On the seventh and top floor of La Rinascente, Antonio Autiero enhances the flavors of his native land, catering to both traditional and new taste profiles, with a keen eye for plate aesthetics.
The Restaurant
It's rare that Silvia Sperduti and Michele Pepponi, owners - and life partners - of Enoteca La Torre Group, miss the mark. We saw it with the restaurant Villa Laetitia, which, with the duo of Rudy Travagli and chef Domenico Stile, rightfully earned two Michelin stars in 2023. But the Lungotevere delle Armi establishment isn't the only place where refined, Mediterranean, and sincere cuisine is showcased. If from the Della Vittoria neighborhood one moves to the Porta Pia quadrant at Piazza Fiume, the recently renovated building of La Rinascente - the well-known commercial brand born in 1961 - hosts on the top floor of its structure Enoteca La Torre Fiume, the realm of Antonio Autiero.
The chef from Torre del Greco spent years alongside Domenico Stile before having the opportunity, at the end of 2022, to be the leading figure in his own kitchen. An insight from the ownership that entrusted the Campanian chef with the contemporary spaces of the Roman terrace, allowing them to count not on one, but on two fine dining establishments in the city.
If during the day the restaurant is capable of changing its appearance, ranging from breakfast service to bistrot offerings during lunch, it's in the evening that Antonio Autiero knows he must change gear, drawing from his wealth of knowledge but above all from his love for his native land, which emerges clearly in almost every dish.
His call to origins is not redundant but is conveyed through a broader culinary vision, embracing both great classics and contemporary dishes where the taste stamp is always sharp, clear, and welcoming.
The Dishes
In the welcome amuse-bouche, the chef demonstrates great skill in bread-making, with mini bao buns with smoked tuna and spheres of cacio e pepe and pears served in a delightful mini-casket, with a special mention for the bread and its derivatives - including breadsticks - accompanied by a butter composed of almond scraps. To complete the entrance, a tasty fried polenta with horseradish cream and a nostalgic memory from the '80s, the shrimp cocktail with toasted brioche bread.
How can a true Campanian start his tasting menu if not with a carbohydrate? If it's then a Fried Raviolo with Genovese sauce - another mantra of Neapolitan tradition - and Castelmagno foam, the pleasure is tangible; moreover, despite the ingredients, the appetizer is elegantly buzzing. From the intensity of cheese and meat, we dive into the aesthetic beauty and concrete taste of Roasted Octopus with potato rösti and palamita mayonnaise with green oil sauce. To fully appreciate the mollusk's processing, Antonio Autiero recommends drinking the octopus consommé at the end of the meal, which brings the palate to gratifying iodized sensations.
Closing the antipasti round is the Artichoke cooked in the low-temperature oven wrapped in a crunchy (golden-colored) pasta and accompanied by smoked potato mousse and a powder of aromatic herbs. Fun, crunchy, and balanced, embellished with a small tribute to the tradition, this time from the Capital, of Roman artichoke served separately.
After an exciting start, the chef only halfway convinces with the Risotto with three shellfish and mazzancolla tartare. The pink shrimp bisque, mantis shrimp, and scampi are not as incisive as they should be, but they are compensated by a good preparation of the mazzancolla: the idea is there, but it requires a bit more daring. Antonio comes directly to the table to present his favorite dish - which will also become ours - the Pasta with 3 Vesuvio tomatoes, specifically the variants of San Marzano, Ramato, and Datterino that wrap around a pasta similar to fusilli but with a more sinuous and harmonious shape in welcoming the well-balanced sauce in acidity and completed by a topping of fake basil Parmesan (a product obtained from the use of maltodextrin and an oil obtained from a basil extraction).
From the tomato mantra, a deserved homage is paid to nouvelle cuisine with the Chateaubriand, cut on a sumptuous board directly in the dining room and accompanied by perfect béarnaise sauce. This an example of classicism to the nth power, and so we stay on topic: hats off.
If among desserts the food reinterpretation of the piña colada with smoked and caramelized pineapple and coconut mousse and cream is a fun one, the Cheesecake with 4 cheeses stands out, where the flavors of yogurt, Alpine cheese, and Philadelphia cream cheese emerge unopposed and satisfying.
Contacts
Enoteca La Torre Fiume
Piazza Fiume, 00198 Rome
Phone: +39 06 8400 9725
rinascentefiume@enotecalatorre.group
