Gambero Rosso
The chef-patron of Gambero Rosso, Fulvio Pierangelini, may have the tousled good looks of a gracefully ageing rock star, but his last 28 years could not have been less flighty. Pierangelini set up his restaurant with wife Emanuela working front of house in 1980, and has been behind the stove the five days a week it opens ever since, much to the pleasure of Italian seaside town San Vincenzo and all who pass through it.
The soothing views of the Tyrrhenian Sea make the perfect back-drop to Pierangelini's edgy and modern cooking. Although there is an inevitable focus on pristine seafood (the restaurant's signature dish is Chickpea Purée with Prawns), inland ingredients feature heavily too, when in season. His dedication to the kitchen and lack of desire to take the world by storm or create a brand of his own sauces is not just refreshing but has brought its own rewards. Variously cited as the best restaurant in Italy, formidable Le Figaro restaurant critic François Simon went so far as to name Gambero Rosso his favourite restaurant in the world, proving that while there may be many Italian restaurants of the same name, there's nothing common about this port-side gem.
Behind the stove:
Fulvio Pierangelini
What they say:
Journalist Raffaella Prandi termed Pierangelini "the greatest soloist of Italian cuisine".
new dish of the year:
Burrata Soup with Ravioli of Herring and Roe
Not a lot of people know that:
Pierangelini recently won the title of Best Italian Chef in the Italian guidebook which shares a name with his restaurant - Gambero Rosso - but which is, we hasten to add, an entirely independent venture.
Piazza della Vittoria 13, 57027, San Vincenzo, Livorno, Italy+39 05 65 701021
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