A winter menu, in five dishes
As the evenings draw in, the menu turns darker and slower. These are the five dishes we are most proud of.
Cooking toward the cold
Winter in the Bordo kitchen means braises, bone marrow, saffron and slow sauces. The portions stay modest; the flavours do not.
Start with the seared scallops, then the rigatoni all’Amatriciana, then the dry-aged sirloin. Finish with the tiramisù.
The idea
A winter menu should feel like a warm room. We lean on the oven, the long braise and the slow sauce, and let the vegetables carry the freshness.
Each of the five dishes below is something a regular guest has asked us to keep. They are the backbone of the cold months.
In winter, a dish should taste like it took all day to make. Because it did.
CHEF MATTEO ROSSI
The first plates of the winter menu, on the pass.
Winter ingredients ask for time. A shoulder of lamb is braised for six hours, a stock for twelve, and a loaf of bread is allowed to rise slowly overnight. The kitchen runs on a different clock from the dining room, and the menu is planned a day ahead.
Seared scallops with cauliflower and brown butter. Rigatoni all’Amatriciana. Dry-aged sirloin with bone-marrow jus. Roasted turbot with clams and fennel. And, to finish, a tiramisù made the old way.
The scallops, caramelised in the pan.
The sirloin, resting before service.
Alongside the main dishes, the vegetables do quiet work. Cauliflower is roasted until it is almost nutty, fennel is braised in white wine, and roots are caramelised with a little honey. They arrive without ceremony, but many guests say they are the best thing on the table.
The vegetables move toward roots and brassicas, the herbs turn to rosemary and sage, and the sauces darken and reduce. Dessert gets a touch of citrus to lift the table.
The best winter dishes taste better the second spoonful.
MARCO CONTI, MAÎTRE D’
Dessert is where the menu relaxes. A tiramisù is built the old way with strong coffee and mascarpone, and a warm pear tart comes with a spoonful of crème fraîche. Neither is complicated, and both are made fresh in the morning for the evening.
Elena suggests a Barbera for the pasta and a Barolo for the beef, and a glass of Vin Santo with the tiramisù. Ask her for something unexpected.
A table by the window, laid for four.
We hope the evenings will be long and the room full.
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