The past ten days have been dedicated to spreading the Italian craft beer gospel all over NYC. A tasting dinner, three radio interviews, three film segments, and dozens of bottles of BeerBera, Friska, La Mummia and Etrusca later, and I’m fairly confident I have made some converts.

But evangelizing birra artigianale isn’t simple. There are relatively few places in NYC where the good stuff is served and what is around is bloody expensive. A single 33cL bottle of La Mummia retails for $11.95 plus tax at New Beer. Tibir, a personal favorite from Montegioco, is priced at almost $22 at Eataly. To be fair, these are spectacular beers and I personally am willingly to pay for them, but the economic hurdle is hard to ignore and pushes lots of customers and pub proprietors away.

The reason I dwell on Italian craft beer prices in my talks and interviews is that it is a major deterrent for distribution, as well as consumption. Pubs and shops are justly cautious of stocking expensive kegs of beer made by brewers few are familiar with or understand. It is a rarity (and a joy!) to find D’Uva Beer on tap at Proletariat because simply profit margin considerations make it an unattractive purchase, no matter how outstanding the beer is.

Another challenge is the language barrier and confusion surrounding names. Many refer to Birrificio Ducato as just “Birrificio” (brewery…which brewery?!). Birra del Borgo is simplified to Borgo and their relatively wide distribution in NYC, paired with their partnership with Eataly, means “Borgo” is a recognizable brand. Ditto for Baladin. But for Barley, LoverBeer and Montegioco, three of my favorite brewers on the planet, getting the news out isn’t as easy, but I’m dedicated to spreading the good word.

You can learn more about Italian craft beer from my recent segment on Beer Sessions, on this week’s Weekly Pint and on the B-United website.

On June 10, Patrick Pistolesi and Federico Tomasselli of Barnum Cafè inaugurated The Gin Corner, Rome’s first gin bar. The Gin Corner is located in the Hotel Adriano in Rome’s historical center and stocks 60 gins from around the world. While the bar specializes in martinis and other gin-based beverages, Patrick and Federico will also serve bespoke cocktails made with other spirits.

Photo credit: The Gin Corner Facebook page.

Italy’s tastemakers reacted to a recent political gaffe with a conference at Eataly Roma today. The nation’s top chefs met with Italy’s Culture and Tourism Minister Massimo Bray to talk about the challenges they face and to seek government intervention in promoting their industry. The talk was less about confronting the challenges of promoting good food than the challenges of promoting good food for rich people. But more on that later.

The drama started last month when Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, an undersecretary of the culture ministry, proclaimed, “Unfortunately, in Italy, we haven’t been able to eat well for a long time. We are eager to follow trends or to copy the French and in the process we have distanced ourselves from our concept of cuisine.” She also expressed “a negative judgment of the skill of Italian chefs”. I don’t concur with her statements 100%, but I absolutely do not agree with some of the disproportionate responses, which ranged from delusional to self-aggrandizing to misogynist.

Italy does not have a culture of public food criticism. We know this. Consequently, Borletti Buitoni caused all hell to break loose in Italy’s food (snob) community. Insults flew, vitriolic blog posts were written and there was a collective pity party. Ilaria Borletti Buitoni’s words where like fine Sicilian sea salt massaged into the wounds of so many damaged egos.

But was she categorically wrong as gastronomic insiders and top chefs argued? Yes and no. Of course, Italy has a reputation as a gastronomic paradise and this drives its tourism industry and exports. But not everything is as perfect as it seems and it is the job of the culture ministry to obscure that fact, or at least not to cause anyone to lose face!

But the people commenting on the undersecretary’s statement—chef’s at Italy’s poshest restaurants (leaving quality judgments out of it for now)—seem unaware that high-end Italian cuisine is almost completely off the world’s radar. Massimo Bottura is well-known abroad, but (and I think most international food professionals would agree), no one is watching what’s going on here because, for the most part, very little is. Even the Alajamo brothers, who replied with an open letter, aren’t aware that they are a punchline abroad and their restaurant Le Calandre is a picture of everything that is boring, lazy and weird in Italian fine dining.

