Friday, April 4, 2014

Il Pescetto...a new sea breeze has just reached Milano!

As you walk into this place you will immediately smell the sea breeze...
fresh fish cooked on the spot, simple tables coloured in white and light blue, orange lamps hanging from the ceiling and fishermen nets hanging on the walls: Il Pescetto is a great new spot in Milano!


Arm yourself with patience because you'll have to stand in a queue to order your meal, but the kind Staff will make your wait more pleasant by offering you a glass of prosecco. And at the end, as soon as you'll stand in front of the fish counter, you'll feel totally rewarded for the wait!

Instagram photo by Claudia Avanzi

Tuna and salmon tartares to be enjoyed raw, cuttlefish, octopus, scallops, shrimps, lobster and many more wonderfully fresh options, all to be chosen and cooked at your taste, deep-fried, grilled or pan fried!
Enjoy your dinner with no rush, maybe accompanying your fish with a good bottle of white wine at a price that is more than affordable.

Before leaving, don't forget to clear the table!! The very kind waiters will "chase you" to remind you that it's a custom of this place to remove your dishes and glasses from your table....but if it's the first time you visit the place you will be forgiven with a smile.
....and if this helps keeping the prices as low as they are, along with the great quality of fish, we are sure it you'll be more than happy to do it!

A great oasis of pleasure in the heart of Milan....now you just have to go and try it!



If you love raw fish, try the tune tartare, it's just divine!!
While if you'd rather go for the cooked ones, one of the specialties of the place are
the scallops cooked in a pan with garlic, oil and chilli

Instagram photo by Claudia Avanzi


Instagram photo by Claudia Avanzi



Il Pescetto
Via Alessandro Volta, 9
20100 Milano
Tel: 02-36754184

Sunday, March 2, 2014

Don Juan, los placeres de la carne

Credits: Claudia Avanzi

Finding a good piece of meat in Milano, a city that offers an amazing range of opportunities in terms of food, is not as easy as you might think: there are just a few places where you are guaranteed to eat a good steak, always. Don Juan is for sure one of these!


Credits: Claudia Avanzi
For many years an institution in the milanese scene, Don Juan represents (together with its younger brother Don Juanito - same menu with a more cozy atmosphere) the traditionally best known Argentine restaurant in town!

Despite having gone through moments of greater appeal, where finding a table was almost a mission impossible, Don Juan still keeps up its reputation in Milano offering the great classics of the Argentine cuisine, among which you will find the empanadas, bife de lomo o de chorizo and more different cuts of meat, in addition to a very good wine list, with a very interesting selection of (not only) Argentine wines.

Some years ago I would have definitively suggested it for a Romantic Date, but now it seems more appropriate for a dinner with friends, but watch out!! Only friends with no budget constraints!!
Credits: Claudia Avanzi




Try the fillet brochette, the best quality-price ratio:
three mignon fillets, with a price even lower than that of a traditional fillet!




Credits: Claudia Avanzi


DON JUAN
Via Altaguardia, 2  20135 Milano
02 5843 0805
http://www.ristorantedonjuan.com/

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Luca e Andrea, the other


Credits: Claudia Avanzi
                   

"L'altro Luca e Andrea" is a restaurant with a slightly touristic taste which I really enjoy though, because it offers a good combination of food, location and prices.

Credits: Claudia Avanzi
Brother of the almost homonym "Luca e Andrea", located a few steps away on the same street, it's for sure one of the best places in Milan to bring your friends coming to visit from abroad or out of town, for more than one reason:

...the area, called the Navigli, is definitely worth being visited without being the typical destination of the classic touristic tours. Furthermore, the location is enhanced in any season thanks to the fabulous location of the restaurant, which offers tables outdoor in the summer and a wonderful view on the lights reflecting into the Naviglio river in the winter.

