018, Langhe Nas-Cetta DOC 2016, Barbera d'Alba Superiore DOC 2017
and Barolo Bergera - Pezzole DOCG 2013.
Cascina Gilli instead is a
wine estate that has been directed by Gianni Vergnano since 1983 while
his son Paolo oversees the marketing and sales aspect of the business.
With Gianni's dedication and efforts, the winery has become one of
Piedmont's most prestigious wineries. It lies on the hilltops in the
Basso Monferrato between Castelnuovo Don Bosco and Albugnano, an area
that has always produced wines with full body and complex aromas. They
have devoted cultivation to recovering grape varieties native to the
area like Freisa, Barbera, Bonarda and Malvasia di Castelnuovo Don
Bosco. The wines that were presented during the wine tasting - dinner
were: Luna di Maggio Freisa d'Asti DOC, Il Forno Freisa d'Asti DOC,
Arvelè Freisa d'Asti Superiore DOC 2015 and Gilli Malvasia di
Castelnuovo Don Bosco DOC.
Address: Via Fontana, 7
12060 Roddi d'Alba (CN), Italy
Tel: +39 0173 615187
Email: info@ristorantelacrotalanghe.it
Website: https://ristorantelacrotalanghe.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/La-Crota-Ristorante-e-camere-253283231913077/
Open for lunch and dinner from Wednesdays to Sundays, lunch on Monday and closed on Tuesdays
Le Strette
Winery
Address: Via Le Strette 1/F
12060 Novello (CN), Italy
Tel: +39 0173 744002
Email: lestrette@lestrette.com
Website: https://www.lestrette.com/
Cascina Gilli
Address: Via Nevissano 36
14022 Castelnuovo Don Bosco (AT), Italy
Tel: +39 011 9876984
Email: info@cascinagilli.it
Website: http://www.cascinagilli.it/en/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cascinagilli/