Le Calandre tests my patience and sanity with the most boring dish in existence.

Ok fine, Italian haute cuisine. You got your feelings hurt. Big deal. Now stop crying. Why are you so special? Why do you deserve undue reverence? You make food for rich people, which isn’t exactly charity last time I checked.

In fact, unless chefs engage in rigorous charitable endeavors to improve access to good food for those less fortunate than their posh patrons, I have a hard time justifying their claim that they have real social utility. There is plenty of precedence for this abroad (Ripert and City Harvest and about a million other examples come to mind) and some of the chefs on today’s panel are known for their charitable endeavors but it is not enough.

To be fair, chefs in Italy do create jobs and promote small quality food producers and farmers. To a small extent they even contribute to culture. This is important stuff. But their reach is incredibly limited. Furthermore, to propagate the notion that the nation’s leading chefs are artists and ambassadors of taste contributing to the overall good of culture (paraphrasing from today’s presentation) is just crazy talk. The basic tasting menu at Alajmo’s Le Calandre is €160. You can’t get out of Beck’s La Pergola for less that €200 a head. And I might add that both meals would be technically flawless but boring as hell. How are either of those experiences culturally relevant to most people in Italy? Europe? The world?

What it boils down to is that in Italy, good, high quality food cultivated or raised in a way that is environmentally responsible, is becoming more and more associated with wealthy consumers and less and less accessible to the masses. Sound familiar? Of course the discussion at Eataly today was an important one, but it should not be the only one. And of course great chefs and the Italian government should be part of the conversation, but promoting a good food culture requires the participation of consumers and producers at every socio-economic level.

Until a group effort is forged, there is no hope for real change.

So who was at Eataly today and what did they have to say? Minister Massimo Bray was in the house and he was joined by Oscar Farinetti of Eataly, Paolo Marchi of Identità Golose, Federico Quaranta of Decanter Radio2, Massimo Bottura of Osteria Francescana, Davide Scabin of Combal Zero, Heinz Beck of La Pergola,
Cristina Bowerman of Glass & Romeo, Pino Cuttaia of La Madia, Gennaro Esposito of La Torre del Saracino, Giancarlo Perbellini of Ristorante Perbellini, Claudio Sadler of Ristorante Sadler, Moreno Cedroni of the La Madonnina Del Pescatore and Raffaele Alajmo of Le Calandre.

Salvatore Tassa, who, in an unrelated note I associate with arugula because he used it ad nauseum in the tasting menu at his restaurant Colline Ciocare on my last visit said, “We will keep working hard but the government needs to give us infrastructure, starting with roads without potholes.” Common sense from a chef who had an address on his restaurant website directing visitors to the neighboring town.

Cristina Bowerman, one of the few chefs on the panel who travels, I might add: “This sector needs to be preserved not only for its cultural value but for its economic role. Tourists come to Italy to eat.” And “Italian law is an obstacle and doesn’t make sense for all the various forms of food service.”

Minister Bray: “Why can’t museum cafes be the calling card for tourists?” It would be amazing if the food, beverages and service at museum cafes were on point. But I imagine improving them from their current squalid state would require changing out the private companies that provide these services currently. That’s not as simple as it sounds.

Massimo Bottura, the chef on the panel with the most international relevance said, “We need to coordinate agriculture, culture, tourism and training. We need a project on a national scale.” He then revealed a universal truth: “A happy farmer will give you an extraordinary product.”

Heinz Beck, a German and Rome’s most famous chef, shared, “It is easier to find an Italian server for my restaurants abroad than it is in Italy.” Echoing a sentiment chefs in Italy share with me on a fairly regular basis, “The problem is you get kitchen staff that wants to skip apprenticeship and immediately wants to be a cook,” and “another problem is the cost of labor in Italy. In London the same net salary in Italy costs me 30% less.”

Gennaro Esposito: “We need to become a creative country again. For my next food festival in Vico I would like chefs to cook in homes,” followed by, “What we need to do is bring our form of cooking to the people. We are simple people who happen to cook.” The tasting menus at Esposito’s La Torre del Saraceno start at €100. Simple.

