|
 |
|
| Restaurant Pauline Borghese |
|
| Parco dei
Principi, Rome, Italy |
|
Extraordinary - Society
January - 2006 |
|
5 Stars
& 6 Stripes
Cuisine & Service |
|
The Ultimate
Award:
Seven Stars and Stripes™ |
|
|
|
| Simone looked radiant as she dressed in preparation
for our cuisine review event later this evening in the Restaurant Pauline
Borghese located in the venerable Parco dei Principi Hotel in Rome. The Romans
were masters in the art of statuary portraiture and I remember thinking how
much my wife Simone resembled some of the finer profiles I had seen earlier in
the day during our city tour. Dinner was scheduled for eight and we were on
target to meet up with our other team members Arno and Stephanie at the bar for
an aperitif to kick off the evening. The whole experience so far was one of
supreme relaxation punctuated by magnificent vistas of superbly manicured
gardens flowing literally from your doorstep all the way to the Vatican. It is
an oasis of peace and tranquility directly in the heart of a major European
city. |
|
| Our table was strategically
chosen by the
Maitre
D' Marco Andronico for its characteristics of suggesting privacy yet
conveying a feeling of unlimited freedom coming from the view adjacent to our
location near the window. Before we could be seated, bartender Luigi called us
over to his immaculately maintained and festooned bar for a brief interlude of
champagne and canapés. A perfectly chilled bottle of
1998
Dom Perignon, an exceptional champagne from Möet et Chandon, a fine
winery that has been in business since 1747 was the focus of our attention.
|
|
Simone - Thorsten - Arno -
Stephanie |
|
|
| Its youthfulness attempted to belie the aromatic
citrus fruits wrapped by a blanket of soft spice with visual nuances of straw
yellow gold and fine mousse. The bite-sized canapés were delicate and
tasty offering the ideal introduction to the creative cuisine of Executive Chef
Gianfranco Calidonna. Together with the subtle ambiance of dark brown paneled
wood accents and nearby tiffany stained-glass windows, we felt as though we had
been invited into the elegant home of an Italian Renaissance prince.
|
|
 |
|
We could hear the soft sounds
of classical piano music from the restaurant, which drew us away from the bar
and into the arms of Maitre D' Marco who announced that our table was waiting.
We entered the intimate setting of subdued lighting, rich cherry wood elements,
tapestry-like curtains and festive seasonal decorations, which added to the
relaxed, secure atmosphere. |
|
|
| Our location was directly next to a rather large
window framed by lush fabric-covered walls, which provided a cozy warmth that
radiated throughout the entire room of about eight other tables. Our server
Giuseppe was quick to point out that we should put our menus aside and allow
Executive Chef Gianfranco work his magic with his innovative cuisine. Candles
strategically placed on all the tables seemed to reflect softly the highlighted
brilliance of the real silver utensils. |
|
| Our server produced the Amuse
Bouche from the kitchen consisting of Smoked Salmon and Mozzarella on Tender
Field Greens with Olive Crostini over which was poured a strongly scented
fruity extra-virgin olive oil, obviously cold-pressed. A chilled bottle of
Villa Russiz 2002 Pinot Grigio the perfect partner for starters,
appeared and was dutifully poured for us. It displayed an intense bouquet of
toasted almonds and sun-dried hay and together with its straw yellow color
proved to be an elegant pairing for this course. |
|
 |
|
|
| Next came Polpo al Vapore on Green Cauliflower with
Polenta and Broccoli Purée, a decidedly unusual rendition of steamed
whole octopus, which incidentally tasted tender and held up to the influences
of the broccoli purée over polenta. With this course we began to chat it
up a bit as we were impressed with the originality of Chef Gianfranco's take on
the oddities of provincial Italian cuisine. A quick glance around and we were
reminded of the splendid views emanating from the windows adjacent to our
table. The sun was setting over the Borghese Gardens and provided contrasting
hues of soft reds, pinks and blues in the sky while the landscaping was backlit
by indirect garden lights from below. |
|
 |
|
Our server Giuseppe returned
to clear the dishes and simultaneously change our napkins as well; a nice touch
that we discovered is often a staple of some finer restaurants in our reviews.
