24-07-2017
The team at Giglio in Lucca, a restaurant that’s becoming increasingly popular: left to right Benedetto Rullo, Dani Grieco, Francesco Massagli, Stefano Terigi, Lorenzo Stefanini (with Rullo they form the trio of chefs) and Nicolò De Angelis. Photos by Tanio Liotta
89-87-87 this is not an emergency number, nor an adult chat line, but the years in which three (very) young chefs were born. They form a trio of which people have been speaking for some time and was first acknowledged a few days ago, when Cnn Travel included the place among 20 restaurants around the world that are – wrongly – little known (read here).
This is thanks to Eleonora Cozzella, who had the task of indicating the more undervalued place in Italy; and she chose Giglio in Lucca, explaining her choice: “Too often chefs working together offer mediocre result: Giglio, however, proves the contrary. With a trio of chefs – all under 30 – exchanging tips, this historic temple of Tuscan tradition has acquired popularity in the creative cuisine scene better than each single protagonist would have done by himself. The best proof is given by an extreme dish like Spaghetti cooked in Syrah with frozen and grated pigeon liver pâté, a dish that acts as a perfect counterpoint in the classic tasting journey during which it is served”. A praising judgement, that is.
More than Tuscany: Toast with eel ragout and fermented daikon
Grilled red cabbage tagliata
Spaghettino cooked in a broth of caper leaves, verjuice and anchovies
Pilaf rice, elderberry, kefir and elderberry flowers preserved in vinegar
Raviolini with chicken, cream and soy
A choice of method that doesn’t yet result in a clear and defined unique style; yet one has the doubt this is not necessarily a goal, once you acquire familiarity with this sort of gastronomic rollercoaster that stops once on classic French cuisine, then contemporary Italian, with Nordic cuisine fermentations or Japanese minimalism, until it reaches the safe landing of Tuscan recipes. Not necessarily in this order.
Rullo is preparing duck...
Duck breast, delicious
Salted caramel, ovis mollis, pistachio brittle, loquats, rosemary and calvados
In conclusion, Cozzella was right: in Lucca something very, very interesting is growing. Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
Giglio Piazza del Giglio 2, Lucca Tel. +39 0583 494058 www.ristorantegiglio.com
An outdoor trip or a journey to the other side of the planet? One thing is for sure: the destination is delicious, by Carlo Passera
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journalist born in 1974, for many years he has covered politics, mostly, and food in his free time. Today he does exactly the opposite and this makes him very happy. As soon as he can, he dives into travels and good food. Identità Golose's editor in chief