Roberto Alajmo, who is partially responsible for my most expensive and disappointing meal of 2012, claimed, “If we draw more tourists many of these issues will solve themselves.” What?

Farinetti declared “Italy needs to focus on its amazing biodiversity.” No argument there. But like the rest of today’s statements, good ideas need solid plans.

Gelateria Fatamorgana has opened its sixth location a mere two weeks after the opening of its fifth. The newest gelateria in this small but growing chain is located at Via Aosta 3 near Piazza Re di Roma. Fatamorgana, Rome’s premier artisanal gelateria, specializes in gluten free gelato made with all-natural ingredients. The new addition to Piazza Re di Roma will certainly stand out among the conventional competition, the majority of which use gluten-based mixes, as well as artificial colors and flavors, in their products.

For a full listing of Fatamorgana’s six locations, visit The Rome Digest or download “Katie Parla’s Rome”.

Rome’s eating dining culture is perhaps known for naval gazing rather than innovation and many local attempts to modernize the city’s cuisine either fall flat or feel forced. There are some recent exceptions to this rule, some of which have the common thread of looking to the distant past for inspiration. I stopped by Heritage Radio Network today to chat with Linda Pelaccio on her show “A Taste of the Past” about how Roman food–and brewing–culture is looking back to old recipes and heritage grains, often with outstanding results.

Chef Arcangelo Dandini’s dining room at his restaurant L’Arcangelo in Prati has a shelf containing volumes of Apicius, Bartolomeo Scappi and Maestro Martino. Dandini draws inspiration from ancient, medieval and Renaissance recipes like braised artichokes with pennyroyal and cane sugar, foie gras and almond brittle with garum.

Lazio-based brewer Birra del Borgo derives inspiration from its recent release “Etrusca” from the ancient Etruscans. This so-called “archeobeer” employs the ancient Saragalla grain, hazelnuts, honey, resin and raisins. The beer is fermented in terracotta amphorae.

Roman Baker Gabriele Bonci is single handedly responsible for raising the profie of triticum monococum (Enkir). This ancient domesticated grain is cultivated and milled in collaboration with Mulino Marino and forms the basis of Bonci’s famous pizzas at Pizzarium and bread doughs at Panificio Bonci, Open Baladin and no.au.

Gelataia Maria Agnese Spagnuolo of Fatamorgana borrows from the Kamasutra for her honey/licorice/fennel gelato, a combination that is said to provoke sexual vigor. She calls her “Dukkah” gelato, made from a hazelnut, sesame, cumin and coriander paste, “Egyptian Nutella”.

You can listen to the full segment here and stay up to date on Linda’s outstanding program
“A Taste of the Past” here.

A big thanks to Linda, HRN.org and Roberta’s for having me in the studio today! Tune into my next segment Tuesday at 5PM on Beer Sessions Radio with Jimmy Carbone.

When the Piazza Monte d’Oro branch of Il Gelato closed earlier this year, the historical center of Rome was robbed of one of its few exceptional gelato shops. The loss was felt by visitors and locals alike who starred forlornly into the abandoned space once filled with so many dozens of delicious flavors. The only consolation for this grief is that now another of Rome’s top artisanal gelato producers has opened a shop near the Spanish Steps.

On Saturday May 25, Gelateria Fatamorgana opened at Via Laurina 10, just off Via del Corso. This is the fifth location offering Maria Agnese Spagnuolo’s spectacularly clean and intensely creative flavors. Look for seasonal gusti like amarena e birra (sour cherry and beer), panacea (mint, ginseng and almond milk) and basilico, noci e miele (basil, walnut and honey) as well as all the classics like Kentucky (chocolate and tobacco).

Special thanks to my pal Marc for giving me the heads up about this opening.

Fatamorgana locations
Via Laurina 10 (Spagna/Corso)
Piazza degli Zingari 5 (Monti)
Via Roma Libera 11 (Trastevere)
Via Bettolo 7 (Prati)
Via di Lago di Lesina 9/11 (Salaria)

Update: New location at Via Aosta 3 (Piazza Re di Roma) opened June 6, 2013.

