Spontini more than 50 years in Milano

My last pizza in Milano was Spontini. Angela told me I would love it. The place opened in 1953 as a take away with a single product, family heirloom, four locations in Milan. The menu more simple impossible one pizza, serve by the slice not the full pie, two options a normal or a generous slice, same recipe as 1953, soft, thick, crunchy crust, wood oven, and the flavour of mozzarella, tomato, basil, and anchovies. Tell me what is not to love about this. 

Spontini

The Place

During lunch they also have a lasagne, but I went for the pizza, the main protagonist the cheese, perfect melted mozzarella, and underneath beautiful tomato and basil sauce with scents of anchovies, I agree with them it’s almost a trademark and the ingredients are not secret, purely perfection. 

Trancio Abbondante

I love this pizzeria, believe me one generous slice is more than enough. 

Pizza reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Glasses” 

Jerry: Now let's cut the ball, sister! You think I don't know about you swapping spit with somebody yesterday on Columbus Avenue?

Amy: What are you talking about?

Jerry: Look, my friend saw you

Amy: Saw me? With who?

Jerry: You tell me

Amy: There's nothing to tell

Jerry: There isn't?

Amy: No

Jerry: Oh... All right... want to get some pizza?

Amy: I had a feeling this was to good to be true

Jerry: Why?

Amy: I knew there had to be another side to you

Jerry: No, no, there's no side!

Amy: There is a side, an ugly side

Jerry: No, no, no ugly side

Spontini

T: +39 02 204 7444

Pizzeria
Aprox Damage: €10pp

District: Porta Venezia
Zone 3
Milan

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Late Night Panino in Milan

We went to the Kaiser Chief concert, got a couple beers, and after that quite hungry stopped at Panino Giusto. The place opened in Milan in 1979, to be exact February 8th in Corso Garibaldi, some sort of quality base posh bakery, the history says that when they open the price of a Canadian salmon panini in Milan was around 300 lire they charged 1500 lire due to their superior quality of their products. Many years later and 32 restaurants in Italy, Spain, Turkey, and Japan they offer is the same quality fast food. 

Panino Giusto

Not an easy menu, a circa of 100 items, but all fresh ingredients made at the moment. Sandwiches, salads, hot entrees, cold entrees, and desserts. I focus on the sandwiches, it is call panino for a reason right? Not an easy task more than 40 combinations, at the end I went for their special, the Tartufo, 24 old month Parma ham from Langhirano, Brie cheese, fresh tomatoes, rocket, and truffle oil. 

Menu

That is a serious panini, the flavour is spot on, nice, clean, pure quality. 

Panino Time

Any sandwich reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Stall” when George has a man-crush with Elaine’s boyfriend 

George: hey, huh, hey Tony, I huh, I just had this brainstorm for us. Can you guess what it is? 

Tony: no 

George: bowling! What do you see bowling? Bowling's insane! Bowling is crazy time 

Tony: bowling? I don't think so George you get no rush from bowling 

George: rush? You want a rush? Drop a bowl on your toe my friend, talk about a rush, you'd be throbbing, you'd see visions 

Tony: no no no no, I'm thinking, rock climbing 

George: all right! Rock climbing! Just the 2 of us? Alright! Hey I'll make some sandwiches, what do you like? Tuna? Peanut butter? 

Tony: whatever 

George: alright, alright, I got to buy some bread

Panino Giusto

T: +39 02 4549 5830

Sandwich Shop

District: Porta Vittoria

Zone 4

Milan
Twitter: paninogiusto

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Italian Revelation Panzerotti

My last day my friend took me to a place she knew I was going to love. A small take away sort of bakery in the heart of Milan, just a couple blocks away from the Duomo. The place Luini, selling all sort of baked and fried Italian treats, salty and sweet, but the specialty and the big queue has one name Panzerotti. A fried folded dough filled with the best Italian ingredients, plenty of options to choose, mine the classic mozzarella cheese and tomato. 

The Place

Panzerotti is a gastronomic specialty from Puglia, it came to Milan in 1949 when Giuseppina Luini moved there from the southern Italian region and opened a bakery, a couple years later she found her grandfather recipe and started to do the Panzerotti. The recipe is a family secret and according to them the reason of the success. 

Delights

Getting mine

I honestly can tell you these Panzerotto are amazing, is the best thing I have tried in years. The filling is perfect, the fried dough is perfectly done, and the taste is superb. Apparently Luini had a sister place in London but I haven’t been able to find it, these babies are so good that I’m in desperately need of a Panzerotti as any addict passing withdrawal symptoms, if anyone knows where is his place in London just let me know. 