...the quality and taste of the food are always excellent, and this is even more admirable for a restaurant that, by it's nature and it's lucky position, should be naturally tempted to fall into the trap of serving crappy touristic menus. The food includes several dishes from the Milan tradition, and for sure it doesn't disappoint the expectations of the foreign visitors coming to see the Bel Paese from abroad. And also for you, who will have to guide your guests and be a perfect Cicerone, showing them the real taste of Milano, this restaurant won't be a disappointment.

...finally, the waiters serving at tables are pretty typical, characterized by the natural tendence of people in Milan to be in a hurry, resulting though funny, likeable and very appropriate to the context.



don't miss the starter "Bufala e melanzane" a revisited version of the classic Italian dish parmigiana, delicious.
In the summer it's a must to get one of the tables outdoor.


Credits: Claudia Avanzi


Credits: Claudia Avanzi

Tizzy's burgers....so loooooovely!

Credits: Claudia Avanzi

A waitress asking in English: "Do you want a table for two?" Me, replying in Italian: "...ehm, yes please. But I'm Italian, no need to speak English..." "I knooooow, but I am AMERICAAAAAN!!!"


This was my first approach with Tizzy's - N.Y. Bar and Grill, a burger house with a very special taste!
A soon as you step into this bar, you feel like you jumped a thousad miles away, to find yourself in an original New York diner: checkered floor, wooden bar with high stool, american waiter, foreign clients...and all the ingredients to cook memorable burgers!!








Credits: Claudia Avanzi

Bring your English dictionary along because the waiters find it hard to speak to you in Italian - especially Tizzy, the very exuberant owner of the place, who has been in Milan for 5 years, previously working for fashion and has decided to jump into this new, challenging adventure...I can guarantee she will be one of the main attractions of your night! 


The house specialty are hamburgers & cheeseburgers, served in a very basic fashion in a plastic basket - absolutely not representative of the awesome taste of the dish, exalted by the quality of the ingredients, the perfect cooking of the meat and the french fries, which have a slightly spicy flavor.
...vegetarians and vegetable lovers, don't worry! You'll also find a selection of tasty salads and the veggie version of the traditional burger.



"Ellen & Norman burger" (bacon-cheeseburger), with the addition of avocado... for non-conventional-taste lovers!
 In the winter, avoid the tables by the door if you don't wanna freeze!



Credits: Claudia Avanzi
Credits: Claudia Avanzi

                       
Tizzy's NY Bar
Alzaia Naviglio Grande, 46 - 20144, Milano | Tel: +39 02 58118277
http://tizzysbarandgrill.com/

Monday, April 16, 2012

Erba brusca: garden with kitchen

Credits: Claudia Avanzi

I went to this restaurant on a cloudy day, one of those Sundays when all you want to do is cancel all your commitments and spend the day on the couch....but the cozy and lively atmosphere of this place makes the sun shine even on the darkest moods.


Credits: Claudia Avanzi
The restaurant Erbabrusca is located right outside Milan, along the Naviglio Pavese river, and it's totally immersed in the countryside: the basic furnishing matches perfectly  the external setting, characterized by a small garden, a swing for the children and a few deckchairs for the older ones.
The menu is fairly limited and all the dishes are simple, yet with an excellent taste! The selection of wines is also appealing, with a very interesting wine list.

If you want (or have to) take your kids with you, they're not going to get bored, thanks to a dedicated corner where they can play and paint, under the careful supervision of two lovely baby-sitters.
And if you decide to reach Erbabrusca by bycicle (it's about 15 minutes from the Navigli area in Milan city), let the staff know: they will offer you a 5% discount!

The perfect place to run away from the city and enjoy a day outdoor, with tasty food, good wine and smily faces.


Credits: Claudia Avanzi

Book a table in the garden on a sunny day...
you will almost forget that you are in Milano!!


Credits: Claudia Avanzi

Erba Brusca
Alzaia Naviglio Pavese 286 
20142 Milano 
Tel. +39 02 87380711      
http://www.erbabrusca.it/