Ristorante Alpes: Modern Gastronomy with Ancient Health-Beneficial Techniques
Bad Schörgau is home to Ristorante Alpes where Chef Mattia Baroni and Hotelier Gregor Wenter share a creative synergy that highlight their individual preparations into a collective excellence. It is a place where you can experience this union of innovative minds that come from research and experiment dredged with a remarkable energy of creativity. In an enchanting location encircled by the luxuriant woods and alpine scene in Sarntal, Bad Schörgau Hotel offers its guests a warm family hospitality and a full-dose wellness from the relaxant atmosphere, the spa and to the kitchen. Time stops at Bad Schörgau where only the rhythm of the landscape leads the day.
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At Ristorante Alpes, Mattia puts together a cuisine that is strikingly innovative combining the passion for authenticity and exploration for fresh approaches, that on the table, dining becomes an engaging experience. The gastronomical approach is represented with fermentation techniques produced through a natural process of enzymatic action in the conversion of food components. It's an ancient process of preserving food that boosts a longer shelf life but the great thing about it is the big dose of beneficial probiotics that have a wide range of heath benefits, from better digestion to stronger immunity. The unity of ancient knowledge and modern technique defines Ristorante Alpes.
Initially, Mattia paved the way to a profession far from gastronomy. Born in 1987 in Riva del Garda, he grew up in a town overlooking Lake Garda in a family of teachers. The studies he chose would have made him into a computer engineer but at a certain point, the chef in him that had been brewing since childhood took over and his culinary journey began. With his strong propensity to studying, myriads of books taught him the art and techniques of cooking. At the young age of twenty-two, he left Italy to get in touch with different gastronomic landscapes and cultures. Australia was his first stop then to Switzerland, United Kingdom before heading back to Italian ground working in prestigious restaurants like Villa d'Este in Lago di Como, Sissi in Merano and Haselburg in Bolzano. Every experience was a fundamental learning tool and an exercise for what theories he had used as models.
A structure rebuilt at the end of the 19th century, Rosi and Sepp Wenter took over Bad Schörgau in 1975 and created a restaurant that became a gastronomic destination focused on the local cuisine. Gregor Wenter and his sisters took over Bad Schörgau after their father passed away. The kitchen was then directed by Egon Heiss, his brother-in-law, for almost a decade which gained the restaurant a number of recognition including a Michelin star. And in 2020, Ristorante Alpes went through a big change when Matttia Baroni handled the kitchen conforming to the new philosophy that Gregor was aiming for. The kitchen is a symphony of textures where fundamental flavors balance each other, possibly with a scratch of acidity from natural fermentation. Pairing among the 600 labels of mostly biodynamic and natural wines chosen by sommelier Daniel Drago can help orient the palate towards that natural world in harmony with the gustatory path of the kitchen.
Lunch menu has two options: 4 Con Gusto at €63 composed of 4 plates and 5 in Leggerezza at €73 composed of 5 plates. The arctic char, soup and charred local vegetables is an excellent option. The cheese proposals of Gregor are a must at the end of the meal.
La Fuga
La Fuga is translated to "run
away" and the concept of the kitchen is a literal depiction of the
phrase. It is also the acronym for Laboratory for Future Gastronomy, a
place that's halfway between a restaurant and food research laboratory
on the fundamental principles of gastronomy. On the singular dining
table for 6, interaction between the guests and the chef is part of the
experience, sort of like a study panel between diverse tastes and
opinions. The two protagonists, Gregor Wenter and Mattia Baroni leave
the limitations behind them and freely implement their ideas, shaping
their own interesting world of natural gastronomy, the future. It is
available to a maximum of 6 persons per evening with a fixed menu
co-designed by the guests on the table. Available only for dinner
between Wednesday to Saturday, at about €190 per person including
drinks.
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| Photo from Bad Schörgau website |
Ristorante Alpes
Bad Schörgau Hotel
Putzen – Pozza, 24
39058 Sarntal – Sarentino (BZ), Italy
Tel: +39 0471 623048
Email: info@bad-schoergau.com
Website: https://www.bad-schoergau.com/en
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/bad.schoergau