The nature of a master who has never played the game of predictability and the savoir-faire of a service deliberately suspended on the rope of empathy. In Parallels, Anthony Genovese creates a "mini restaurant with special status" that breaks down the barriers between guest and chef.
In theater, it's called the "fourth wall": an invisible barrier that separates the reality of the audience from the fiction of the stage, almost as if they were two parallel worlds. There's no show without that imaginary divide where the "daydream" of the performance begins. But when a character steps out of their role and speaks to the audience without the filters of the plot, that's when every barrier falls: freestyle or plot twist, for a moment the actor bridges the gap with the audience. Now, imagine if the same thing happened at a restaurant.
That's the effect of Parallels, the "secret dining" experience at Anthony Genovese's Il Pagliaccio, where the fourth wall between chef and guest magically evaporates from prologue to epilogue. At its core, a scaled-down room that stares directly into the adrenaline-fueled kitchen just a few meters away. Fourteen intimate acts for a maximum audience of six people seated at the same (and only) table, a fixed script handed out upon arrival, lights modulated from backstage, and hospitality deliberately suspended on the tightrope of empathy (because, as we know, improvisation is still part of the show).
At first glance, it may come across as another amusement for customers tired of gourmet extravagance. In reality, though, it's a "mini-venue with special status" that shatters the bubble of tasting in its entirety, making it at times more relaxed and mutable, at times more intimate, along the smooth path of autobiography. Because beyond the array of signature dishes, blind tastings, or mandatory finger foods, often the genesis of a dish stirs the senses to the core. And it creates deep connections that instinct fails to foresee.
The Parallels experience
No, here the menu doesn't resemble the typical pre-printed script; you won't slide into the boredom of a baroque amuse-bouche or the revival of self-celebratory relics with 10 years of age. The uniqueness of Parallels lies entirely in the interaction: while Matteo Zappile is now known among the masters of all-round service (just think of the double award Michelin-Gambero Rosso for the best service in Italy 2022), it must be said that it is rare to find selections so focused on France, where the search for premium companies -283 Maison Champagne alone- meets halfway the "emotional" pairing.
It means that the team will read you like an x-ray even before you pick up the fork: on the field, the general manager of Il Pagliaccio, along with head sommelier Luca Belleggia, gradually gauges the mood of the table with an espresso drink or an aged cider, surprising with beers and blind tastings, while keeping the prominent names extracted from a cellar of 1850 labels.
In return, Anthony Genovese raises the stakes with a number of courses that are only seemingly reckless. The marathon proceeds steadily, from the palate-waking warm-up of the Pine Nut Wafer with pineapple, lentil dahl, and mango chutney to the endorphin rush towards the finish line (with the sprint of a warm waffle to be drowned in ricotta ice cream and sour cherries). A varied product links the extremes, highlighted as it shifts from the ecosystem to the restaurant system: it could be the mushroom found in the dewy woods in 10 opposite and complementary varieties; the apple that ends up in both a savory pastry and the seductive filling of the dessert and even in the "fluid state" glass; finally, it could be the generous length of the broths, Supports of a tasting experience that always has its liquid counterpart.
Getting into it? It depends on you. For those naturally curious, the format aligns with the nature of a chef who has never played the game of predictability. On the other hand, the Genovese mindset finds new footholds in Parallels: side dishes become small complete courses; sharpness and bitterness act like scalpels, cutting through any temporary roundness; vegetables often take on absolute value, challenging the opulence of protein. "Nothing is created and nothing is destroyed," someone would say, "but everything transforms" into something different from pure and simple immediate perception.
The dishes
In the secluded little room, the staff acts as Mercury, bridging the gap with the team, filtering the complexity of the journey into a handful of sharp sentences. The message comes across loud and clear from the outset, with a restyling of the "fruit jelly" that sees red turnip and mixed seeds combined, wrapped in oyster leaf (a coastal plant rich in iodine) for a briny splash without a hint of mollusk. The welcome gift arrives at its destination along with a winter mushroom broth that pushes umami onto the cheeks: "Champignon, porcini, honey mushrooms, morels; every time, a different piece of forest ends up in here." A pyrotechnic intro in just one minute.