All’Oro, Riccardo Di Giacinto and Ramona Anello’s Michelin star restaurant closed its Parioli branch back in December 2012 and opened in the First Luxury Art Hotel shortly thereafter. For months, lunch service at the new All’Oro location near Piazza del Popolo was dedicated to a buffet bruch. Yesterday, at long last, All’Oro ditched the buffet and began serving their fine dining menu at lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday; brunch will still be served Sundays.

The rooftop bar 0°-300° opened earlier this month with the intention of also serving a full menu of raw (0°) items or grilled/baked (300°) items. The cool weather has not been kind and, while cocktails and snacks are served daily 18:00-21:00, the full restaurant menu will only roll out after the weather warms up. When it opens for business, 0°-300° will serve dinner 7 days a week as long as the weather holds out.

If you were wondering what is happening over at All’Oro’s original location on Via Eleonora Duse in Parioli, Sm’all has opened under the same owners. The menu is traditional Italian and the food is solid, if a bit heavy.

All’Oro
Mon-Sat 12:45-15 & 19:30-23.
Sun: Brunch 12-15.

0°-300°
Aperitivo Daily 18:00-21:00
Dinner Daily 19:30-23

Sm’all
Mon-Fri 12:30-13:00 & 19:30-23:00, Sat 19:30-23:00

I never used to have a problem with public speaking. I owned the stage back in high school when I was in student council (no, I am not ashamed to admit that I peaked in the 1990s). Then again, I used to practice my speeches. I should start doing that again. I just got home from presenting my app “Katie Parla’s Istanbul” to, among others, Turkey’s Ambassador to Italy, at the Museo Nazionale dell’Arte Orientale. This was my first big speech in Italian and I kinda bombed. My palms are still sweating.

I had all sorts of interesting things to say but instead I rambled about pickles. I wanted to make an articulate presentation on 21st century cuisine in Istanbul. Here’s what I forgot to mention:

Istanbul is touted as the city that bridges east and west, a cliche that distills a complex food culture into one with just two facets. In fact, the cuisine of Istanbul once integrated influences from all directions: the Balkans, Italy, France, and countless traditions from the east and Middle East. But these days, Anatolian regional cuisines and ingredients have flooded the city as a result of immigration from the Black Sea region, as well as southeastern and eastern Anatolia.

Kebab culture, especially the traditional grilled meat and offal dishes of Adana and Antep have been adopted by Istanbul and grill houses like Adana Ocakbaşı and Kenan Usta are among the best places to eat in town. At Çiya, regional seasonal kebabs are exceedingly satisfying. Fine dining chefs are also getting into the Anatolian love fest. Mikla’s Mehmet Gurs just revamped his menu, departing from his Turkish-Finish origins towards a more eastern-looking “kenNew Anatolian” cuisine.

Foreign influences on Istanbul’s contemporary cuisine are less interesting. Terrible pizza and heinously overcooked pasta are a norm at the trendy Italian joints. And the youth panel of the recent GastroIstanbul conference showed a boring and pointless affinity for French techniques. And let’s not talk about all those stupid foams employed in the demos! I probably would have phrased that last bit differently at the presentation…No, I would have. I am incapable of diplomacy.

Other factors at work include the tension between biodiversity and monoculture, the accessibility of quality meat, the logistical challenges of delivering good food to a massive, largely low-income population and sustainable fishing practices.

I was not able to properly articulate the elements of 21st century Istanbul food culture today and the subject is certainly worthy of more than simple speech or short blog post and I will continue to address contemporary Istanbul food culture as it evolves.

Earlier this week, Eater ran my Istanbul Heatmap, a collection of places that are new (or at least have something new about them). If I could have written only about the places I love, no matter how long they have been established, the piece would have gone a little something like this:

Adana Oçakbaşı
Superlatives are highly subjective and, in most cases, proclaiming a place “the best” is arbitrary, or even ridiculous. But when it comes to Adana Oçakbaşı in Kurtuluş, I see no other way to proceed. Go taste for yourself. Book well in advance and if you can take the heat, sit near the grill where ciğer (liver) is cooked just right and uykuluk (lamb sweetbreads) are delicately seared before melting in your mouth. Order the spicy Adana kebab, the house specialty of minced lamb with a liberal dose of tail fat. Cut the grease with salads laced with pomegranate molasses and wash it all down with loads of rakı.

