Emanuele Cozzo takes the lead at Bistrot 64, changing its style and approach with sustainable, bold, and lively dishes. One standout? Cacio e pepe served as a pastry.
Photo by Andrea Di Lorenzo
The story
I'll begin this restaurant’s tale from the end. From a small pastry that surprises you, quintessentially Roman but still elegant, spicy, deep, and mysterious like the most delightful dinner guest at a round table. I've chosen to introduce Bistrot 64 from the tail end of its tasting journey, from three rings of short pasta enveloped in the matte white of pecorino and Rome's most unconventional pepper cream. Yes, you read it right; in this restaurant, Cacio e Pepe is served as the final course, after dessert, alongside the amaro, before the last coffee.
The choice might catch you off guard. Whether you agree or not, it remains a bold and distinctive statement. Bistrot 64 has character, always has, since that June 10 years ago when it first lit its stoves. Truth be told, the project originated in November 2012 from an idea by Emanuele Cozzo (CEO), officially opening to the public the following summer.
The idea was to create a bistro with good food, using Italian products and accessible to everyone. A project that proved successful from the start, rapidly earning a Michelin Star in 2016. Over the years, there have been ups and downs, and now, 10 years later, Emanuele Cozzo, the creator, owner, and manager of Bistrot 64 from 2013 to 2020, is back at the forefront of the project.
Alongside him in the kitchen is the young and talented Giacomo Zezza, former Sous Chef of the Bistrot, who, after the departure of Chef and partner Noda Kotaro, now takes a front-row role as Executive Chef. In the dining room, as maître and sommelier, we find Nicola Bacalu, also a longtime right-hand man to Emanuele.
"A good restaurateur must be in constant motion, exploring the world to track styles and taste trends. This allows you to stimulate creativity, develop new ideas in line with the times," Emanuele tells me, happy and satisfied with the new direction his restaurant is taking.
In just a few months, Emanuele has transformed the appearance of the venue on Via Guglielmo Calderini, both in the design of the spaces and in the food and wine offering. About 30 covers are distributed between the counter and marble tables. Around, plenty of wood, greenery, and warmth in a minimalistic style that aims to give voice to the dishes and service, managed with obsessive precision by Nicola and Emanuele. The wine list is in development, accompanied by a small selection of Twist on Classic cocktails, fresh and mineral, made with flair and playfulness, devised by Nicola.
The playfulness extends to the kitchen with young and contemporary dishes, informal and lively. Plenty of technique and taste are present from appetizers to desserts, in a dynamic balance between spiciness and sweetness. The menu changes with each season, focusing on three offering for appetizers, first courses, main courses, and desserts, complemented by two tasting menus - "Evolution," with 5 courses at 70 euros, and "Innovation," with 8 courses at 95 euros, beverages excluded.
The dishes
One sip is enough to understand the new direction of Bistrot 64. Nicola Bacalu has been experimenting with a fresh and mineral cocktail menu for a few weeks, playing with the classics. Must-tries include the Old Fashioned, where plum acidity is added to the whiskey, or the Negroni, which combines the classic gin with the fresh and mineral burst of double-fermented strawberry grape wine. All strictly homemade. The alcoholic note is softened by a battery of finger foods that invade the beautiful white marble table. To be eaten strictly by hand is the 100% vegetable pair of carrots, and then a cube of vegan almond-based cheese, and grilled watermelon, incredible in texture, up to the technical and delicious explosion of eggplant.
The warm bread to be dipped in pungent Canino olive oil serves as a prelude to the tasting menu. The first course is entirely vegetable, a tribute to the current season and its most iconic vegetable: pumpkin. On one side, it is whole, roasted, veiled by its toasted seeds; on the other, it is in a delicate flan, alternated with slices of creamy potatoes. It seems like a lot, but there's more: a pumpkin kombucha vial, acidic and straight to the palate, cleanses every bite, preparing for the next. More Roman is the second tasting: Thornback ray, anchovies, and broccoli kimchi. There's the sweetness of barbecue-glazed skate skewer Japanese style, the savory goodness of anchovy mayonnaise, and then the more acidic and spicy note of Roman broccoli worked in the Korean style as if it were kimchi. A play of highs and lows between textures and flavors that travel to distant lands and then return to Rome.
Three forms of cuttlefish inside a Roman dumpling. The mollusk becomes a ragout, raw tagliatelle, and black sauce, reduced and flavorful, all around a block of semolina. Rome shines through in this first course with its vibrant robustness.
More classic and Italian is the Castelmagno Risotto. The extra touch? Black truffle, fresh and fermented, and points of ciauscolo di cuore (a type of salami) worked directly in the kitchen. Crispy, clear, wavy rice; autumnal, pungent, and always comforting flavors. As popular as it is elegant is the Glazed Tongue with artichokes, tomato, and licorice. A play of textures, reductions, vegetable bases. Layers of taste that enhance each other. Worthy of applause.
Sea and mountains in the Cod, ramen, mushrooms, and sumac. The last savory course is a beautiful embrace between Italy and Japan, between the Romanity of cod and the chicken broth, softened by the citrusy shades of sumac and softened by the richer notes of the mushroom. A fun cube of almond-based Cheese with candied orange anticipates the arrival of the dessert based on pear, peanuts, caramel, and yuzu between mousse, sorbets, sponges, and glossy sauces.
Coffee and small pastries? I'd say not. In true Bistrot 64 style, the Cacio e Pepe pasta arrives where the cream is balanced in savory and spicy notes thanks to the skillful use of a triad of citrusy peppers.
Address
Bistrot 64
Via Guglielmo Calderini, 64 – Rome
Tel. 06 3235531
info@bistrot64.it
Open from Monday to Saturday 6:30 – 10:30pm, Friday and Saturday from 12:30 to 3:00pm.
