Nearly 30 years ago, Gabriele Baldereschi and Graziella Traverso opened a restaurant in the hills of Porto Cervo as complete self-taught chefs. Today they attract international food lovers along with the help of daughters Maura and Dialta, serving Italian classics executed with great ingredients served on the spot.
Frati Rossi
The Story
"We jumped in a bit just like that, on the prowl," jokes Gabriele Baldereschi in what is now considered a historic restaurant. The waters, after all, were those of the Costa Smeralda: hard to resist for him and his wife Graziella Traverso, who had also been long-tempted to change her life.
Gabriele, Tuscan of origin and a sales representative of carpentry equipment, and Graziella, a housewife from Liguria, had both moved to Sardinia with their respective families of origin, and after their marriage, their passion for cooking was born; they began organizing gourmet evenings in Cagliari with a group of friends, where Graziella's legendary gnocchi with pesto were all the rage. Up to the point of fantasizing about creating a place of their own one day, where they would serve the evergreens of Italian cuisine. Something on the borderline between a gamble and a dream, which instead turned into reality.
"It happened at one point that one of those friends, the late Gianni, who had become a real estate developer in Porto Cervo, called us and said, 'But didn't you want to open a restaurant? Look there's a nice place here, it's not even overly expensive." It was 1994, and with its view over the Gulf of Pevero, down to the island of Tavolara, was an immediate thunderbolt.
Born as a clubhouse of a resort on the hills of Pantogia, among the most beautiful terraces on the coast, it had gone through various managers without too much luck, perhaps because of that 1-kilometer climb among granite boulders and Mediterranean scrub, far from the main road. The rental costs, indeed, were not crazy high. So why not give it a try? Two perfectly self-taught cooks, the two rolled up their sleeves, Graziella as the cook in and Gabriele as the maître, with the idea of offering purely Italian cuisine, not always taken for granted in the area.
The restaurant
The restaurant didn’t have a name, until Graziella reminded Gabriele that in a dream a few years earlier she had christened her restaurant "Frati Rossi." According to initial plans, it was to be a simple trattoria. However, with time and the desire to do new things, fostered by an experienced and largely international clientele, things changed a bit.
The outdoor veranda was added to the cosy core of the initial clubhouse, then further expanded, air-conditioned and enclosed by windows overlooking the lush garden and the blue sea. So that today the seating capacity is about 70 in winter and up to 120 in summer, when the outdoor space with the scenic boes sculptures, illuminated at night, and the pool; the restaurant is open ten months a year, from January 6th (Epiphany) to the end of October.
The recipe collection is always that of the house, including raw fish, which was not used in the beginning, and courses such as the beloved ossobuco. Over time, Sardinian cuisine has won its place on the menu: there's lamb stew with olives and wild fennel; homemade malloreddus from Campidano with sausage ragù; trenette from Carloforte, in honor of the island of St. Peter, with tomato, clams, and bottarga; maccarones de busa, made with a piece of iron by a Barbagia artisan, seasoned Barbagia-style with tomato sauce, fresh pecorino cheese and pancetta; to sa cannacca, a typical sausage made by Lorenzo in Monastir, with remote Phoenician origins.
The area has a gastronomic tradition, which is perhaps not as strong as in other parts of the island, but its Ligurian and Tuscan influences could easily latch onto. And slowly the cuisine has evolved, losing its homemade imprint in favor of a rather classic proposal, which Gabriele labels a "comfort restaurant." Helping out the founders, who are increasingly the hosts, are their daughters Dialta and Maura, who can be both in the front of house for a friendly approach; Dalta is also the pastry chef. There is also son-in-law Michele, who takes care of the wine cellar, and the two chefs, Vito Pipitone and Samuele Pilia.
The wine list is substantial: it has more than 500 labels, with Sardinian wines as the main focus, but also with a significant number of Tuscan and Piedmonetse labels, as well as prestigious international ones: they are stored in a temperature controlled cellar. Also in great demand is the champagne selection, with such names as Cristal, Dom Pérignon, and Ruinart.
Gabriele is always in charge of the raw materials, managing suppliers he has been able to select over thirty years. And his eyes light up when he talks about the lobsters from Isola Rossa, the authentic Sardinian bottarga found in large, ingot-like pieces (known as baffe), the oil pressed exclusively for the restaurant from strictly Sardinian olives and the thorny artichokes from Valledoria.
The dishes
The menu is à-la-carte, with about forty proposals for an average bill of around 80 Euro. then there is the menu of daily extras, according to special arrivals. The Apennine truffle is present on the menu, and in the month February, it is the star of a "festival" and has its own dedicated menu. The pride of the house is the virtually last-minute preparations. "With us, there are no ready-made sauces and the aromas of the dishes change, it can’t be helped!"
Crudo. There's the first-rate shrimp and prawns marinated in seawater. There’s the fish tartare – with its the house recipe of micro capers, green pepper, very finely-chopped onion and a hint of spice, and the Imperialino, which consists of a tasting of carpaccio, tartare and marinated tuna. But there is also bison or beef tartare with capers and mustard, served with ribbons of sonnet root.
Alternatively, the Seafood Bouquet, a traditional appetizer consisting of bottarga salad, Catalan-style shrimp with cherry tomatoes, onion and chicory, and octopus with potatoes. Or the irresistible Fritturina with fried, stuffed anchovies that echoes Liguria.
Seasonal vegetables have their place on the menu, whether it's artichokes in a variety of preparations, Graziella's legendary gnocchi with pesto, a velvety Jerusalem artichoke soup with croutons or gnudi, a Tuscan nostalgia made with ricotta and spinach in butter and sage.
Among the first courses include homemade dry, fresh and stuffed pastas. For example, Eggless Bottarga Carbonara, with the creamy emulsion of the bottarga grated into extra virgin olive oil.
Or Squid-Ink Based Dishes: Squid Ink Tagliatelle with the squid itself, shrimp and cherry tomatoes, with a strong and spicy flavor. And the Ravioli stuffed with grouper and artichoke seasoned with truffle.
A signature dish is the Mediterranean-style Fillet of wild fish, made from giant specimens, weighing 3-4 kilos, that arrive from Cabras, often laden with roe. Where the fish is served in a stew with caper berries (known as cucunci), potatoes, olives and semi-dried cherry tomatoes.
Among the desserts the signature are the Delizie, caramelized apples with Bourbon vanilla ice cream, offered in chaud-froid; but also going strong are the Crêpes Suzette with Grand Marnier and the three-chocolate symphony, the ricotta gelato with arbutus honey and brittle and the fresh fruit popsicles: of the latter, the Pear Williams served in its own grappa definitely stands out.
Address
I Frati Rossi
Via Paolino Azara, 07021 Pantogia SS
Tel: 0789 94395
