Gianfranco Vissani opens a Roman coté: in Piazza San Pantaleo, once also known as “de Petracarolis“, due to the presence nearby of one of those stones on which the fish market was held, owned by a merchant named Carolus (as if to say a secular predestination) the great Chef of Baschi realizes a project he had in mind for time: a smart restaurant "Your Vissani". No starred cuisine, no high prices but a quality prososta, essentially aimed at a younger target if not of age of tastes, made up of revisited traditional dishes, tapas, salads, sandwiches, signature sandwiches, of course, and quick service.
It will be the proximity to the irreverent talking statue of Pasquino, where papal Rome posted messages at night that made fun of the powerful - a stone's throw from Piazza Navona and Campo de' Fiori, but even if Vissani is keen to point out that with this choice intends to be a polemical response to the decision of the Michelin Guide which has downgraded it from two to one star (but it's a sin to think badly ... but often one guesses, Andreotti said) what is certain is that at a time when all the media attention is aimed at high quality cuisine Vissani, going against the tide as always, lowers the bar not of quality but of the concept of catering.
No starred aspirations therefore for the San Pantaleo restaurant but a restaurant that intends to demonstrate that quality and low cost are two concepts that can coexist to everyone's satisfaction. The Umbrian Chef's new bet is the realization of an idea that has always been whirling in his head, to bring the general public closer together, who cannot afford the muffled atmosphere of a starred restaurant with several zeros, good quality cuisine, a “democratic cuisine”. He tried it years ago with the "L'altro Vissani" project with "democratic menus" that were supposed to conquer important squares such as Capri, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Orvieto and Rome in the Spanish Steps. But the thing was abandoned over time and the other Vissani never even opened its doors in Rome.
With the stubbornness that distinguishes him, known to all, the great Chef presents himself in Rome together with his son Luca in the spaces that until a few weeks ago housed the "Pantaleo Food Wine Mixology" with a gourmet-popular proposal, in an area with a high of nightlife and tourism, which wants to demonstrate that one can be democratic in the kitchen by focusing on freshness, imagination, selected raw materials, at prices accessible to the pockets of most.
The philosophy that underlies "Tuo Vissani" is that - says the Chef - of involving everyone, young people and adults, always offering the best on the market". Practically a continuous cycle throughout the day, from the morning brunch to the dinner called #VissaniSmart.
And for Sunday there is "InFamily": "Sunday Brunch"
“ If we don't go back to our origins, we're screwed – Vissani declared years ago in an interview – The more I travel the world, the more I get scared when I start thinking that everything is becoming the same. Even in my industry, cooks have flattened out. Now I understand that if you don't have a tradition and a raw material, you have to invent something. But we don't. We have everything we need, and at hand. And people noticed it."
Democratic cuisine to be precise.
