Antica Torre
A favorite Restaurant in the Langa.
ANTICA TORRE
Via Torino 8
12050 Barbaresco
Tel: 0173 - 63 51 70
Lunch: 12-2:30
Dinner 7pm-11
Closed Thursdays
This place features classic, typical Piemontese cooking.
Maurizio is the chef and his father, Cinto, taught him how to make "tajarin,"
the Piemontese version of tagliatelle.
"Dad" passed away some years ago, but he left his famous recipe to
his son Maurizio who carries on the family tradition.
There's a special room for making Tajarin.
While there's a machine to mix the flour and egg yolks (40
yolks, they say, per kilo of flour...that's the 'secret'), Maurizio follows in
Dad's footsteps, cutting each sheet of pasta by hand.
And he thinly slices each sheet of pasta with machine-like precision.
We try to dine here at least once while we're in Piemonte.
Here are some photos of a lovely little evening with friends in May of 2010.
We celebrated the birthday of JA-VA
(Giacomo, or Jack, Vacca)
Age 6
A little birthday gift..."Flipper."
Our group brought some older bottles and host Aldo Vacca assembled a nice set of
dusty bottles, in large format!
John Downing brought a 1980 Barbaresco from Aldo's "Produttori del
Barbaresco."
Wine Meister Eric Broege pours the "jug" of bubbly we brought from the
Valle d'Aosta...
The "Extra Brut". It's made entirely of the Prie Blanc grape and
is bottle fermented and matured for 16 months on the spent yeast. It has a
minimal dosage, with 1 or 2 grams of sugar buoyed by crisp acidity.
Chef Maurizio had made some salame...
The table was set, in the shadows of the antica torre.
Soon it was time to kick off the festivities at the table...
Tutti a tavola!
Carne Cruda.
Maurizio kept the wine flowing.
Duccio told everyone that his cousin's 2002 Cantina del Pino Barbaresco was
"the answer to 2002 Monfortino."
I wanted to know who was asking such a question
and if the wine was labeled "Cantina del MonforPino."
Well, there you go.
And despite reports of a disaster vintage and journalists "warning"
consumers to stay away from 2002s, this was a glorious bottle of wine.
So was the 2003.
MAVA (Mama Vacca), JAVA and DUVA (Duccio Vacca).
LA FAMIGLIA VA, a family on the go.
Simple.
So, we raised a glass to toast the MonforPino and JAVA and the Carne Cruda.
RAVA
(Renato Vacca, maker of MonforPino Barbaresco)
Michael Teer, famous Seattle wine mogul.
KeVino DeGarmissimo, famous Portland Wine Baron.
KeVino shows off one of his favorite jug wines.
Albino Rocca Barbaresco, 2004 Brich Ronchi Riserva.
Maurizio was quick to offer seconds to anybody with a "clean plate."
And so he was Johnny-on-the-Spot when Mister Rizzo's plate was empty.
Jeff Chilcott pours a splash of Nebbiolo...he spends his days laboring at the
estate of the Marchesi di Gresy.
RAVA explains the notion of Piemontese Sashimi,
Carne Cruda.
Signor Rocca and Eric Broege.
Barney Rubble and Floribeth.
Comparing Barbaresco and Barbareschissimo.
Now it was time for some Piemontese Soba...
...or Udon?
"Donna, would you like to have some tajarin?"
"Be still my heart! I could eat a platter of Maurizio's
tajarin!"
Caroline is a fan, as well.
"I'll have Eric's portion, too."
This plate is, in fact, a real Italian work of art.
More good wine was on the horizon.
Jeff poured "the competition's" Barbaresco...
I think it was a 2000 vintage of Rabaja.
Duccio, meanwhile, was filling up glasses with 1997 Marchesi di Gresy "Martinenga"
Barbaresco.
Maurizio soon returned to the table with another round of
tajarin.
Angelo Rocca then poured his 2004 Brich Ronchi Barbaresco.
And then Renato serenaded the group with his rendition of Mambo Ovello.
And Donna complimented Renato on his singing, which got her another glass of
wine.
A couple of winemakers were checking to see who was having a
better "time."
And it was just about at the same time.
Then they checked their watches against the Antica Torre.
