Since 1963, the Serva family has been pursuing a pioneering vision in Rivodutri, in the province of Rieti: transforming freshwater fish into haute cuisine. Today, with the third generation at the helm, La Trota continues to delight with menus that showcase the lake as a unique gastronomic ecosystem.
The story
It is no exaggeration to say that the small town of Rivodutri, in the province of Rieti, despite its 1,124 inhabitants, is known throughout most of Italy thanks to the Serva family. The restaurant, founded in 1963 by Emilio Serva and his wife Rolanda, was originally a humble trattoria that cooked fish brought in by local fishermen on a charcoal grill. Today, La Trota – one Michelin star – is a restaurant that has set the standard in haute cuisine for its pioneering work with freshwater fish. Given the nearby waterways and various lakes in the area, including Lago del Salto and Lago di Piediluco, this resource has become an opportunity, a source of sustainability, and a philosophy. Emilio's sons, Maurizio and Sandro Serva, transformed the trattoria into a fine dining establishment. These self-taught chefs have always been connected to their homeland and deserve credit for understanding and elevating it, making Rivodutri a destination for gourmands.
The restaurant
The Serva dynasty continues with the third generation represented by Amedeo and Michele, who have taken up the Trota legacy in the dining room, providing attentive service and conveying to diners their passion for the family restaurant and its original philosophy. The two young men also take care of the wine cellar, which in many cases follows the same theme as the cuisine: the wine list features several labels selected for their origin (and quality) from areas near lakes and rivers. In the kitchen, the two chef brothers continue to fly the flag for local fish, a much more difficult task than working with iodated raw material, which tends to be more flavorful and elegant. But this is precisely the strength of this Lazio restaurant: turning freshwater fish into a refined ingredient capable of winning over even the most skeptical palates. The Acqua tasting menu (€150) is an 11-course journey in which the lake is omnipresent. Dish after dish of carp, pike, crayfish, and trout, you discover a noble ecosystem that the Serva brothers celebrate with determination and familiarity. The various courses are then enriched with wild herbs from the surrounding nature reserve and skillfully prepared sauces, which serve to convey their message: lake cuisine exists, and La Trota is its sincere gastronomic manifesto. What's new? The family has restored an old building adjacent to the restaurant, which will soon become a small hotel with five rooms and a kitchen. One more reason to visit this charming place.
The dishes
The first thing that catches the eye is the location, where vibrant white dominates the surroundings. From every table, you can admire the green countryside, which evokes the concept of proximity so dear to the Serva family. The amuse-bouche consists of a potato sphere with trout liver, carrot gel, and orange zest. Needless to say, the lake immediately takes center stage. Guests are then captivated by the first dish served at the table. A moka pot filled with a broth of tench (from the same family as carp) infused with 10 different spices – including cloves, pepper, and star anise – is the liquid part of the surprising Capellini d'angelo with tench carpaccio. A historic recipe turned into an entrée. The Finta Ostrica plays with the king of shellfish: a mussel shell from Lake Piediluco filled with trout, cauliflower, truffle, black tea, and mushroom broth. While the appearance is reminiscent of the lake's seabed, the flavor expresses all its nuances.
The royal perch in coriander oil with peppers, crispy bread, trout eggs, and toasted hazelnuts is elegant and beautiful in color, while the slice of pike cooked in foil with herbs, peas, cardoncelli mushrooms, and served on a bed of lake shrimp and coconut milk is a masterpiece of technique and creativity. Savory and crunchy are the predominant flavors.
There is also room for catfish, a species of bottom-dwelling fish that is marinated for several days in a mixture of orange blossom water, lemon balm, and Reims vinegar to alleviate its earthy flavor, then cooked skin-side down and served with an almond and raspberry sauce. The carp in a poppy seed crust accompanied by an exceptional red turnip and water celery mayonnaise is pleasant and meaty.
A staple of the Acqua menu is the smoked char tortello with spices, Wild Garlic Oil, caramelized pear, and pear and cinnamon mousse. A dish of great complexity and sensory depth, in which the pear provides the perfect balance.
Provocative, savory, and intense, spaghetti cooked in a trout broth, creamed with fish fat, and garnished with puffed fish skin. The trout, seared and served with a reduced sauce, porcini mushrooms and blackberries, is yet another winning recipe from the Serva brothers. An elegant and delightful dish, where the mushrooms and blackberries remind us that here, nature travels unconditionally between the forest and the lake.
Eel was a must, prepared by the chefs using a double cooking method in which the use of embers eliminates the excessive fat of the fish, finished with coffee, pimpinella, and banana guacamole. Essential, methodical, and challenging, with a creative twist of recreating the typical South American sauce without using avocado. The citrus soup with salted white chocolate cannoli, mango mousse, olive ice cream, and citrus wafer, with its tangible freshness, invigorates the palate and ends the gastronomic journey into the lacustrine world of the Serva family.
CONTACTS
La Trota
Via S. Susanna, 33, 02010 Rivodutri (RI), Italia
Phone: 390746685078