Asmalı Cavit
Book at Asmalı Cavit well in advance and be sure to request a table in the front room near the entrance. Then, be prepared to enjoy the best meyhane in town. A meyhane is a restaurant that specializes in mezes and rakı. The surrounding neighborhood is full of them, but Asmalı Cavit is at the top of the heap, excelling in both food and atmosphere

Start with a glass, half-bottle or bottle of rakı (depending on the size of your party and your liver capacity, of course) paired with a large assortment of mezes like lakerda (cured bonito), patlıcan salatası (smoked eggplant puree), beyaz peynir (white cheese), fava (broad bean puree), tarama (fish roe spread) and whatever seasonal greens are on hand.

Round out the meal with a heaping pile of köfte, little grilled nuggets of juicy ground meat. They are served with a bitter and spicy tomato-based sauce and a side of potatoes.

Kantin & Kantin Dükkan Bebek
Full disclosure: Kantin is owned by one of my closest friends, chef Şemsa Denizel. Even before our friendship blossomed, I loved this woman’s modern Turkish cuisine prepared with seasonal ingredients. And in case you still think I am biased, just Google Kantin. Chefs and journalists agree that Şemsa’s food is exceptional. I think she serves the best food in town and I’m not alone.

Kantin is set in the posh Nişantaşı neighborhood. The restaurant is up a flight of stairs from street level, while the Dükkan (shop), which sells prepared foods, is down a flight from the street.

At both the shop and restaurant, forget about finding dishes made with foreign or out of season produce. There are no fresh tomatoes or eggplants in the winter when pazı (chard) or hamsi (Black Sea anchovies) are in season. Soups, çitir (crispy flat breads cooked in the brick oven) and beautifully interpreted traditional dishes are some of Şemsa’s specialties. Her kokoreç, is super-seasonal and only served when its main ingredient, lambs intestines, are thin and delicate.

In April 2013, Şemsa opened a second shop, which sells prepared foods and serves breakfast and sandwiches in Bebek.

Kıyı
This fish restaurant in Tarabya is renowned for its mezes. I make a meal out of them and I love their kalamar izgara (grilled calamari), gümüş tava (fried sand smelt) and midye tava (fried mussles). Tarabya is a couple of miles north of the second Bosphorus bridge and traffic is heavy in the evening and on weekends, so budget plenty of time to get there.

Though fish is the specialty, the fried liver meze is outstanding. When it is in season, order lüfer, the local bluefish affectionately called “the Sultan of the Bosphorus”.

Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı
This hole-in-the-wall fish joint in an unsightly part of the Karaköy port is tucked away on a back street among vendors selling hardware and scuba gear. Yet Tarihi Karaköy Balıkçısı serves the best fish in town.

The place owes its reputation to Muharrem Usta, a master on the grill whose charcoal-grilled fish is second to none. Beware, the Usta only works at lunchtime, so be sure to get there around 12:30 or 1 to ensure he is there and the fish is stocked.

The day’s catch is written on a chalkboard next to the grill. Don’t miss the kağıtta levrek (sea bass cooked in paper), hamsi izgara (grilled Black Sea anchovies, in season in the winter), and dil şiş (sole grilled on a skewer). Save room for a healthy slab of helva (sesame seed paste) for dessert.

Kaymakçı Pando
Set in the bustling Beşiktaş shopping district for over a century, this breakfast spot run by the elderly Pando is known for its kaymak (clotted cream made from buffalo’s milk). Skip the whole breakfast spread and go straight for the bal kaymak (kaymak with honey) served with sliced bread. There are eggs and other breakfast foods, too, but focus on eating your weight in kaymak instead. If you have room (you won’t, but stuff yourself anyway), head directly across the street for a döner prepared by the inimitable Asım Usta.

