Gennaro Esposito voices his philosophy with one of his loyalists, Francesco Potenza, the hotel's executive chef who has managed to create a solid link between Naples and Milan.
Photo credits: Lombardia Secrets, Garofalo
The hotel
Nearly two centuries of history make the Grand Hotel et de Milan an icon of Italian hôtellerie. Founded in 1863, the five-star hotel has over time become the home of illustrious personalities attracted by the elegant, intimate and aristocratic charm that still characterizes the aristocratic palace that has been managed for three generations by the Bertazzoni family.
The history of the Grand Hotel is also known beyond national borders, in fact it is not so rare to see tourists stopping in front of the large entrance to take a photograph of the hotel that for many years was also the home of maestro Giuseppe Verdi, who composed many of his operas within these walls.
A hotel that defies today's modern, contemporary accommodations while remaining anchored in that concept of an aristocratic home that stops time thanks to the fabrics, artwork and antique furniture found in the 95 rooms (including 23 suites and junior suites) available . Nineteenth-century period details lend unusual beauty to the different rooms, each furnished with a unique mix of paintings and objects that is never repeated; a countertrend to the standardization of most hotels, often including luxury hotels.
The gastronomic proposal
In 2023, the Grand Hotel et de Milan decided to revolutionize its in-house culinary offerings, and in doing so, it turned to one of the most emblazoned names in our gastronomic hemisphere: Gennaro Esposito. With two Michelin stars crowning his work at the Torre del Saracino restaurant in Vico Equense for years, the chef from Campania has been good at bringing the same values - which can be summarized as respect for tradition and memory of taste - to the luxurious surroundings of the Milanese hotel. September 2023 saw the opening of the doors of the Caruso Nuovo Bistrot, a concrete and fun sign that celebrates the Naples-Milan alliance in dishes such as Tortello ripieno di bufala con asparagi bianchi di Bassano, provolone del monaco Dop and orange sauce or Esposito's signature including the Minestra di pasta mista con pesce di scoglio.
Standing in for Gennaro we always find a Campania doc, Francesco Potenza, a brilliant chef who has settled perfectly into the timeless reality of the Grand Hotel. So a year after the opening of the bistro, the gastronomic project has expanded to Don Carlos (the property's gourmet restaurant) as well, again under Potenza's steadfast leadership. “Entering the Grand Hotel et de Milan was quite a challenge considering the history of the hotel ,” says the chef from Campania. ” A stimulating challenge that requires continuous effort in terms of research and constancy, but if you can understand the clientele and channel the right mood, then everything is easier. On the menu are several nods to Giuseppe Verdi, who in his long stay at the Milanese hotel amply revealed his culinary tastes. For example, the menu is divided into acts in honor of the composer, to whom a six-course tasting menu (at a cost of €120) is also dedicated.
The dishes
The concept of the Don Carlos is in line with the hotel's philosophy. Indeed, the goal is to recreate an aristocratic salon-not by chance to enter you ring the bell-where as soon as you cross the threshold you seem to be swallowed up in another era. A room where the décor, characterized by forest green and deep red tones, encourages discreet intimacy. In the background, the musical works of Giuseppe Verdi enliven the atmosphere as do the dishes that creno that trait d'union between Milan and Naples, between tradition and contemporaneity, with a wine list that includes more than 400 labels.
The beginning is in the sign of the vegetable, with a Cauliflower cooked in milk and seared over embers, laid on a base of salted caramel and finished with aromatic herb oil and Castelmagno cheese. A beautiful processing that favors the umami notes that enhance the dish. It continues in the green sign with Vespri Siciliani - in homage to one of Verdi's symphonies -, where a barbecued Artichoke with milk and lemongrass emulsion, mint and licorice takes center stage. “We value vegetables so much both for a health reason and to restore that concept of the aristocracy of the tables of yesteryear that were set with vegetables,” comments Francesco Potenza.
In the last appetizer, it is game that takes center stage with a double-serving Duck. The first is in finger food version: a toasted brioche bun that welcomes persuasive livers of the animal muffled by tangerine zest, homemade duck speck, Taggiasche olives and chicory. An incipit that introduces the Marinated and seared Duck Breast, cauliflower cream and mandarin compote. A minimal course in which we play between the sweetness of the duck and the acid note of the fruit.
Vegetables are back in vogue with Minestrone composed of cream of cannelli beans, sweet and sour and smoked vegetables and consommé of cassoeula; an original idea that meets one of Milan's most lovable traditions. The second first course is a homemade Fregola with toscanelli green beans, glasswort, urchins and scampi in both raw and smoked versions. Here we find the true Campanian essence of the chef exalted between the essentiality of the cooking and the well interpreted iodine flavors.
The savory part of the dinner ends with a very tasty Quail stuffed with sausage and fifth quarter, dandelion and pumpkin cream. The tenderness of the meat is textbook, as is the delicious side that recalls one of Verdi's habits, who used to end the meal with a Quail Egg, in this case mellowed with Bernese sauce and black truffle.
Recalling the deliciousness of the Quaglia is the Dark Chocolate Brownie with blueberries, chocolate pasta sheet, chocolate and blueberry cream sauce , and a sorbet also of the purple fruit. A dessert that confirms the profound culinary resourcefulness of Francesco Potenza, the chef who has best interpreted the elegance and historicity of the Grand Hotel et de Milan.
Contact
Don Carlos
Grand Hotel et de Milan - Member of The Leading Hotels of the World
Via Alessandro Manzoni, 29, 20121 Milan MI
Phone: 02 7231 4640
