Just over a month ago Palazzo Utini in Noceto, in the province of Parma, the tenth fine dining restaurant in Italy by multi-Michelin-starred chef Enrico Bartolini, opened its doors. In the kitchen, Roberto Monopoli interprets the creative and elegant culinary proposal that focuses on Emilia-Romagna's raw materials, with ample room for the vegetable world.
Photo in article by Alessandro Carra
Cover portrait of the chef by Guido Stazzoni
THE PALACE
A place with a real long history, landmark for years in the world of gastronomy, which today is returning to new life and splendor: Palazzo Utini, in the small town of Noceto, a few kilometers from Parma, has recently reopened its doors after an important and refined renovation and restoration work.
Taking it all the way was Alessandro Utini, owner and current president of the Consorzio del Prosciutto di Parma, who strongly wanted to invest in this venture by transforming the building into a 5-star boutique hotel, with 15 rooms/suites and a bistro. Above all, however, he aimed to give it a highly prestigious and recognizable culinary identity right from the start, calling in multi-starred chef Enrico Bartolini to bring his distinctive imprint to the kitchen.
The challenge? To open an upscale fine dining restaurant not only in a land devoted to tradition, no less than in the beating heart of the Food Valley, but to do so in a decentralized village about a twenty-minute drive from Parma. "We would like to create in Noceto a five-star oasis of taste and hospitality of excellence," was how they had summarized the intentions that moved this project; and so Chef Bartolini had expressed his idea, "establishments like this one in small towns of the Italian province, allow to enhance the territory and those who work there," stressing the importance of following its marked gastronomic personality, focusing on "exceptional producers and ingredients".
Not a detail is therefore left to chance, everything appears expertly calibrated and of a distinct sophistication that is, at the same time, welcoming and enveloping: the decor, the lighting, the spaces, the colors, to which is added a smiling and composed sense of hospitality.
THE CUISINE
That of Palazzo Utini is a creative and elegant proposal, where the stars of the dishes are local products and ample space is left for vegetables. The interpreter chosen by Enrico Bartolini is chef Roberto Monopoli, an Apulian by origin, precisely from Casamassima in the province of Bari, who brings to the preparations technique and skills to satisfy, first of all, the palate.
His wealth of experience has already earned him a Michelin star as executive chef at Cielo restaurant in Ostuni, as well as in Forte dei Marmi at Villa Grey. The time he spent with the Ducasse Group was the significant one for him in terms of forming a simple, Mediterranean style of cooking, the same he still follows, as well as in the flair for discipline and a way of working and organizing that showed him the way.
For Monopoli, arriving in Noceto was also a gamble, "when Enrico called me I had been looking for years for a place that would allow me to express myself and be more free. I arrived with a totally different idea of cuisine than the one I later developed, especially by virtue of the availability of ingredients. I discovered a culinary world marked by territorial excellence, from which I take inspiration without, however, replicating traditional dishes." Emilia Romagna, with its flavors and the different facets of a region that reaches from the mountains to the sea, passing through bodies of fresh water and plains, thus arrives on the menu, narrated by the flair and delicacy of Roberto Monopoli.
"When I created the menu, Enrico Bartolini left me carte blanche, of course after we discussed it. What I bring to the table is a concept cuisine, I love simplicity. I like that what I want to convey and explain is understood in the dish. Comprehensible preparations, made such by using a few ingredients balanced among themselves according to a precise logical thread and with a defined role: the accompanying ones are designed to enhance the main raw material."
THE DISHES
An a la carte choice and two tasting itineraries, "Soqquadro" of eight courses or " Cogli l'attimo" of seven, this last one "totally in the dark, with new and different dishes every day," for an experience that certainly leaves a mark, intrigues and entertains. You play to guess scents and elements, as with the "Candied tomatoes on 60-month Parmigiano Reggiano water and its flakes", where each tomato variety holds a different heart to be discovered; or in "Opssss! LA PIADINA," which offers a Piadina made with tarragon, Romagnola cow tartare, smoked eel, puffed quinoa, and PGI shallot compote; or with the original spiciness and savoriness of "Carota Bbq," golden Parma onion crumble and brewer's yeast sauce, which conceals a three-day-long realization: it is steamed, left to marinate for 30 hours, then regenerated and cooked on the grill.
Inevitable is the reference to Enrico Bartolini with the Risotto "E.VO" (Enrico in Evoluzione), that is, a very apt reinterpretation of his "Risotto with red turnips", proposed with Vignola cherries, walnuts, Parmigiano Reggiano and walnut essence to finish the dish at the service. Observing and tasting, one can clearly see how much the presence of vegetables is indeed evident and how local and regional raw materials play a prominent role.
"It was very tricky to find the right raw materials, I went looking for the trout farm in the mountains, the fine Scardovari oysters from the Po Delta. - highlights Monopoli - And also the PGI Parma Golden Onion, Cornigliese sheep, the Romagnola breed meat, Vignola PGI cherries and PGI shallots. These are some examples, not counting PDOs such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Prosciutto di Parma and so on in the really long list of excellences."
But if the cuisine is undoubtedly of a high standard, special mention must be made of the service that bears the name of Alessandra Veronesi, linked to Enrico Bartolini by a long-standing professional relationship. At Palazzo Utini, in the dual role of Restaurant Manager and Wine Director, she is the soul of attentive and spontaneous hospitality.
She is credited for structuring the remarkable selection of more than 400 labels that make up the cellar, supported by the brilliant intervention of Sebastien Ferrara, Restaurant Manager and Wine Director of Enrico Bartolini's restaurant at MUDEC. Finally, joining her in the dining room with empathy and undoubted technical and sensory knowledge was Cristina Pinciaroli, in the role of Head Sommelière.
CONTACTS
Palazzo Utini
Via Gramsci, 6 Noceto (PR) – 43015
Phone: +39 0521 1521001
