The overwhelming majority of restaurants are on the ground floor (pianoterra in Italian), but only a small portion of them will have you lifting off into the stratosphere… At this cheeky bistro decorated by LAN studio (cerulean blue waxed concrete floors, embroidered table linen, Thonet chairs, architectural photography on the walls), the former private chef Rosa Vanina Pavone makes a point of catapulting her guests sky-high, with the help of some Sicilian flavor bombs… The other day at lunch, the explosive menu featured: an octopus salad with generous amounts of oil, cherry tomatoes, crisp carrots and flat-leaf parsley – or a divine caponata with eggplant and peppers, sanctified by a small steamed bonito fillet; then a generous pasta alla Norma, made with eggplant and tomato sauce, under a heap of grated oven-baked ricotta from Nanina; followed by a scoop of chocolate mousse made with olive oil from… Mount Etna, for a high-altitude dessert! // A.D.
FEELING THIRSTY? There’s a wine list the glorifies transalpine naturalism: a Venetian prosecco from Corvezzo (€7 a glass), a Piedmontese red from Ferdinando Principiano (€26 a bottle), a Sicilian white from Alessandro Viola (€55)…
PRICE: Menu €18 (lunch), à la carte €24-36.
