It's Niko Romito, chef entrepreneur and patron of the Reale restaurant in Castel di Sangro, in the province of L'Aquila, to dominate the national scene of great Italian chefs, thus he was awarded the degree Gambero Rosso restaurant guide giving it a score of 96 out of 100.
We can speak of him as a real phenomenon of the culinary art. Self-taught chef, deeply attached to his Abruzzo, in just 7 years he has climbed to the top of Italian catering, conquered 3 Michelin stars and the top positions in all the major guides. His career starts from Rivisondoli, in the former family pastry shop, later transformed into a restaurant.
His ideas in the kitchen are very popular, customers increase and business is so good that in 2011 he transferred the Reale to "Casadonna", a former 500th-century monastery in Castel di Sangro, today a veritable temple of essential cuisine , balance and taste. “Of my cooking – he likes to say – it is often said that it is simple. It is very true, in the sense that it lacks complication, yet it implies considerable complexity. Complexity in the kitchen can be advantageous, but never complication”.
In second position with a score of 95, equal merit, three confirmations of great caliber, The calenders of Rubano, in the province of Padua, by Massimiliano Alajmo, the youngest Italian chef to have been gratified with 3 Michelin stars, present in the ranking of "The World's 50 Best Restaurants" consecutively for over 10 years. The Franciscan tavern of Modena, led by Massimo Bottura, ranked first restaurant in the world from the list of The World's 50 Best Restaurants and the first Italian restaurant to ever win the title. And the Pergola of the Hotel Rome Cavalieri by Heinz Beck, the only three-starred restaurant in the capital, which Michelin describes as follows: “La Pergola is the meeting place of that Mediterranean taste – the never dormant passion of the chef, Heinz Beck – and of a systematic search for the best product, the more successful combination. All seasoned with a good dose of creativity. The recipe for its success is served!” .
In third position with 94 points are 5 other restaurants that represent a staple of Italian excellence in catering: the legendary Don Alfonso 1890 of Sant'Agata sui Due Golfi, the realm of Mediterranean cuisine of the Iaccarino family; Cathedral square in Alba by Enrico Crippa The Torre del Saracino by Gennarino Esposito in Seiano, a classic of high-level catering excellence; ulassi of Senigallia where Muro Uliassi assisted by his wife proposes a tradition "in continuous movement, certainly not a photocopy of the past and which feeds on our travels and everything that surrounds us", and the Villa Crespi of Orta San Giulio directed by Antonino Cannavacciuolo undoubtedly, together with Cracco the most exposed, in the media of the Italian chefs. And speaking of media exposure that can affect judgments, Carlo Cracco, who lost his second Michelin star, is in fifth position with a score of 92, preceded by Enoteca Pinchiorri with 93 points.
To want to compare the judgment of the Gambero Rosso guide with the evaluations of L'Espresso restaurant guide published a month ago we find some points in common. L'Espresso had given full marks, 5 hats, to Piazza Duomo, to Rosa Alpina st. Hubertus, in San Cassiano by Norbert Niederkofler, in Le Calandre, in l'Osteria Francescana, in Uliassi, in Casadonna Reale, all of which appear in the first positions of the Gambero Guide, and in Lido 84 di Gardone Riviera by Riccardo Camanini, which is worth emphasizing as the real surprise of this year, a new entry also in the realm of the three forks of Gambero Rosso.
Trained at the school of great masters such as Gualtiero Marchesi, Raymond Blanc, Jean-Louis Nomicos and Alain Ducasse, Riccardo Camanini has also won a star in the Michelin Guide for his "romantic view" and excellent cuisine: lake and Brescia ideas, creativity combined with the flexibility of what the freshest market offers”.
At the top of the Tre Gamberi we therefore find the recognition that goes to the best cuisine of Italian Trattorias Sora Maria and Archangel a certainty of good cuisine in Olevano Romano (MI) where Giovanni Milana, innkeeper for generations, and chef of substance, manages to clean up his gaze on local recipes through technique and refined hand, harmonious balances and great ingredients. Still among the Tre Gamberi we find Ancient Flavors of Andria where Pietro Zito concedes nothing to fashions but only the continuous, passionate search for what is genuine in the area, wandering among the farms in search of the best cheeses, or in the fields to collect wild herbs forgotten by everyone. And another solid knowledge for fans of Mediterranean cuisine, Pasquale Torrente de At the Convent of Cetara (SA), the king of Colatura di Alici, whose cuisine fascinates for the simplicity of the material and for its references to the ancient traditions of this corner of paradise overlooking the Gulf of Salerno which offers Genoese tuna, spaghetti with anchovy sauce, and Cuopperia's fried foods.
Finally to mention iThe “Novelty of the Year” award which went to Casa Rapisarda by Alessandro Rapisarda, trained at the beginning of his career in a two Michelin star restaurant Le Moulin de Mougins in the kitchen of Roger Verge then passing through the school of Mauro Uliassi and an internship in the 3 Michelin star restaurant of Marten Berasategui in Spain in San Sebastian, winner of the San Pellegrino Young Chef for Italy. In short, one that we will hear about in the future.
