Da Sacerno, among the best restaurants in Bologna, “Vegetables are not a side dish: they make the dish beautiful and delicious.”
Category: Hospitality & Gastronomy
“I have a deep connection with everything vegetal,” says Dario Picchiotti. “Whether a plant is sweet, sour, bitter, or balsamic when ripe, it always helps cleanse the palate, give a dish depth, and – why not – make it more beautiful.”
The chef, and his philosophy
Dario Picchiotti, born in 1980, with Tuscan roots and extraordinary verve, is a chef who has been very busy in and around Bologna. With a grandmother and great-grandmother who were both cooks, Picchiotti graduated from the hotel management school in Castel San Pietro Terme and boasts extensive experience in several important restaurants in the province. He is supported by his wife, Giada Berri, a waitress and expert sommelier who also holds the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne. The couple recently moved to the historic center of the city, leaving the Antica Trattoria di Sacerno, in the village of the same name in the Bologna countryside, and changing the name to Da Sacerno.
Picchiotti confesses: "I have 44 employees and sleep four hours a night; after all, in addition to Da Sacerno, I have to think about the food truck at Villa Cassarini park, the inn, and Casa Merlò. Now I feel like a chef who was trying to cook creatively and has repented. I've changed a lot in recent years and maybe I'll change even more.“ Continuing to talk about being a chef today, Dario says: ”I started out as a normal chef who opened a fish restaurant and wanted to make his mark, opening a window on the Bolognese fish scene that others didn't. When I opened, there were very few of us doing fish; because of my nature, I created a cuisine that people either liked or didn't like, then I brought a lot of people to Sacerno and the guides rewarded me, there in the middle of nowhere.
I found myself in the city center and realized that I wanted to create a place where people could come and not feel obligated to think, understand, or question, because that's what people are interested in, even if I want to continue making certain dishes. It's not a step backward. It no longer makes sense to be evaluated. Let's let the customers be the judges. Cooking should be an everyday pleasure. To live better and make my decades-long relationship with the restaurant business sustainable, I decided to switch to a slightly softer cuisine, with fish prepared in a more traditional way, but in my own style."
The relationship, with vegetables
In his new idea of itinerant cuisine, in his own unique way, Dario Picchiotti will never stop using cress, sprouts, and all those vegetables that help give a dish a twist, a decisive something extra that enhances its delicious nature: “I really like the relationship with everything vegetable, because whether it's a plant that is sweet or sour, bitter or balsamic when it's ripe, it's still something that helps to cleanse, to make the dish three-dimensional and – why not – even to make it more beautiful, since the eye always wants more.”
All this is evidenced by the dishes we recently tasted, which confirm the path towards a taste where, while the beauty of complexity is always present, it is the directness that prevails, bringing together even the most diverse palates. Starting with the bread, served with Algae Aventurine and Salty Fingers butter, which adds crunchiness and saltiness. Then there is the delicious cassone romagnolo accompanied by saraghine, squacquerone, and Rucola Cress with its spicy note to complete the dish.
The sea bass tartare with yogurt, Citra Leaves, char and herring roe is a successful interplay of contrasts between sweetness, savory flavors, and pleasant acidic notes. Picchiotti's interpretation of the crispy shrimp cocktail with Sansho Leaves is entertaining, with a sort of “electric” and citrusy effect that gives the dish lightness and freshness.
The combination of octopus and potatoes with Morar Shoots and the sweet and spicy notes typical of horseradish is delicious. The spaghetti with clams and parsley powder is extremely tasty and perfectly al dente.
The tuna ‘di corsa’ with eggplant nuggets, tomato gratin, and Yka Leaves is extremely succulent, with a precious hint of sourness. The meal ends on a sweet note with the excellent lemon meringue with strawberries and cream and the slight spiciness of Bicolor Mustard Cress.
Fonte: Reporter Gourmet - Marco Colognese