Best in Milano

Ready to Roll

Bakeries remind me the Seinfeld episode “The Dinner Party” when Jerry and Elaine are trying to buy a Bobka for a party. 

Jerry: That's the last Babka. They got the last Babka 

Elaine: I know. They're going in first with the last Babka 

Jerry: That was our Babka 

Elaine: You can't beat a Babka 

Jerry: We should have had that Babka 

Elaine: They're going to be heroes 

Jerry: What are we going to do now. If we can't get the Babka the whole thing is useless 

Elaine: Well how about a carrot cake? 

Jerry: Carrot cake? Now why is that a cake? You don't make carrots into a cake. I'm sorry 

Elaine: Black Forrest? 

Jerry: Black Forrest? Too scary. You're in the Forrest, oohh 

Jerry: How about a Napoleon? 

Elaine: Napoleon? Who's he to have a cake? He was a ruthless war monger. We might well get Mengele 

Jerry: That was our Babka. We had that Babka! 

Elaine: What's this one? 

Clerk: That's cinnamon Babka 

Jerry: Another Babka?

Luini

T: +39 02 8646 1917

Bakery

District: Centro Storico

Zone 1

Milan

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Authentic Napolitanean Pizza in Milano?

A couple really good friends of mine went to live to Milano, so the first excuse I had I went straight to visit them. I was so looking forward, the last time I went to Milan was around 2003, and I love Italian food, love it so much that I have consider a couple times moving there. 

i Capatosta

So as soon as I got there they took me according to them to one of the best pizzas in Milan, I Capatosta, a small piece of Naples in Milan. Family style, pretty noisy, extremely packed, huge queue to get a table, all the tables pretty close to each other that you smell the aromas from the food around you, and authentic Neapolitan pizza, what else do you need, as soon as I saw all that chaos I was in love with the place, that is the real deal, that is real Italian food. 

Inside

We started with a Moretti beer, strong and nice Birra Italiana. Then went more for the substantial stuff. First we shared Frittura Mista della Casa (house mix fried), with that we got Fiori di Zucca, Crocchette di Patate, Mozzarelline Impanate, Frittatine, Montanara, and Arancini. Oh my god! It was fabulous, the flavours, the smell, perfectly battered and fried, pretty rustic and simple, but perfection in the mouth, my favourite was the Mozzarelline and the Arancini, but all of them where splendid. 

Frittura Mista

Pizza Time

Then we went for the main event, the pizza, ham, mushrooms and rocket, awesome, the flavour was nice, the crust perfect, the tomato sauce just the right amount, and the melted mozzarella superb, I could easily eat there every day. 

Ready, Set, Go

Excellent start for a long weekend full of fun in Milano 

Milan reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Movie” 

Jerry: My whole night's ruined, I didn't do any sets, didn't do any movies 

Buckles: Come on, we can still catch most of “Rochelle Rochelle” 

Jerry: “Rochelle Rochelle”, huh? 

Buckles: A young girl's strange, erotic journey from Milan to Minsk Jerry: Minsk?

I Capatosta

T: +39 02 8941 5910

Italian Neapolitan Pizzeria

District: Porta Genova

Zone 2

Milan

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The Moral Capital of Italy

Yes I’m talking about Milan, world fashion and design Capital, for me is just like a huge shopping mall with awesome restaurants. Traditional small Italian places with the hectic urban life makes it an unique place. 

Detail in the Duomo's doors

Things not to be missed are Duomo wich is their gothic cathedral where you can go to the top and have outstanding views of the city, visit some of the museums and art collections at the Castello Sforzesco, going shopping to the Galleria Victorio Emanuele and don’t forget to spin on the bull, seeing the superb fresco by Leonardo da Vinci The Last Supper or going to Biblioteca Ambrosiana to see Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus, and don’t forget to go and watch a football match, as Milan has two renowned teams the AC Milan and the FC Internazionale Milano. 

Duomo

Galleria Victorio Emanuele view from the top of Duomo

Ferrari Store

Spinning the bull

Many things to do apart from shopping and as in the rest of Italy amazing Italian food. 

Milan reminds me the Seinfeld episode “The Movie” 

Man: You're soaking wet. Who are you? 

Rochelle: My name is Rochelle, I'm from Milan, I'm supposed to visit my relatives in Minsk 

Man: Here, stand by the fire. Take off those wet clothes, you'll catch cold Rochelle: Oh, my hand's so cold, I can barely get these buttons open. Oh, that's much better, much


Milan
Italy

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