A hair past a freckle...
All we knew was it was time for the Gallina...and we're not
talking Barbaresco.
"Don't stop!"
To accompany the gallina, they served 3 different
sauces...
Check that...
Make that four sauces...this one is a 1990 Produttori del Barbaresco
"Riserva."
Meanwhile....we had an Antica Torre...
And a new moon.
Jeff started to recite poetry...
...waxing poetic and singing the praises of Barbaresco.
Doppio Duccio!
A double magnum of 1982 Produttori del Barbaresco...the final bottle from the
cellar!
Thanks to the Magnanimous DU-VA!
I didn't see anybody "pass" on this bottle, either.
Eric mentioned how much "better" the wine would have been had they
given it a couple of years in brand new French oak barriques.
You can actually see what the term "blew his mind" means in this
photo.
Renato was thinking "I wonder what this would have been like with a passaggio
in barrique."
The paparazzi were out!
Soon it was time for some bunet.
And then Eric put a corkscrew to a 1995 Cigliutti Barbaresco.
And Giacomo showed he could, indeed, blow out the candles!
We suspect he was wishing (like some of the rest of us) his father had brought
two double magnums of Barbaresco!!
Eric then checked out the 1979 Oddero Barbaresco.
Inside, RAVA was at the bar...
When we saw this, we knew it was time to mosey on down the
road...
And, so we did!
Many thanks to the Barbaresco folks who hosted this wonderful evening and to
Maurizio and TEAM ANTICA TORRE for doing such a wonderful job with the vittles!
If you're visiting the Langhe region and are near Barbaresco, go have a meal at
Antica Torre and don't forget to order the tajarin!
Duccio organized another stellar evening with the gang at
Antica Torre on a warm spring evening in 2011.
Maurizio and one of his sons was there to greet us...
The Menu:
Maurizio's brother, who works in the cellar of a little local
cellar in town with the name "Gaja," decants a bottle of a Marchesi di
Gresy Barbaresco.
1995 Gaiun Martinenga.
Maurizio's son shows off some of Dad's culinary artistry.
There was some homemade salame waiting for us.
We brought some bottles of white wines from our little foray
in Friuli.
Duccio was a bit surprised. You see, in his world, all wines are
"red."
Floribeth brought some reds.
The table was set and ready.
Some large bottles had been opened.
Some local celebrities gathered...
Angelo Rocca and Pietro Ratti.
John Rizzo, a famous photographer, hanging out with the winemaking Signor
Albarello.
Mathilde from Bardolino's famous Le Fraghe winery was sitting
near Mister Moscato, Paolo Saracco.
Then it was time for some Carne Cruda...
Saracco was saying "You know, these Nebbiolo wines are not bad."
Meanwhile, back in the kitchen, Maurizio was working on the sauce for the pasta.
Another of the chef's sons is checking up on dad.
Into the water for a quick minute, or so...
And then it's into a pan with a bit of sauce.
Then a bit of olive oil...
The famous Donna.
Amy was apparently responding to a question regarding the size of a corkscrew
for double magnums as compared to normal Albeisa bottles.
I think.
Renato said "Don't look at me..."
Mathilde was surprised by the quality of the wines.
"These Piemontese may have a future in the wine industry. Some of
their wines are pretty decent. Well, they're not Bardolino, of course, but
still...some are nice."
Meanwhile...
...According to the clock, it was time for the famous Agnello Sambucano.
And Duccio had another Agnello Sambucano...
Chef Maurizio continued to be busy...
Kevin de Garmo said he was interested to taste a good New
Zealand Barbaresco.
1995 Montestefano.
Finally the chef had a moment to enjoy a glass of Barbaresco.
I'm not sure what was in the food which caused such
laughter...
Time to open some Moscato, apparently.
Duccio had opened an elderly bottle of Barbaresco...a magnum
of 1974!
And soon the Paparazzi were out in full force and in a flash!
In the interest of quality control, one of Maurizio's kids
came out to test some of the wines.
So, to recap:
And so we concluded another wonderful evening with dear
friends, great wines and fantabulous Piemontese cooking!
Tante grazie a tutti chi hanno organizato tutto.
A la prossima...!!!
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