If my review was only based on the pastas, this would be a definite 5. The wine list was amazing…read more The secondis were good but slightly unmemorable compared to the rest of the meal. A solid 4.5 stars but that pasta definitely rounds it up to a 5
Situated in the tiny commune of San Marzano Oliveto, 20 minutes south Asti and set amongst the rolling hilltops of the Langhe, Bardon has all of the trappings of a classic, rustic Piedmontese restaurant. However, the modest, unassuming farmhouse exterior belies an interior which turns out a remarkable caliber of cuisine.
Upon entering the restaurant, it was obvious that we were one of the first diners to arrive, as the staff was still hurrying to set up the dining room. However, a hostess quickly appeared, found our reservation and then led us to our table, a roomy two-top in one of the dining rooms. It was clear that the dining room we were in was once the exterior of the house but had since been walled-in and covered. It was bright and airy and had a great view of the Langhe landscape.
While there is a menu available, we didn't see a single table ordering from one during the entire meal. Instead, servers came table-side and recited the day's specials, though it seemed as if the majority of diners already knew their order before hearing a word of it. Thankfully our server knew enough English to bridge the gap on the dishes we didn't recognize; however, we did have a casual look at the menu halfway through the meal, just to make note of what we had ordered.
Since we had been consuming Barolo all weekend (and, when you're staying next door, why wouldn't you), Adam decided to go with a Barbera d'Asti as a change of pace. The wine list (really more of a wine book) at Bardon is massive, spanning dozens of pages with an impressively vast inventory of Piedmont wines, some stretching to vintages decades ago. We went with the 2008 Cantine Scrimaglio "Acse," a Barbera d'Asti Superiore.
Due to the fantastic carne cruda we enjoyed two days earlier at Il Centro in Priocca, we knew we wanted to try Bardon's version. The carne cruda di vitello battuta a coltello (€7.00 = $8.00) was a great choice. As our 2+ hour meal continued, we noticed that every single table at the restaurant ordered this dish, usually one per person. The meat was very finely chopped and didn't have any of the gaminess that can sometimes permeate through with veal. We each received a dish of carne crudo and then a bottle of olive oil and salt and pepper grinders were left on the table for us to add to customize the dish to our liking. The meat was fantastic on its own, but a quick drizzle of olive oil and a few twists of salt and pepper really brought it to another level.
After the excellent carne crudo, pastas were up next. We had read a number of great things about Bardon's plin, with some touting it as the best plin in the Piedmont area, so of course we had to try it. I ordered the raviolini del plin al burro e salvia (€9.00 = $10.50) - plin with butter and sage - and was not disappointed. The plin were incredibly light with a smooth meat filling. The plin had been delicately tossed in a butter and sage sauce that had an earthy essence of sage. This was so incredibly good, yet so simple, that I questioned why I hadn't had it more times in my life.
The really great thing at Bardon is that when you order a pasta, they bring out a heaping (read: enough for two) serving and tell you to let them know when you would like them to stop serving. As I was trying to be polite, I did ask them to stop before the whole bowl was emptied. What a mistake! As the meal progressed, we noticed that every other diner, when told to let the server know when to stop serving pasta, just let them serve the whole large portion. Don't be polite, take the whole serving! Definitely our biggest regret of our lunch.
While my pasta was fantastic, Adam's was somehow even better. The tagliolini al sugo di funghi porcini (€10.00 = $11.50) - tajarin with porcini mushrooms - was nothing short of incredible. Adam declared it to be the best pasta he had ever eaten. The earthiness of the porcini mushrooms imbued every single strand of the tajarin. The pasta was al dente, and while it wasn't the most delicate tajarin we had eaten that weekend, it stood up to the heftiness of the mushrooms perfectly. There was the option to have white truffles (tartufo, €30.00/gram = $35.00) shaved on top; but, in all honesty, we were getting a bit truffled out after three days.
After finishing the two amazing pastas, our secondis arrived. While both veal dishes were fine, it was impossible for them to meet the impossibly high bar set by the pasta dishes. Both Adam and I enjoyed the veal, however, on our next visit we will order two more pasta courses in place of secondis.
For the rest of the review: http://adamandvivian.com