"Movements, flows, and flavors" is the zabaglione missing from the roster of memories: salty, not sweet, breaking through the wall of sugary taste. At the top, whipped egg white, cooked and perfumed with curry, with the lively reinforcement of capers; underneath, cauliflower in its natural state, raw and tenacious, to stimulate the jaw; on top of it, the Iranian Osetra sturgeon caviar beckons the ocean with every tiny taste. A constant ping-pong, from the spicy side to the sulfurous one, to the whipping wave of fish eggs.
In the third round, Genovese demonstrates how the anticipation of dessert is itself the dessert: "Like a tarte tatin," he rewrites the well-known recipe from scratch, flipping the concept of the upside-down cake. The pastry? Super green, made of celery and potatoes, then garnished with oven-baked apples and another slice of mushrooms - this time in shavings - plus a strategic dusting of matcha tea. Each element in the mouth is a separate variable that stands out clearly, despite being in harmony with the rest. And in the end, you find yourself exploring a stretch of vertical biodiversity, from the tree's apples to the elements of the forest floor. The interactive part lies in the choice of accompanying creams, both on the side as a double option: crème fraiche or roasted lemons for a smoky addition.
At the opposite end of the food chain, the pigeon performs a triple acrobatics. Firstly smoked, with steamed abalone adorning its scallops; then, the liver à la maitre d'hôtel, made pungent by bitter herbs to rinse off the lingering hint of iron. Lastly, the thigh is treated at low temperature and then grilled, tightly knotted by a vine leaf, sealing in the juicy tissues. But it's the starters that score the winning goal. Imagine a mixed grill and a seafood pasta reunited on the same plate: if writing it down seems surreal, in Parallels it really happens.
At its core, a diverse array of animals - from cow to veal, from lamb to pork sausages - which the team roasts over an open flame, subsequently creating a broth capable of extracting their deep flavors (in our case, with the addition of ham fat as the opening act). Yes, indeed: it's precisely that broth that gently bathes the Trenette pasta with sea urchin paste, tossed in anemone sauce and garnished with sea urchin pulp and samphire. To close the aquatic parenthesis, an ethereal veil of raw squid. The effect is subtle yet penetrating: the succulence of the aromas in the "meat soup"; the savory kick of the sea urchin with its lightning-fast burst; the temperature rebound to tantalize the palate while capturing the double protein hit. Ingenious impulses filtered by a scientific methodology. Stop and go, out of time and into the city alleys: in "Rome, interlude" the chef updates the old file of broccoli and dogfish soup, with the live blending of Vialone Nano rice previously cooked in fish broth.
The result is a meticulously refined risotto, where the bitter herb caramel provides contrast and the lemon zest brightens the Roman scene. Once again, vegetables reign supreme with the Celery, Carrot, and Onion Sheets, where the pasta - rolled out thinly, flavored with the powder of the three ingredients, and filled with the same in creamy form - encapsulates tone on tone the fundamentals of gastronomy. A few drops of black garlic oil serve as a multiplier to an ambitious operation: bringing home cooking out of its comfort zone to display it in the spotlight. Genovese succeeds in transforming two basic elements that couldn't be more basic - broth and sautéed vegetables - into the unexpected "eat and drink," thanks to a bold vegetable dashi. The same boldness is found in the Turbot in two steps (baked and then pan-seared with butter and aromatics), sticking in memory for the lasting impression of the sea snail ragout and grated pecorino that flavors its tender meat: the City in Mediterranean sauce.
Too easy to bet on a classic beurre blanc; the one poured over brings together cubes of pear previously marinated in Sardinian water ("yes, it really comes from the island: it has unique nuances"), chasing the slightly salty and soft undertones. On the side, a slice of vacuum-sealed fennel scented with garlic; finally, lime in osmosis and clams sautéed with butter. When the side dish is practically a dish on its own, so intense as to stimulate salivation.
A moment of ease with the Partridge: the total use of the bird forks between the thigh, garnished with Perigord sauce, and the interior of a galette de rois, filled with foie gras and whole black truffle. The pleasure unraveled in a burst of slowly releasing fragrances.
Never lose irony along the way, as Genovese teaches. You can be methodical and witty without interruption, like the line drawn on the dessert plate to sketch the clown's smirk. The dessert is a Bow Tie standing on a base of lightly salted shortcrust pastry. Giving it richness is a dense cream with smoked Tahitian vanilla, invigorated by apple inserts. And in that sly smirk lies all the taste of a "to be continued."
Contacts
Il Pagliaccio
Via dei Banchi Vecchi, 129/a, 00186 Rome RM
Phone: 06 6880 9595
