Braci is Beppe De Vito’s new restaurant. And honestly, until the 16 seater was recently awarded its first star, I’ve never heard of the place…maybe in passing or in a review somewhere on the web or social media.
Let’s call this lunch an accidental discovery of something that can evolve beyond its superb settings coupled with great cooking and impeccable service. I walked out of the place with a sense of excitement from my meal..maybe bec. Beppe himself was behind the stove as well as facilitating the kitchen. I remember seeing Beppe the first time when Bice was probably the hottest table in town. He wasn’t in the kitchen but rather in the front of the house, impeccably suited up on the many evenings I’ve dined there.
Beppe himself brought over the bread and olive oil. It starts here, the bread is partially baked in Italy and finished in the restaurant’s Josper grill. Braci it turns out, means coal embers and this is used to bake this bread, which i apologize for forgetting the name. The olive oil is from Beppe’s father’s farm. I must emphasize the connection of the two items, simple as it may be it sets the tone and philosophy of this place. Unlike his other establishments, Aura and Osteria Art – both gorgeous places and delicious food in their own right, Braci is more personal, intimate and “naked”. It seems to bring the man back full circle, entertain, cook, serve and interact whereas his other places are more well run institutionalize restauarants.
Italian cuisine faces the challenge of elevating itself without losing its soul. Braci has straddled tradition, flavours, and innovation with aplomb.
The stars of the day were the amuse bottarga with wine jelly. Sadly, there is no photo of this as it was devoured without hesitation but with much thought and appreciation.
What I do have is a photo of is the superb beef tartare, where it no longer resembles a circular mass of raw meat tossed together with a half attempt to prettify it. No, Braci serves it in a cleaned out half bone shank where it was dressed with olive oil and salt, topped with capers and bone marrow spheres. This is the second time in several years where plating beef tartare was an art form in itself, the other being the dining room at Antica Corte Pallavicina Relais.
Another highlight would be the Italian red prawn crudo with fermented strawberry. Delicious but it could’ve done with a small hit of seas salt to give that contrast and highlight the crudo.
The main course was the aged duck where the duck breast is seared in the Josper grill. This was a much more straight forward dish and i appreciate that bec. It was just great classical cooking at its best. The plate used was a bit of a let down after the previous plating I received in the other dishes.
We dine out with a level of expectation and skepticism, and in the case of this town, there’s been more misses than hits and worse still, the Michelin star system has raised the bar and expectations for both diner and dining establishments.
Does Braci live up to the star? Yes. Wholeheartedly, I’d dare even state that if Beppe were to be there at full force, he deserves a second one..but that’s for another story..
thebearandhiscigar 