NEW CHEF AS OF JAN 2016 - previous Yelp reviews do not refer to the new management.
Under the direction of Chef Vincenzo Guarino, who earned his first Michelin star in a hotel near Chiusi (SI); from the Capania area, he's returned to Tuscany at the head of this restaurant located inside the converted Medieval monastery of Castello di Spaltenna.
Let's start from the statement that this is Michelin-starred cooking, and that it will get the star very soon, as he's had it elsewhere (also in Vico Equense). The taster menu of Tuscan interpretations runs 70 euros (85 with wine flight); the chef's more special taster menu costs 90 (110 with wine flight). We opted for the latter and allowed the chef to delight us. He accommodated a request to make it pescatarian, otherwise it would have had meat in it.
The number of courses we had is almost too many to count, since there were numerous "pre" courses (a pre-aperitivo, a pre-dessert and a post-dessert!). The pappa al pomodoro a modo mio stands out for creativity and display - a Tuscan "poor" dish elevated to the nth degree in 5 different interpretations. Similarly "ribollita" is presented as a bean purée base with every vegetable prepared in a different way - dehydrated, crisped, fried, etc. The desserts were to die for, by a pastry chef from the Friuli area. And as you can see with the photos there was also attention to matching the colours of the whole menu to a fall theme. Combinations that perfectly mix and balance flavour and texture at the highest level of gourmet cooking. An experience to be had at least once in your life. read more