Better have Risotto dell’Avvocato, Tagliatella Maranello or keep light, with Giardino di donna Marella? Culinary speaking, this is the most interesting and stimulating element that emerged during the opening – a few days ago – of Garage Italia. Lapo Elkann’s new project has the support of Carlo Cracco. Therefore the chef from Vicenza has now opened his third restaurant in Milan, the second in terms of “cuisine-weight”, after the flagship restaurant soon to move from Via Victor Hugo to the Galleria (see: Cracco, a preview in the Galleria), and laid-back Carlo e Camilla in Segheria.
We had already mentioned the opening:
On the 7th November: Carlo Cracco and Lapo Elkann’s Garage Italia soon to open.
Garage Italia is in Piazzale Accursio 86, in a building that until recently hosted a special petrol station: a historic jewel for Milan, which
Enrico Mattei considered as a model for Agip and was designed by architect
Mario Bacciocchi between 1951 and 1953. The renovation was directed by star- architect
Michele De Lucchi: the space is now a sort of atelier for cars, where artisans and creatives from all around the world will customize all sorts of cars, motorbikes and boats according to the taste and needs of the clients.
The building – as you can see from our photos – is now even more beautiful. Cracco is on the first floor, «a sort of panoramic “elbow”, that’s how I call it», with windows offering a 180° view of Milan.
The restaurant on the first floor
Cracco shows the seats with reclining armrest, hiding Usb doors
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Cracco oversees the culinary offer, both of the bar at the entrance of the garage, on the ground floor, offering quick snacks, burgers, salads or aperitifs, and of the restaurant itself, «we will offer the great regional Italian cuisine, but with a special idea, that is to say a link to
Lapo’s stories». Hence basically taking inspiration from – and adapting – recipes from the Agnelli family. «These are historic dishes that were part of the family menu, a sort of itinerary from north to south, with some interesting creative details». The menu, presented on a sort of tachometer, but in paper, is signed by
Cracco and prepared by resident chef
Gabriele Faggionato, born in 1987 in Vicenza - like
Carlo – and already part of his team. Seating some 50 people, with 12 people in the kitchen, an average price of 60-70 euros, the restaurant will be open seven days a week.
Resident chef Gabriele Faggionato
– The menu will include dishes like
Giardino di donna Marella (fish carpaccio marinated with lime zest, mango sauce and organic herbs),
Risotto dell’Avvocato (with smoked butter, roasted scampi and bisque with cognac),
Tagliatelle Millemiglia (with fresh egg pasta, oxtail sauce, wild rocket and paprika bread),
Guancia Maranello (stewed cheek, orange juice, cream of parsnip and bitter roots), and finally
Cric (tiramisù with coffee gelato).
Lapo Elkann meets the press at the materioteca
– At the launch, with
Cracco and
De Lucchi, there was also
Lapo Elkann, dressed in yellow and in great shape: «We wanted to give new light to this beautiful place, the fruit of the visionary mind of the great Italian
Enrico Mattei. I must thank architect
De Lucchi, with whom I’ve been working for years now, since the days of
Fiat Café at Triennale. And
Cracco: I found a person that is both disciplined and creative. We worked on the
Good and the
Beautiful: and Italy is the best place in the world for such a task». There are many interesting elements. Every detail was specifically thought of and created, something obvious in a project focused on the utmost customization. «We have the most advanced drive simulator ever made, we will patent colours that will only belong to us and our clients, like
navy blue Garage Italia or
azzurro Lapo; we even coated the entire building with a special paint that eats smog», and we hope it will consume a lot of it.
DE LUCCHI – The architect stressed «
Lapo Elkann’s farsightedness. He recognised the strength and cultural value of a place like this, in
Streamline style, which was codified in the United States but was in fact born in Italy, from
Filippo Tommaso Marinetti's
Manifesto del Futurismo in 1909». The seats reproduce the historic seats of the great Italian cars. The staircases bear tire marks. Lamps are made from readapted silencers. In the middle of the restaurant, there’s the body of a Ferrari Gto, and so on. A bonnet (from a Maserati? We can’t recall) is
Lapo’s desk, in the middle of the
materioteca, the
Garage Italia corner where you can enjoy searching for the most original customization for your car.
LAPO-CRACCO – A final curious anecdote of the first time
Lapo Elkann and
Carlo Cracco met, which gave life to the collaboration, in the words of the latter: «We met by chance. “What do you do?”. “I cook”. “Fantastic. You must take part in a project I have in mind”». And so it was.
Translated into English by Slawka G. Scarso
