Juventus fans, and others, remember him as one of the best players of his era: world champion with the Italian national team in 2006, Alessandro Del Piero played almost 20 years in black and white, collecting more than 500 appearances and more than 200 goal. A champion on the pitch, now the former number 10 is also winning off the field: like many other champions, he has decided in his second life to launch himself into the restaurant business, and he is doing it with equal success. It is news these days that his restaurant (which is not surprisingly called N 10), opened in Los Angeles in 2018 and replicated with a second restaurant in Milan last year, has received a prestigious award: the Gambero Rosso Top Italian Restaurants guide, which rewards Italian cuisine abroad, awarded him Due Forchette tricolori.
“As Italians – commented Del Piero, who personally collected the award, in a post on Instagram – we have an extraordinary gastronomic culture, we are number one in the world for cooking. And bringing our traditions here to Los Angeles also helps me feel closer to home, creating an Italian community. From N 10 we have focused on seasonality and the quality of raw materials, but also giving a touch of modernity and openness to the world”. Indeed, looking at the menu it is clear that the Italian tradition is partly revisited, welcoming the equally trendy Asian suggestions. The Bites formula in particular allows you to taste several proposals, concentrating delicacies such as cod in a sauce of sea urchins, potatoes and smoked tea or veal tip with pak choi and mustard sauce in just a few mouthfuls.
There is obviously ample space also for traditional Italian dishes, from saffron risotto to Apulian cavatelli, up to pizza and above all desserts: in fact, the choice of desserts is particularly wide and includes the ever-present tiramisù and sfogliatelle. Del Piero's restaurant is open with the all day long formula, i.e. from noon until late in the evening, with a consequent proposal for drinks and dishes for a quick lunch break (from salads to stuffed focaccia, for example). The space is large, 400 square meters with 140 seats, e.g the chef who supervises everything is Luigi Fineo from Puglia, with master pizza maker Marcello Costanzo.
