Evo, the evolution of flavour according to Matarrese

Alberobello in Apulia, plenty of trulli and traditions, between Locorotondo and Noci, behind Monopoli and Fasano. Ten thousand inhabitants. One of them introduced me to his restaurant and most of all to his philosophy: Gianvito Matarrese. His restaurant Evo stands for evolution, but it’s also the acronym for extra virgin olive oil, the gold to which this Ambassador of taste has dedicated himself.

He truly is on a mission and not one of the simplest for sure. There’s no doubt that this region has its foundation in a huge sea fed by the most varied olive varieties, but this seems no longer interesting. It’s so much easier to sell wine from a wine list. Olive oil needs to be explained, you must create interest in clients. People are still very superficial. The same superficialness that used to belong to wine: “White or red, Mr?”, how could we forget?

So Gianvito promotes 25 different varieties with a total of 40 producers and 240 different bottles. He uses them as ingredients for his recipes or to be tasted while dining.

Hence going beyond their use as seasoning. It’s an intelligent choice in a place easy to reach by car, opened in 2015 when the owner was 30 and everything was different. The pandemic was decisive. The Apulian chef decided to face it, instead of hiding and waiting for the tempest to pass. He doubled the tables, from eight to sixteen, shrinking the kitchen, with a curious final solution: you can now see it from the street, instead of from the dining room. Evo also has three rooms in some trulli, a garden and a bar opposite.

Our hero is not alone. In the kitchen there’s Debora Dipinto, a place for two chefs, the service is curated by another Debora, Debora Calella, who is also his partner in life, and his mother, Margherita Pezzollo, is in charge of desserts. This results in a menu rich in recipes, perhaps a little too many at first sight, but we’re now so used to tasting menus that so much freedom seems surprising. The list includes a 7-course menu for 75 euros; a selection of four “first” courses for 45 euros; four vegetarian courses for 45 euros; Evo’s classics for 60 euros. Finally, for 65 euros, you can order five dishes from a list of twenty.

Nice company, nice ideas and good food: Veal tripe, lime and green tea, turmeric mayonnaise, tomato tartare, buttermilk; a quick tasting of gnummareddi, then Carpaccio of lamb from Alberobello, dill oil, sauce of cornuto cucumber from Palagianello, endive braised in homemade balsamic oil; Pork meatballs glazed in “giannotta” honey with blood orange, mayonnaise, coffee and tomato, corn with salted caramel; Futura, “a tribute to the Ambasciatori del gusto and their president Alessandro Gilmozzi” that is to say Monograno Felicetti cooked for a minute and a half, plus a cream cooked with ultrasounds with pioppini and cardoncelli mushrooms and eucalyptus, fondue of Trentingrana, powder of black tea. We leave you the pleasure of finding out what Black Hole (a dish served in complete darkness) is.

EVO RISTORANTE

Via Giovanni XXIII, 1
70011 Alberobello (Bari)
Tel.: +39.320.8481230
E-mail: info@evoristorante.com
Closed the entire day on Wednesdays, and on Sundays in the evening

 

Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso