Carlo Prato - Food

RESTAURANTS (AND WHY)

US The North Pond (Chicago, IL): Brunch, with a seasonal menu. Spectacular location in Lincoln Park

Coast (Chicago, IL): If you need to get sushi in Chicago

Pizzeria Delfina (San Francisco, CA): Probably one of the best pizzas outside of the motherland

Uncle Boon (Manhattan): Northern Thai food. Requires some degree of openness to experimentation, but is delicious

Fette Sau (Brooklyn): Outstanding barbecue. They also have a great selection of beer and American whiskey

Marea (Manhattan): If you really need to eat Italian food in NYC (most of you do). Specialized in seafood, great wine selection

Villanelle (Manhattan): Seasonal, modern menu; a great ambiance for a date. Try the octopus/curry dish

Soogil (Manhattan): Upscale dining, very unusual and extremely creative mix of French and Korean food

Italy Canessa (Baratti, LI): Solid seafood. The location (a gulf overlooking the Tyrrenian Sea behdind a castle) is hard to beat

Trattoria I Bologna (Rocchetta Tanaro, AL): To understand why Piedmontese food is so admired. Try the agnolotti, let the owner pick the wine

Pizzeria da Pietrino (Vignole Borbera, AL): My favorite pizza. Try the Micky

Agriturismo Colognole (Colognole Rufina, FI): Magnificent view of the Tuscan hills, takes a while to get there but food and wine (Chianti) are worth it

Locanda Montin (Venezia): Great, simple, traditional food. Great internal garden, in a quiet area of the city. Kudos to my parents who found this place in 1982

Trattoria 4 Leoni (Firenze): A great option in the heart of Florence. Besides the bistecca alla fiorentina, I recommend the fried zucchini blossoms

Osteria La Magona (Bolgheri): the next door neighbor of Ornellaia, superb Tuscan fare. You need to be hungry. Highly recommended fiorentina

Israel Eucaliptus (Jerusalem): Biblical chef Moshe Basson's restaurant. Try the maklouba

Lina (Jerusalem): By far (very, very far) the best hummus I have ever had

Germany Café am Beethovenplatz (Munich): Chopped pork with Knödel, served with Bavarian beer

Thailand Cooking Love (Chiang Mai): Delicious, very casual, but you need a reservation. Best quality/price ratio of my life

OTHER NOTABLE RECOMMENDATIONS

Japan Hotel Mume (Kyoto): Simply put, the kindest, most attentive staff ever encountered

Italy Distilleria Gualco (Silvano d'Orba, AL): Grappa from the lower Piedmont region. My family has been buying their grappa for three generations

Panetteria De Lucca (Novi Ligure, AL): Focaccia novese. The place to get it

Tenuta Elena (Cassinelle, AL): great Dolcetto d'Ovada