I was beginning to despair that I would find some of the wonderful food that I had heard about in…read moreTorino when I passed this little shop in the center of town. The Sapori di YvetteMaurice is in an old part of the center. The streets and shops around it look well-established. I got excited when I walked by and looked into the window and saw a display case with cooked vegetables and arancini. This is the food I eat back in California. Especially when it's really hot here in Torino, you don't always feel like big portions of heavy food. Sometimes you want a little bite of vegetables or something fried. On the wall outside the restaurant, I notice a paper giving praise to the shop for its artisanal foods. There is also a note on the window saying the food is available to take away or to eat here. I walk into the store and a very nice man in white apron and shirt looks expectantly at me. Luckily I speak Italian and I ask him if I can buy some food to eat here. He pulls out a paper plate and I indicate that I'd like to try a portion of this and that. What did I get? A serving of delicious caponata (eggplant, onions, peppers), an aracini (rice ball stuffed with cheese), and a portion of cooked but cold swiss chard. I hop onto a stool by the table and wait while he heats the food up. Then he brings it to me. After I've put the food in my mouth and had a few bites, I am in heaven. This is fantastic. It takes so fresh and flavorful. This food is better than what I had eaten at Eataly! I notice the big display case in the shop has other prepared foods, cold meats and a big, big display of varieties of homemade pasta. A very courtly gentleman walks in chats a bit and buys food to take away. A woman comes into the shop and perches on a stool. She is waiting for her friends to show up to eat lunch. According to their business card, this shop has been in business for more than 20 years. When you look through the partition to the back of the shop, you see a lady making pasta. They make everything from antipasto to dessert in house based on what is in season. Their pastas are made the traditional Piedmontese and other regional ways. This is Slow Food at its finest. In fact, the shop itself and the proprietors have earned the title of "Maestro Guesto dal 2005". Good food from Piedmonte in Turin. This is the place to get it.

Family-run restaurant that doubles up as grocery store selling wine, olive oil, amaro, pasta,…read morecheese, cold cuts, etc.. all from Calabria, the toe of Italy. The restaurant dishes feature mostly the same ingredients you can find in the store. The menu is extensive, and also feature special dishes that are available only when certain ingredients are available. I had the opportunity to try several dishes here, and they were all great: buffalo mozzarella with basil and tomatoes; gnocchetti di Gragnano with ricotta and pistachio pesto; paccheri with prawns; stocco (codfish) with potatoes; chocolate truffle. I also discovered that Calabria produces a vast array of excellent amari. What I liked the most is the friendly atmosphere and how welcome the staff at Rosso Piccante are. This is a great place to catch up with friends and family, for a birthday celebration, or for a graduation party. As the space is limited, and the restaurant is popular and often used for family reunions and various celebrations, booking is recommended.