The "gentle revolution" of a couple expanding their hospitality runway in Merano: with Steinach Townhouse, Andrea Fenoglio and Katalin Huff are creating a small circuit of interconnected realities-design hotel, Michelin 1-star gourmet and baking hotspot-where the guest is at the center and formality tout court disappears. From the delights of the stay to the convivial signature dinner, the story of the experience.
Photos of courses from the “SETTEPIATTI 5.0”menu : ©Ristorante Sissi, photography Marco Sartor
Photo of Chef Andrea Fenoglio, restaurant surroundings and Steinach Townhouse: ©Giovanni De Sandre
The story
1991, a budding chef-patron and a Merano still completely unaware of the exponential culinary function it would take on in the 2000s. Andrea Fenoglio was only 23 years old when he chose South Tyrol's second-largest town, an unusual junction between spa hotspot and Alpine resort, to open a restaurant named after the empress who, by regularly staying in the city, in her time decreed its dazzling entry into the European holiday plan. Thus was born “Sissi,” an insignia-outsider ready to topple the absolute formalisms of the gourmet litany to dòmino.
No waiters in suits, gone is the aristocratic mise en place, no silent games in half-empty rooms. Gone are the long-winded explanations about cerebral dishes (or sold as such), there is no dress code , and the team has only one possible mission: to provide the customer with the right portion of live entertainment. The plan works, because "Sissi" today is full even on weekdays, with Fenoglio himself parading among the tables to season the sacred ritual of the meal with irony - only motto, better to fill the environment with laughter than with mechanical gestures without a hint of spontaneity.
The venue has since changed and, with his wife Katalin Huff, the chef has expanded his hosting track, creating a mini-curcuit of interconnected realities. Leavened hedonism, then, finds easy ferment at 357 Pizza & Food, a little place centered on long-rising rounds, homegrown regional staples and mouthwatering desserts ad libitum - see the gelato mantecato espresso. If not, the couple's latest venture also invests hospitality to the fullest extent, to baste a decidedly peculiar sojourn experience in Merano land.
Pretend you are staying inside a nineteenth-century mansion with wooden doors in antique squiggles, where authentic pieces of vintage furniture populate every room from the lobby to the suites; breathe in deeply the fragrance of butter cookies and stuffed shortbread that invades the promenade anticipating the surprises of breakfast; listen to the talking history that inhabits the spaces-both the full and the empty-while waiting to greet newcomers with a century-old handshake (not at all faintly weakened by the weight of memories).
You have just arrived at Steinach Townhouse, where Katalin - responsible for the entire hospitality project - harmonizes the tone of voice with the succession of eras that chase each other within a few meters: a step, a flashback, up to the panoramic terrace from which to embrace the landscape with your gaze, already foretasting the moment of dinner at one of the “family” insignias (which we will return to in a few lines).
Steinach Townhouse: the new Merano hospitality retreat led by Katalin Huff and Andrea Fenoglio
If it were the usual ensemble of pseudo-typical Tyrolean furnishings, we would not be here writing about it. On the contrary, Steinach Townhouse has the iridescent charm of lived-in places, dense with details that spur the eye to scouting: on the outside, the mixed palette of chlorophyll and urban linden that makes the Steinach ward (hence the genesis of the name) a little Eden of holiday coolness; inside, 11 suites completely different from each other, capable of defying the usual depersonalized luxury with the allure of maturity.
Beyond the threshold, the green tiled corner, on the mold of retro home stoves, immediately stands out, while the common area warms the tones (and spirits) with soft lounge seating, designed to quench the thirst for drinks simply by extending a hand toward the well-stocked living cellar. It is in the rooms, however, that a time-lapse of objects flickers on the continuous tape of history (integrated into the present at the behest of the owners, Roger Botti and Giulia de Andreis of Monza, both designers): amarcord cameras with accompanying easel, antique mirrors and lamps, soft carpets contrasting with the original wooden floors and, sometimes (as happens in the Bow Window Suite), a sinuous spiral staircase that Sissi herself would not have resisted-celebrating her infatuation with the internal “secret passages” directed to the private apartments.
Is there something else missing? Yes, our favorite moment: the one when the relaxation of the night gives way to the brisk gestures of awakening. The pace gradually quickens, first peeking from the curtains at the view of the cathedral bell tower or Porta Passiria, then sitting at the tables of the breakfast lounge, silent witnesses to a journey that starts from afar; they were, in fact, salvaged for the occasion from none other than the 1930s first-class waiting room of Trento station.