After clearing we were presented with Veal Stuffed with Goat Cheese in
Zabaglione Marsala Sauce, a superb cut of meat that can hold up to the
richness of the marsala fortified zabaglione sauce. A rather powerful bottle of
Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore Gaiospino 2002 was
offered as a pairing to the elegant veal. |
|
|
| It presented a medium lemon yellow body with excellent
structure and complex nose of honeysuckle, citrus and toast. Just the right
amount of oak worked to contain its powerful nose thus tempering it enough to
work well with the delicate veal. Next up was the Sautéed Lobster
with Dill Sauce and Spinach Pappardelle for Simone and Rosette of
Roasted Salmon with Exotic Spices for me, both paired with a bottle of
Antinoo Chardonnay 2000, Casale del Giglio. This beautiful wine is
produced near Rome and displays transparent straw yellow and green tints
wrapped in an elegant intense nose of refined vanilla. It finished with
persistent good flavors of litchi, peach and pineapple that offered a great
match for the ocean fresh lobster as well as the salmon. |
|
| It was time to exhale a bit as
plates were cleared while taking in all that we had experienced so far with
regard to this superb culinary experience. We were in the artful hands of an
accomplished chef and his team, creating one masterpiece after another. Within
minutes of our respite came our final course of Filet Mignon Crustade, baked
in Polenta Crust, a delightfully different take on the usual pastry crust
that is seen so often enveloping this tender cut of meat. The polenta was laced
with finely grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, which lent just the right amount
of sharpness to the otherwise neutral tasting polenta. |
|
 |
|
|
| A successful wine paring of Montepulciano d'Abruzzo
Marina Cvetic 2000, a stellar wine with a blossoming nose of sweet oak and
dark fruits. Add to that mild tannins on the palate together with its big, rich
not to astringent and not too ripeness in the fruit for a very fine wine
drinking experience. We slowly continued to savor the wine while espresso was
being offered and the table was being prepared for dessert. |
|
 |
|
I ordered latte macchiato and
this was dutifully delivered piping hot along with petite fours and a very
special Cioccolato Lava Timbale with fresh berries made to resemble the
volcano Vesuvius, complete with flowing chocolate 'lava' upon slicing open the
cone. |
|
|
| We decided to retire to the very comfortable bar to
visit Luigi again, and were impressed with his suggestion for a nightcap of
Picolit Nonino Grappa to wile away the waning hours of our remarkable
evening in this special place. Luigi's choice of the Nonino grappa showed his
intense and deep knowledge of some of the best kept secretes of Italian
specialties. Nonino is produced as the first ever single-vineyard, single-grape
distillate successfully using the picolit grape varietal. Furthermore, it
revolutionized the industry with its uniquely intense aroma and flavor
components. |
|
| It was late now and we bid
goodnight to Luigi the bartender as Marco the Maitre d' allowed us to poke our
heads into the kitchen just as Executive Chef Gianfranco and his team were
cleaning up and preparing to leave. "Even though we are finished for the
evening, the work is never done" said Chef Gianfranco, "I must prepare my team
for the challenges of tomorrow and plan the menus that will satisfy our
guests." We were delighted to hear this from an executive chef as it shows the
leadership and planning skills necessary to operate successful business of such
high caliber. |
|
 |
|
| Massimo
Canzian & Thorsten Buehrmann & Gianfranco Calidonna |
|
|
|
| “Executive Chef Gianfranco works magic with his innovative
cuisine.” ~ TB |
|
|
|
|
by
Thorsten & Simone Buehrmann & Arno Goudschaal & Stephanie
Leismann
Editor: Ingrid Lemme
Editor-in-Chief: John
Lomitola |
|
| © 2005 ~ Seven Stars and Stripes, Inc. |
|