Kenan Usta Ocakbaşı
Kenan Usta Ocakbaşı near Taksim somehow manages to fly under the radar in spite of its stellar food. This ocakbaşı (restaurant specializing in grilled meat) is so good that I regularly travel between continents for its perfectly spiced beef and delicately grilled offal. The items to order are külbastı and uykuluk, both cooked on an open charcoal grill tended by the venerable Kenan Usta.

Külbastı is made with liberally spiced tender beef, which is accompanied by a plain lavaş (a thinly rolled bread) and a crispy wafer that has been soaked in meat fat and toasted on the grill. The three distinct textures and flavors are executed perfectly every time. Kenan Usta does have silverware but why wouldn’t you eat this with your hands?

The uykuluk (lamb sweetbreads), rich and hot, melts in your mouth. Get in there with your bare hands and pull the grilled bits of glands off the metal skewer using a thin leaf of lavaş as a glove. The fatty juices inevitably drip on your hands and down your wrists, necessitating an expanded definition of finger licking good.

Aşkana Mantı
Mantı are pinched dumplings filled with meat. They are a specialty of Kayseri, a city in central Anatolia near Cappadocia, and are served slathered in garlic and yogurt, then drizzled with melted butter. If this sounds like the perfect food, it kind of is—at least when it’s done right. Aşkana Mantı in Ulus is the place for this dish. Start with çiğ börek (fried dough filled with minced meat) then have a hearty portion of mantı. I like to sprinkle some dried mint, chili and sumac on my dumplings and dig in.

Mikla
Chef Mehmet Gürs gained acclaim for his Turkish-Finnish dishes in his fine dinging restaurant in the Marmara Pera Hotel. From 2005-2012, Mikla served food that blended the chef’s duel nationalities, but recently, with the help of a cultural historian and consultant, Mikla’s menu has been revamped and now draws deeper inspiration from Anatolia than from Europe. To get a taste of what’s new, go for one of the menus; there is a three-course tasting menu for 150TL or a seven-course menu for 225TL. Prices exclude wine and service.

Çiya Kebab
How can I not mention Çiya? It is possibly the most famous place in Istanbul, though most of its food is insanely disappointing. Yet the kebabs are (usually) good, and the springtime kebabs are (often) outstanding.

There are actually three Çiyas: Çiya Sofrası (to be avoided for its underwhelming dishes), Çiya Kebab and Çiya Kebab 2 (in both cases, stick to the meat dishes). All three Çiyas are within 100 feet of each other on Güneşlibahçe Sokak, a street in Kadıköy, just a 5-minute walk from the ferry port.

The philosophy governing the Çiya empire is simple: to serve authentic food while protecting dying culinary traditions. The chef/owner spends much of his time researching the dishes of rural Anatolia (as well as Greece, Armenia, Iran, Iraq, the Balkans and the Caucasus), many of which are threatened by globalization, agricultural policy and today’s fast-food dining culture. His restaurants serve thousands of diners each day, while his publications, cooking demonstrations and cookbooks have reached millions of others.

While Çiya’s dedication to research is admirable, most dishes fall short of their original incarnations, not to mention the average Istanbul dweller cannot afford regular visits to Çiya Kebab, which seems to get more expensive and less satisfying with each visit. There are simply too many diners and too many dishes on the menu to maintain consistently high quality. Still, when the kebabs are good, they are some of the best in town, especially in the spring when sarımsak kebabı (garlic kebab) and yeni dünya kebabı (loquat kebab) are on the menu.

For more on Istanbul dining, as well as offline access to maps and opening times, check out “Katie Parla’s Istanbul” on the App Store.

I am super excited to be hosting another Italian craft beer event at Jimmy’s No. 43 in the East Village. On Monday June 10 at 7PM, I will be serving some really fantastic and relatively rare beers paired with dinner. Tickets cost $45, reservations are essential and you can book online. Here’s what I’ve got in store for you:

Barley’s Friska served with light welcome snacks
Almond 22′s Farrotta paired with soft cheeses
LoverBeer’s BeerBera paired with trofie al pesto
Montegioco’s Demon Hunter paired with a game stew
Gradi Plato’s Chocarrubica paired with a chocolate-based dessert

You can stay up-to-date with upcoming Parla Food events by visiting my events page or signing up for the Parla Food Newsletter!