My Favourite Restaurant
My favourite restaurant in Alba is La Piola. It’s all about traditional food prepared in the best way I know. This is also the perfect local restaurant to visit if you want to taste the typical flavours of this region. Beside the regular menu, it also offers daily specials alongside seasonal salads. I always order one of those when I eat there: my favourite is the spring version made with fresh green salad, chicken and mustard sauce.
In The Summertime
On my days off I don’t like to move far from home but prefer to stay with my girlfriend and family in Alba and go to our favourite places. But when the weather improves in spring and summer, I usually travel to the hills around Alba. When I’m there, I always choose two of my favourite trattorias: La Repubblica di Perno and one of the best places to have lunch, La Terrazza da Renza. It’s a small place in Castiglione Falletto, with a huge and amazing terrace that faces the vineyards of the Barolo area.
Stunning Views, Spectacular Wine
When I have special occasions like birthdays or anniversaries, I love to go to La Ciau del Tornavento. It’s a one Michelin-starred restaurant in Treiso with a stunning view and an impressive wine cellar. The chef Maurilio Garola is a real friend and always make me feel at home.
Where (And What) To Eat And Drink In Langhe
In Alba we’re very lucky because it’s the capital of Langhe: a region of amazing wines. It’s a good place to spend time enjoying a good glass of wine and nice food. This region is famous for small plates and starter dishes, but also for great home-made pasta. I’d suggest to taste a great selection of raw veal tartare, vitello tonnato and carpione – vinegar-preserved fish and vegetables. If you can, also try a great dish of agnolotti del plin: small ravioli stuffed with meat and closed with a pinch (plin means “pinch” in the Piedmontese dialect).
A Great Cocktail Bar
Alba is a very small and quiet town, and so we have just two bars. One of them is Hemingway, and it prepares great cocktails and serves a very nice club sandwich. It’s perfect for ending the night after dinner at Piazza Duomo; it’s very close to the restaurant and many of our guests love to go there for a drink after dinner.
How To Make The Most Of Truffle Season
The truffle season is always late, so the best moment to visit Alba for tasting truffles is from the middle of November. The best way to enjoy white truffles is to pair them with very simple dishes such as fried eggs or tajarin (fresh home-made pasta) with butter. The secret is to serve truffles with complementary or neutral flavours as they are very strong in perfume but very subtle in taste – in a good way.
Selected Works: Best of Enrico Crippa (2016)
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