Personal field notes

Food & travel

A running list of places worth seeking out—from Piedmontese tables to memorable hotels.

Recommendations

Restaurants (and why)

Canessa (Baratti, LI): Solid seafood, perfect location for a date (a gulf overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea and dominated by a hill topped with a medieval castle)
La Ciau del Tornavento (Treiso, CN): Upscale Piemontese fine dining. Spectacular location overlooking the Barbaresco vineyards
Trattoria I Bologna (Rocchetta Tanaro, AL): To understand why Piedmont food is so admired. Try the agnolotti
Enoteca il Cavallante (Milano): Wide selection, competent staff, delicious bites to go with the wine
Pizzeria da Pietrino (Vignole Borbera, AL): My favorite pizza. Try the Micky
Agriturismo Colognole (Colognole Rufina, FI): Magnificent view of the Tuscan hills, takes a while to get there but food and wine (Chianti) are worth it
Locanda Montin (Venezia): Great, simple, traditional food. Great internal garden, in a quiet area of the city. Kudos to my parents who found this place in 1982
Trattoria 4 Leoni (Firenze): A great option in the heart of Florence. Besides the bistecca alla fiorentina, I recommend the fried zucchini blossoms
Osteria La Magona (Bolgheri, LI): the next door neighbor of Ornellaia. Superb Tuscan fare. The Bistecca alla fiorentina is a moral obligation

The North Pond (Chicago): Brunch, with a seasonal menu. Spectacular location in Lincoln Park
Pizzeria Delfina (San Francisco): An electric oven? Yes. And yet, delicious
Song ‘E Napule (Manhattan, OG location on Houston and newer space in the UWS): One of the best pizzas outside of the motherland
Fette Sau (Brooklyn): Outstanding barbecue. They also have a great selection of beer and American whiskey
Marea (Manhattan): If you really need to eat Italian food in NYC. Specialized in seafood, great wine list
Villanelle (Manhattan): Seasonal, modern menu; a great ambiance for a date. Try the octopus/curry dish
Soogil (Manhattan): Upscale dining, a creative mix of French and Korean food
Osteria San Carlo (Manhattan): Piedmontese food outside of Piedmont

Eucaliptus (Jerusalem): Biblical chef Moshe Basson’s restaurant. Try the maklouba
Lina (Jerusalem): By far (very, very far) the best hummus I have ever had

Café am Beethovenplatz (Munich): Chopped pork with Knödel, served with Bavarian beer

Cooking Love (Chiang Mai): Delicious, very casual, but you need a reservation. Best quality/price ratio of my life

Recommendations

Hotel Mume (Kyoto): Simply put, the kindest, most attentive staff ever encountered

Distilleria Gualco (Silvano d’Orba, AL): Grappa from the lower Piedmont region. My family has been buying their grappa for three generations
Panetteria De Lucca (Novi Ligure, AL): Focaccia novese. The place to get it
Tenuta Elena (Cassinelle, AL): great Dolcetto d’Ovada
La Bulichella (Suvereto, LI): beautiful estate making delicious wine on the Tuscan coast, has also a restaurant and rooms in the middle of the vineyard