On the doorstep of a long weekend in the Piedmont region, we drove to Torino for one evening to see a new city, even if it was a bit worse for wear, and try the famed Al Gatto Negro restaurant. Al Gatto Negro was known for having a couple Michelin stars but then lost them due to a shift towards haute cuisine. While we had a very nice evening and dinner, I don’t think it had the hair blowing back effect of a star.
The restaurant has no signage aside from this kitty in the window.
We were quite early to the restaurant that we opened the place around 19:30. The tables were elegantly set with white cloths and Venetian glassware.
We enjoyed a VERY nice bottle of Barolo that amusingly the Italian granny of a server we had also tucked into with us. I’ve never experienced staff pouring a whole glass for themselves, but sharing is caring. To accompany we had the house appetizer, an essentially a well-plated eggplant parmesan which was nice but not life changing. Also, we really enjoyed the chipped prosciutto. I’d never had it cut like this and wow, wow, wow, it was incredible- chewy, fatty, salty- the perfect bite with a glass of red. Hair blown back.
We were set on a couple starters and pasta- of which we went for the pasta with a slowly cooked beef sauce. It was good and the pasta was cooked absolutely perfectly which made it most enjoyable. The flavor itself wasn’t something so different.
We also enjoyed the spaghetti amatriciana with anchovies- another house specialty. A deeper, richer flavor over perfectly cooked al dente pasta.
Just when I thought we were ready to leave, I went to the ladies to return to another glass of wine and a gentleman who’d gone ahead and ordered another courses. He selected the cuttlefish- not my favorite…
…and a life changing, perfectly tender slab of thick-cut veal. Wow.
Of course then, there my as well have been dessert and dessert wine…
We opted for zuccata, something my mom used to make for fancy dinner parties when we were kids. I was elated to see it on a menu for nostalgia’s sake. The gentleman, a chocolate fanatic, of course went that way as well. The whole bit was served with what can only be described as a sweet tortilla chip.
Overall, we had an excellent evening, lingering, sampling, laughing… It wasn’t an inexpensive meal, but the quality of the food and gorgeous setting made it worth the indulgence. This was probably a one time spot for us, but I’m glad to say we did it.