What Verona is lacking in hotels it more than makes-up for in fine gourmands with a collection of downtown eateries that rival the rest Italy. Decorated with 1-Star Michelin since 1997, Il Desco welcomes guests through a bold red door with circle window detail and into an intimate dining room under a rustic wood ceiling with enormous chandelier casting a glow on walls lined in vertical mirrors and vintage bottles of Barolo and Super Tuscans. Divided between several smaller rooms, an upper level atrium entertains smaller private parties as well as an overflow dinner crowd during busier opera season.
The Food
Led by chef Elia Rizzo, a celebrated menu includes prix fix Fast menu, traditional tasting and Veneto in addition to an ala carte option that includes samplings of all three. A Fast Option, which we love the idea of at an uber-gourmet Michelin-star eatery where dinner usually take upwards of three hours, eggplant ravioli begins the feast with Turbot fillet in egg sauce and Millefeuille with mascarpone cream to follow. Starters like raw scampi with lime sorbet,, scallops on pistachio mashed potatoes and fresh foie gras with pears are all equal in their wow factor. Pasta course of black spaghetti with squid, herring risotto and fagiolini soup leave ample room for main course of lobster with vegetables, breast of duck in grappa, and braised beef cheek with foie gras.
Last Word
Elia Rizzo leads celebrated gourmet eatery in the heart of Verona with ingenious Fast Tasting Menu as well as more traditional gastronomic presentation.
