A cuisine of absolute goodness, with a precise vision of taste and an unbridled attention to detail, even on the wait staff front: between totally expressed cooking and customer interaction, the “Capitaneo phenomenon.”
The Story
It is an important professional story, that of brothers Remo and Mario Capitaneo. They arrived in Milan from Puglia while still very young: the Milanese metropolis is their starting point - and arrival point - as far as they are concerned today, on the road to high-end catering, a path they will not abandon throughout their professional lives.
Remo, now eighteen years old, joined Trussardi alla Scala at the time of Andrea Berton, in 2009 he was at Enrico Crippa's in Alba, and a year later began what would be a very long collaboration with Enrico Bartolini, first at Devero and then at Mudec, where in 2019 the third Michelin star returns to the city. Mario also worked with Berton, then at Cracco Peck, until he found himself alongside his brother, with the chef who has the record number of stars in Italy.
The beauty of Verso lies in its di-versity, first and foremost in the sharp break between the hustle and bustle of Piazza Duomo and the muffled tranquility of the halls, far, however, from those rarefied, congealed and formal atmospheres to which a certain fine dining has accustomed us. So here are the three beautiful chef's tables, where it is worth settling in to enjoy the spectacle of truly live cooking, a large table of 10 that can be broken down into three, and the private dining room: in all, the maximum number of guests reaches 26.
The restaurant
Remo tells us, "The project was born out of a desire to do something totally different from what we were doing. After 10 years with Enrico, where we breathed the splendor of a thousand stars of a super organization, we wanted to do something where we put ourselves at the forefront." Many predicted it would be another restaurant from the traditional pattern: a few tables, long tablecloths, separate kitchen. But it wasn't.
“We came up with it during the pandemic, there was social distancing and you couldn't stay close: when we presented it to a few entrepreneurs, a lot of them called us crazy, saying 'this stuff can't work.' We spent a year looking for locations and partners: also quite demotivating, because you would talk to people who didn't understand that a gourmet restaurant has costs and investments to be made at the beginning. Naturally, they would balk. Instead, in the end we found a partner who gave us carte blanche on everything and came from a completely different world, because they don't do fine dining or niche catering “ Evidently, however, Remo and Mario were quite prepared: ”We came in with clear ideas, a detailed business plan, and all the investments to be made. What we've learned over time with Enrico Bartolini is that a restaurant is a business: those who make a profit at the end of the year, in addition to paying salaries and everything else they need, work. That's the basis of everything, so many people think that the restaurant is a game: it's not."
The two Michelin stars came together, "These are things you can't expect, because Michelin doesn't give you anything for free. We went there hoping 'maybe they'll give us a star,' then when they made the list of new ones and our name wasn't on it we thought of a pastry-type award. Instead, when they called us at the end, it was a thrill, because these are things that happen with the dropper. So many people had told us 'Michelin doesn't like this style,' but we had the foresight to be very strict about how we wanted to be, and not let anyone influence us. We are like that, from the lettering to the choice of counters: we made them comfortable and with the necessary space. In Italy on certain things we are a bit firm. However, after the two stars, the international clientele has become very present, we happen to have days when we don't have Italian guests."
Verso is a name that encompasses many meanings, playing on the different nuances of the term: “Mario and I have very different characters and approaches, for example, he is more aesthetic and fashionable, he loves cars and motors, I have a great passion for vinyls and keep buying them, we are different a little bit in everything.” In fact this self-description can be understood by watching them work: one is more reserved, a kitchen nerd, the other more projected on the relationship. “But we go together toward the direction of working well, making excellent cuisine that meets the tastes of the guest, toward whom we work: the point has been this total openness, with a unique environment between the dining room and the kitchen.” Even on creativity there is a continuous exchange: “When we make dishes we never give each other roles, it may happen that I propose an idea, we taste together and it stays that way, or Mario intervenes with an ingredient. He often comes up with dishes inspired by art, which he is passionate about. In the kitchen, there are times when I'm more behind doing cooking and he's the frontman, explaining and plating, which is quite a wearing job, with all the lunches and dinners in front of guests; there's a not inconsiderable load of pressure and you always try to do things as precisely as possible.
All hot dishes come through his or my hands, cold ones we have very few. We are quite manic, last year we happened to get to the pass with a risotto that didn't go well; I went to the guest and said 'look, I'll let you taste something else and in the meantime I'll make it again,' he was astonished. In front you put yourself out there, and the idea with which Verso was born was just to lay everything bare, including mistakes. Because they happen, they are not always all roses, we always try to prevent them or in some situations we turn them into merits: the fact is that we don't have a back where to prepare first. What we are trying to do, between me, Mario and Marco in the dining room, is to do catering in a way that is far from the schemes of the big, super-labeled restaurants while still keeping a very high level of dishes and a wine list that is up to par." It goes without saying that the cuisine is of absolute goodness, with a precise vision of taste and an unbridled attention to detail, even on the front of the wait staff, with maître Marco Matta (formerly of Il Luogo di Aimo e Nadia, Mudec and Casa Perbellini), who has set a very 'French' wine list and with Italy focused on niche producers, 'necessary' labels aside: he is since recently helped by Valeria Biancini, who is in charge of sommellerie.
Raw materials, concreteness, a 'very cooked' cuisine with few cold assemblages, lots of things expressed, “Sometimes I realize that we make it difficult for ourselves to pull out the cooking at the last minute. We eliminated low-temperature and vacuum altogether, for a matter of succulence that we were lacking. We cook on the fly, which means you have to have a dedicated person who is familiar with it, especially during a service with a full restaurant."
The dishes
It is a journey that begins with the sweet sour undertones and a subtle bitter note of the Campari red turnip 'rose' with marinated sturgeon and caviar, elegant. Other brilliant creations follow, such as 'sage, amaranth, smoked cuttlefish and roe' and the succulent skewer with anchovy, corn and lard. Of great finesse is the oyster, served with Putignano black chickpea cream, chicory ice cream and salted caramel. The first bread service includes white honey butter and black charcoal butter as accompaniments. Scallop, black cabbage, marinated persimmon and porcini mushrooms proves to be a small masterpiece of overlapping, between assonant textures. The green pepper marinated hare, with langoustine roe and mustard seeds, is stupendous.
Not to be outdone is the richness of the veal sweetbread with coffee béarnaise sauce and sea urchin, a mouthwatering harmony. The cooking of the king crab spaghettoni with marasciuoli and finger lime is textbook, again an extremely enveloping dish. Conquering, bite after bite, are the pumpkin and almond ravioli with smoked eel and citrus roasted capon reduction.
Proof of mastery is the roasted mallard with bay leaf, charcoal Nolca olive, pomegranate sauce and hibiscus, which precedes the second bread service with the whole wheat sourdough with wheat flour, rye and 5-seed. The space for desserts is to be celebrated with the exquisite gianduiotto of peanut paste, kiwi, tarragon and long pepper and an excellent panettone soufflé executed with all the trimmings.
Main dessert is black truffle cream of milk with pistachio and radicchio ice cream, very good. As is the cream doughnut or the wonderful American potato and gianduja waffle; again, the salted caramel and popcorn ice cream lollipop, chocolate with saffron and gold risotto, and finally the eggnog and charcoal cooked pear and vanilla ice cream. Toward pure enjoyment.
Contact
Verso
P.za del Duomo, 21/second floor, 20121 Milan MI
Phone: 02 8975 0929
