I just had the best venison in my life.
After our arrival in Cortina d'Ampezzo, we decided that for New Year's "eve" we would splurge on lunch at another Michelin-starred restaurant -
Ristorante Tivoli, which has a stunning view of the snow-covered Dolomitis from its perch just above Cortina.
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| View of the Dolomites at restaurant table |
We knew we were in for a good meal when the obligatory bread basket arrived with fresh, green Sicilian olive oil.
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| Bread basket with olive oil from Sicily |
Feeling foie gras-deprived since California banned it in July 2012, I was particularly keen to order the foie gras appetizer done 3 ways - seared, like creme brûlée and torchon. It was good, especially the pan seared which has always been my favorite.
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| Trio of Foie Gras - Seared with mustard sauce, Like Creme brûlée, With cranberry sauce topped with grapefruit |
My dining partner ordered an unusual appetizer with an egg on a bed of spinach, with taleggio cheese sauce. The server pointed to the egg and said, "attenzione," and explained that the egg, which was poached and lightly breaded on the outside, contained a runny yolk. The combination of the egg and spinach with the fragrant taleggio was exquisite.
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| Fried egg with spinach and taleggio cheese |
My main course was a beautiful display of 6 ravioli filled with sausage, topped with napa cabbage on a red beetroot sauce - a modern interpretation of a local dish called Casunziei all'Ampezzana - ravioli filled with beets.
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| Sausage ravioli on beetroot sauce, topped with poached and tempura napa |
The ravioli were light and the flavors delicate; a perfect compliment to the star of the entire meal: the venison!
The venison was served sliced, so I could immediately see that it was perfectly cooked - seared on the outside, rare inside. It was presented with a delicate red wine sauce, a couple radiccio leaves (from Treviso, a local favorite this time of year), and broccoli with roasted potatoes. The perfectly prepared venison was tender and flavorful; the red wine sauce added depth and richness, without being too sweet - a bit-sized piece of venison draped with a touch of sauce was a match made in heaven, and a perfect way to celebrate the New Year.
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| Star of the meal - Venison |
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| A lovely Pinot Noir from the South Tyrol, near Bolzano |
We had all of these with a wonderful Pinot Nero (Noir) from
Weingut Gottardi Mazzon, from the South Tyrol region, near Bolzano. It was a lovely surprise as we thought the Alto-Adige region only produces Pinot Grigio. It was a good bodied Pinot. The next day, we contacted them, thinking of visiting their winery. The owner Alexander Gottardi promptly replied that unfortunately he would be in Austria, perhaps next time.