The revival continues with the parade of pastries baked live by Barbara Ciulla, creator of a breakfast that is desuetive in its homemade matrix, from cookies with chocolate drippings to fluffy ricotta cupcakes to free-range omelets with speck and local cheeses. An honorable menu that follows Chef Fenoglio's lead, steering clear of anonymous prepackaged shortcuts.
The restaurant Sissi
Let us return, then, to the “mother house” from which it all began. Yes, because indulging in a walk at dusk to get to “Sissi” is the natural ending to a day at Steinach Townhouse - dinner as an extension of a human link that reinforces the dish. In the warmth of the filled room, Fenoglio becomes Andrea, the cook-friend inclined to reveal the stirring behind the recipe, the person behind the team, the rustic picture behind the wine.
And those who enter with reverential fear of the "macaron", the Michelin Star, slowly settle in, aided by the mixture of familiarity and good-natured glances dispensed by maître Arianna. Like the family-friendly routes that dot Merano, the chef's itineraries are accomplished with ease, articulated on a single level of enjoyment and not on a progressive escalation of difficulty.
There is the carte with immovable creations, claimed weekly by regulars (3 main dishes “medium size” and a dessert at €105); the Cinquepiatti menu with a vegetarian option, evolved but enticing even for the layman of green combos (5 “small size” creations at €115); and the complete Settepiatti tasting, with seasonal short-course and lasting mnemonic impact (€125 for “extra small” portions).
The dishes
Whatever the choice, the intro is the oil-on-board of Pizza Liquida, an ageless taste that reconciles the adult's impressions with the child's emphasis: a mozzarella cube suspended on a mini-beer mug filled ad hoc with extra virgin olive oil, tomato water, and suspended ethereal croutons. The leavening that changes state, an almost zero-bite Margherita boost. Drawing a slalom of overlapping textures is the Eggplant with Walnuts and Light Green Curry, where to replace the animal protein comes a meaty vegetable, taut outside and tender inside, interspersed with the satisfying crackle of dried fruit and rice wafers to garnish. Ignazio Niedrist's Sauvignon “Porphyr & Kalk” 2022 lends itself to the game supporting the spiciness with a light undertone that links the vegetable notes together.
Read “tartare ”and you think of the usual appetizer devoid of incisive aromatic turns. Fenoglio, on the other hand, socializes his beaten salmon trout with two new entries of extroverted disposition such as Vermouth and coffee- the one translated into sauce for the velvety bottom, the other added to the marinade as a pungent insert. An unexpected trio wallowing in fresh waters, between energetic currents and strategic pauses-see the garlic and green apple mayonnaise to caress the cheeks in closing.
Then, in the middle of the show, popcorn suddenly appears. Sous chef Jona lays it on the Orzotto with sweet and spicy peppers, mint, anchovy mayonnaise, and veal brown stock. Not the absolute mainstream comedy cereal; rather, the premium art-house movie snack: “It is, in fact, puffed pork rinds,” the chef clarifies, fueling curiosity. The result is an amalgamation of greedy reminiscences: as you eat, your mind instinctively races to chicken and romaine peppers, while the silkiness of the kernel evokes butter and anchovy risotto. Yet it is the pork popcorn that solves the equation between crunchy and enveloping, savory and round. To drink, Kalterersee Classico Superiore 'Quintessenz' from Kaltern Kaltern Winery, with its pleasant saline overture.
The focus on Spaghetto Omega 3, Sissi's first-signature with amiably fishy implications, is a must. Incubation time? “Nine months of tight rehearsals in the kitchen to find the right square." A true gastronomic birth that generates good vibes between cod liver and zucchini. In the knot of pasta there's the sharp breeze of sailing, the creaminess of post-boarding comfort dishes, the vegetable that goes from side dish to co-star: the race is all in a forkful. And in the end you're really eating seafood foie gras.
At the opposite end of the sensory scale, the Mosaic of leek, Nori seaweed, mashed potato and green algae speaks Japanese, an origami of umami elements designed to revive salivation after the sudden spike in fattiness of the previous course. More essential is the Saddle of venison cooked at a low temperature and served in a pistachio crust along with celeriac, with the soft fillet in blade-like favor.
The suspense returns a few minutes after the closing titles, thanks to the triumphant entry of the Red Turnip Ice Cream, Crispy Almond Horseradish and Caramel Apple Mousse: on paper a sugary injection, in the mouth a lash of digestive spiciness that makes even the request for bitter unnecessary.
Small chats with Andrea and Jona mark the meal in the database of across-the-board successful dinners. “We want the guest to come back often for pleasure, not to come once on a whim.” The difference between an attempt and an achievement: this is how haute cuisine advances, today, in Merano.
Contact
Steinach Townhouse
Haller Street, 21, 39012 Merano BZ
Phone: 0473 198 0000
