Le Calandre
When a restaurant offers a bottle of 1995 Dom Perignon at around £5,750 on its vast wine list, you can rest assured that you're dealing with real quality. That's certainly the case at Le Calandre, a culinary gem located in the largely inconspicuous Italian village of Sarmeola di Rubano, near Padua. Firmly a family business - with brothers Massimiliano and Raffaele Alajmo in the kitchen and front-of-house, respectively - the Grand Classics and In.gredienti tasting menus feature such delights as Gorgonzola Ice Cream with Pepper, and Powder of Raspberries, tempting discerning diners from far and wide.
Behind the stove:
Massimiliano Alajmo
What they say:
"Massimiliano Alajmo is the Mozart of the cooking stove. No other chef has scaled the heights at such a young age as this man." Paolo Marchi, Italian food writer
New dish this year:
Hand-Chopped Beef lightly seasoned with a Truffled Egg Sauce, served on a bark dish or cutting board with dressed Wholewheat Bread.
Not a lot of people know that:
Alajmo has created a new version of his Il Gioccolato dessert every year since 2003. The tableware for each year's dessert is stored away and can never be used for anything else.
Le Calandre, Via Liguria 1, 35030 Sarmeola di Rubano, Italy+39 04 96 30303
www.calandre.com
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