Il mese dei Porcini

It's a sad night when you forget your camera for a great dinner. Sounds silly but it's true. I've become one of those people who take pictures of dinner, shamelessly, at the dinner table. Ask those with whom we've dined.

So last night Stefano made reservations at a place he'd found online via www.ilmangelo.it, a handy restaurant review site for Milan and Rome. All we knew was that All'Osteria dei Vecchi Sapori was recommended as a great place for traditional tastes. We didn't know that it was in the throes of "Porcini Month." Or that last night was the final night of the month-long event. When we walked past the kitchen (visible from outside the restaurant) and saw a heaping pile of porcini mushrooms we were excited. When we saw the flyer pictured above, we were ecstatic.

Of course we both went for the "Il Mese dei Porcini" (Porcini Month) special menu. For those who don't speak Italian, go ahead and give it a read anyway. You'll be surprised by how many words are quite familiar... carpaccio, tortelli, polenta, vino, caffe. "Zigoiner" was a little difficult for us too.

The meal began with a great bottle of red wine and the antipasto: "Carpaccio di Porcini." The uncooked porcini mushrooms had been thinly sliced and lay under a drizzling of olive oil and lemon, with long thin slips of parmesan grated on top. There was a little pepper, a little salt and a lot of fresh throaty flavor.

The primo was "Tortelli Rustici Panna e Porcini" - tortelli with porcini mushrooms and cream. Wow. Just creamy enough. Just salty enough. With woodsy hints in each porcini.

(In dishes like this the Italians truly justify their light portion sizes; had you been served a giant plate of these magnificent tortelli with cream you'd need to be rolled out of the restaurant by a kind stranger upon finishing. But with a smaller plate, hosting a lesser serving, you're able to honor each tortelli with a slow and savored tasting. And when you're finished you've still room for the secondo.)

"Zigoiner di Manzo e Speck con Polenta Taragna e Porcini Trifolati" was the secondo. Basically, this was a delicious bed of soft polenta topped with porcini cooked in oil, garlic and parsley. The most interesting aspect, though, was the giant wooden rod wrapped in grilled meats that was laid across the plate. Think broom handle barbeque. Stefano removed the thin slices of beef and smoked ham from the stick (we'd observed the process other diners had employed) and piled it atop the polenta and porcini. The stick barely sat on the table for a moment before the server whisked it away. The polenta with porcini was wonderful and Stefano vouches for the supremacy of the meats - salty and savory.

At this point we were rather full but soldiered on to enjoy coffee, digestives (Limoncello for me, Sambuca for Stefano) and a selection of light cakes for dessert.

The meal was impeccable and a great opportunity to take advantage of what experts can do with porcini mushrooms. Two brothers who despite their striking similarities are not twins (I asked) run the restaurant and told us that next month will be "Il Mese dei Tartufi," aka Truffle Month.

I think you know where to find us.

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All'Osteria dei Vecchi Sapori
Via Carmagnola, 3
Milano
02.66 86 148
www.vecchisapori.it