In Grottammare there is a restaurant that embellishes the offerings of the Piceno area. Today, Attico sul mare is a fine dining of great elegance, and chef Tommaso Melzi's menu represents a mature gastronomic expression of territorial cuisine with a contemporary twist.
The restaurant
The ancient village of Grottammare, overlooking the sea, is one of Italy's most beautiful towns, and since a Pope, Sixtus V, established himself here in the 1500s, it has become home to sculptors, architects, writers and poets. In the lower part of the town, at the center of its waterfront, there is a restaurant with a terrace that tells of the flavors of the Adriatic with great elegance.
From Porto S. Giorgio to Pescara, according to the Michelin Guide, and except for a couple of mentions, there is not a single restaurant worth a gastronomic stop. In my opinion, however, there is a restaurant in Grottammare, in a spacious penthouse floor that looks elegantly at the beach in front of it, that embellishes the offerings of the Piceno area.
We are on the border with San Benedetto del Tronto, and the village we are talking about, in its historic heart that is spread over the hills, has been declared one of the most beautiful in Italy. Grottammare, is called the "Pearl of the Adriatic." Golden beach, pedestrian and cilcabile promenade, tourism and quality vacations if you are looking for beauty without too much confusion. Within this framework, Sara and Simone Marconi have over time increasingly established their fine dining project.
Today, Attico sul Mare is a fine dining establishment of great elegance, and the cuisine of chef Tommaso Melzi, who has been working with the Marconi's for sixteen years, is this year and more than ever a mature gastronomic expression of a territorial cuisine with a contemporary twist.
The entrance to the restaurant begins at the base of the tower of the Kursaal Palace in Grottammare, once inside, clients can take a reserved elevator with aluminum sliding doors, the ones that, when they open, leave you facing the evidence of a penthouse overlooking the sea. The one-room setting is really large and modulated in space by items of furniture that are never out of context, such as a grand piano and service passes, the tables are wide and the seating spacious, with a classic mise en place on a white tablecloth.
The entire room is lined on its long side with large windows overlooking the sea, and in the summer season a portion of the tables can also be set outside. Like all self-respecting attics, there is a super penthouse and the open-air terrace located on the upper floor, accessible by an external staircase, which becomes an exclusive space for small events or private dinners. In a context of luminous elegance, Sara Marconi is the femininity that returns color to things. An "atypical" sommelier as she likes to call herself, she guides whoever sits at the table toward ever-changing, cuisine-centered wine pairing paths, from Burgundy to Etna through Marche region.
Simone on his side is an affable host and also proves to be a faithful guardian of the gastronomic traditions received as a dowry from his family. He smiles, welcomes, tells about Chef Tommaso's cooking and never leaves anything out of chance. He likes to think that the form, in the relationship with his guests, is made of healthy trust and kindness.
The dishes
Attico sul Mare's menu includes (also) tasting itineraries, from a 9 courses menu that ranges between sea and land at €90 and a short version of 5 courses with only seafood elements at €65. Finally, there is a path focusing on the great classics of seafood cuisine of 6 courses at 70€ ranging from the Warm seafood salad to the Turbot with potatoes, olives and cherry tomatoes, then closing with dessert. As mentioned, there is possibility of wine pairing, but it is completely under Sara's care and you can design it with her by choosing three glasses, including some from a selection at the Coravin. I ate à la carte and savoured an amuse bouche on which towered a taco with roasted artichoke and salted ricotta, the Warm Seafood Salad was an appetizer recaptured from memory.
The plateau is a crudo displayed for the entire table consisting of shrimp, squid, cuttlefish and prawns, which is then cooked in a steamer for the time of an hourglass turned upside down at the table. Olive oil and orange Biondo Piceno mesclun, to season a dish now almost impossible to find, as a tribute to the sea in its purity. Also good was the Mackerel with laurel mayonnaise, a dish devoted to one of the area's signature products, which is precisely laurel.
When the time arrived for the first courses, I ranged between a Cavatello with quintessential seafood flavor and some Tortellini stuffed with ciauscolo, Savoy cabbage and Sibillini red apple. The cavatelli are whisked with a fish soup concentrate (brodetto) that pushes hard on the intensity of taste, accompanied by a tartare of langoustine that softens the savoriness of the dish. The ciauscolo tortellini to follow are a balanced and mouthwatering flavor explosion. In this dish the main taste components range from the sweetness of the ciauscolo to the controlled acidity of the apple, making the end result in the mouth first satisfying and then neat and lingering.
The Head to Tail Turbot is the second dish of choice. It is served with its mayonnaise and some turbot cracklings to accompany a slice cooked on the grill. Noble raw material from soft and juicy meat, essential to support the vegetable side in the work of balance with the stock. Tasty without reserves. Also because the cucumber granita on Italian-style meringue with capers and lime to follow, is really a wave of freshness.
To conclude, the fluffy Yogurt with pear ice cream, muesli, blueberries and salted caramel feels like an international breakfast that takes you back in time. Homemade sour yogurt of a great standard, controlling the sugars in a dessert that is satisfying and not overpowering. The beverage was constant, ongoing fun. If Tommaso Melzi's cooking convinces, the wine list conquers and proves to be one of the best around. Centered on the cuisine, refined in its selections, broad in its selection and masterfully converted into wine glasses by Sara.
The value for money is undisputed. The sea in front, the elegance around and the welcome of a family that believes in the value of its origins, are the added value of this restaurant. A piano, smiles and the white table of a cuisine that in the dishes knows how to make you feel as exclusive as fulfilled, in the flavors of the Adriatic, as the measure of an experience that is worth the stop.
Contacts
Attico sul Mare
Piazza Kursaal 6
63064 Grottammare AP
Phone +39 0735 73 63 94
E-mail address info@atticosulmare.it
