Il Ristorante Guido...the second time.

There were many excellent ristorante not so far from San Maurizio but, I reflected and decided to spend another dinner with Guido and the beautiful Monica, Guido's business partner.  I arrived to a relatively empty ristorante filled with soft music.  I knew that there would soon be many diners so I valued this time of tranquility.  As usual, a nice Spumante along with a tray of tasters was delivered to my table.  Once again I perused the menu and the wine list.  The task was so daunting yet so enjoyable.

For that night the wine would be a 2001 Barolo Conterno Fantino , Sori Ginestra.  As luck would have it this was an unbelievably light, soft wine, which was perfect with my dinner selections.  This wine was more like a Bordeaux or a Pinot Noir than a Barolo.  It is better to be lucky than good regarding wine selection.  The wine was decanted and the first servings of veal tartare and tuna salad were delivered.  They were perfect with the Spumante and allowed my wine to breathe.  Now, for serious culinary enjoyment.

A most unusual serving of Foie Gras was delivered to begin this adventure.  The dish was "Foie Gras fichi Pedro Ximenez gelato.  The rich taste of foie gras followed with the firm, sweet taste of the candied fruit and then the smooth, light texture of the gelato was surprisingly elegant.  A sip of the nicely light wine was an excellent beginning to eat tasting.  The wine, the foie gras and then the sweetness created an excellent beginning to the dinner.

After such tasting variability I rested for a moment.  I watched the ristorante fill.  My fellow diners seemed interesting but I did not have sufficient energy for enjoyment and observation.  Next came the Gnocchi.  It was "Gnocchi Baccala Polvere di Capperi di Salina."  The combination of gnocchi and nicely seasoned meat was very nicely done.  Each taste had a good combination of each, making the taste perfect with the wine.

The Agnolotti followed and was, again, simply delicious but was, this time, served only without sauce. However, this serving has been consistently excellent and is my favorite.

Finally. the "Maialino da Latte Cotto."  This serving of breaded pork was so good.  The breaded was exceptionally well seasoned.  The pork was unbelievably tender.  Holding each bite on my tongue for some time allowed the spices to unfold and fully compliment the tender meat.  Followed by a sip of wine, each taste reminded me of why I visited this ristorante for a second time.

I did not taste a dessert with this meal for the courses were so filling and the wine so perfect, I did not want to allow that taste combination to leave me.  So, Im off to my room for a long sleep and sweet dreams.