Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Wine Bar

Map: Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

Price: EUR18 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 6 October 2014

Wine Range and Food: 6/10

Atmosphere: 7/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 6/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

Have you ever encountered a situation that you don't want much food but just a place to sip wine (and some bites of food) with friends while travelling or you just want to try different varieties of local wine? This is a kind of situation I have always encountered. If you are perhaps one of a kind and need to find a place for wine around Cadenabbia, Lake Como, here is one for you: Cantina Follie at Tremezzo.

Cantina Follie is tucked in a small alley in Tremezzo commune. It may just be a small little cave-like place but it is full of wine, Italian wine. The selection of wine here comes from many different commune in Italy, from North to South. There are also good selection of wine by glass: around 5 to 6 choices of red and white as well as a few choices of sparkling.

Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy

nice and cosy wine bar

more wine

sparkling corner

As said, this is a place to enjoy sips of wine. Hence, food is just the secondary thing. I only ordered platter of hams and cheese (EUR10) to go along with wine. Nevertheless, Deadly Bunny also had Ghiottone Panini (EUR4), which was Parma ham, mozzarella, and tomato, just to taste and it was not bad at all. For wine, I had three from different regions: Trentino-Alto Adige, Valtellina, and Tuscany.

Trentino-Alto Adige - J. Hofstatter Mazon Riserva Pinot Nero 2010

Valtellina - Plozza Grumello Riserva DOCG 2009

Tuscany - Ruffino Urlo IGT 2006

Of the three, Hofstatter Mazon was not bad at all for its price for pinot noir. Plozza Grumello Riserva, on the other hand, impressed me with experience of nebbiolo out side Piedmont region. Lastly, Ruffino Urlo is a rare modern blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Alicante, and Petit Verdot that showed a rather fascinating aroma. I wouldn't say it was excellent but pleasurable.

More or less, my evening at Cantina Follie did satisfy me enough. I would not hesitate to recommend this place to anyone around Cadenabbia at all. Cheers!!!!!!

tagliere misto di salumi e formaggi

J. Hofstatter Mazon Riserva Pinot Nero 2010 (EUR7)

Plozza Grumello Riserva DOCG 2009 (EUR4.5)

Ruffino Urlo IGT 2006 (EUR8)

in wine, there is truth

here is the name card

Cantina Follie @ Tremezzo, Como, Italy
14/16 Via Alessandro Volta
Tremezzo 22019
Como
Italy

Open Hours: daily except Tuesday 11:00am - 11:00pm

Tel: +39 0344 42311
Web: http://www.cantinafollie.it/

La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta, Italy

Cuisine: Italian (Aosta)

Map: La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta, Italy

Price: EUR20 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 7 October 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 8/10

Services: 7/10
Scale: [1=poor ---- 5=average/standard ---- 10=outstanding/exceptional]

It was during Autumn when we visited the village of Cogne in Valle d'Aosta. With no surprise, there was hardly any restaurant operated during the period. Just to mention that the high seasons for this area are Summer, when visitors enjoy warmer climate and nature, and Winter, when ski enthusiasts parade in. Nevertheless, we were fortunate enough to get recommended, by the owner of a small hotel where we were staying, a nice, cosy, and so much of our like brasserie that still in operation: La Brasserie du Bon Bec. The restaurant is a part of a famous hotel in the area, Hotel Bellevue. La Brasserie du Bon Bec is situated right in the middle of the town so you won't be missing surely. The dining hall is set to fame the Alpine traditional mountain setting. Staffs were friendly and worked efficiently. There were only a few of them working in a restaurant with around 15 tables. Honestly, food was nice and staffs were equally nice. We decided to stick with this place for dinner during our few days of passing by.

La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta

old fashion country interior but cosy

just another cosy corner

Let's mention a bit on the food. They are pretty much local cuisine. No those fancy things at all. But they were yummy. By the way, breads and rolls here were simply delicious. Pricing of each dish was as well attractive: no those ridiculous mark up even in such mountainous place.

Cheese Fondue, Honey, and Walnuts (8/10) and Cream of Potatoes with Fresh Aromatic Herbs and Sausage (7/10) are highly recommended for any cold day (most of the days here anyway). These warm soups were such a good kicking start for a meal. They were creamy and savoury. The cheese fondue, in particular, was splendid with well balance between sweetness of honey and cheesy notes. Walnuts also provided cracking texture to the overall picture.

bread  and cutlery

Cheese Fondue, Honey, and Walnuts (EUR10)

Cream of Potatoes with Fresh Aromatic Herbs and Sausage (EUR8)

Next was Polenta with Cheese and Melted Butter (7/10). I promise I really love cheese and this classic polenta with cheese was so yummy and classic: so warm, so smooth, and so cheesy. Another polenta dish was Stewed Beef with Polenta (7/10). Classic stew that was not too thick with creamy polenta was so enjoyable. Lastly, it was Lillaz Trout Baked in a Foil (8/10). So simple but yet so much of satisfaction and joy. Juicy and sweet. Just nice. Lillaz is another little town in Valle d'Aosta and just a few kilometres from Cogne. So you sure guarantee the very best of local catch here.

Polenta with Cheese and Melted Butter (EUR8)

Stewed Beef with Polenta (EUR14)

Lillaz Trout Baked in a Foil (EUR14)

friendly staff boning off trout

During the visits, I did also get the chance to try local wines. I opted for pinot noir which I fond of. L'Atoueyo Pinot Noir 2013 (87/100) and Maison Anselmet Pinot Noir Eleve en Fut de Chene 2011 (89/100) were the choices. Both were enjoyable with pinot fruit aroma. But Maison Anselmet possesses more structure and mild oak palate.

Anyway, though we only tried a restaurant in Cogne, we could really say that we do like La Brasserie du Bon Bec and it is a place to go for in Cogne: reasonable price, delicious, and nice people. It won't disappoint you, I promise.

L'Atoueyo Pinot Noir 2013 (EUR12, 375ml)

Maison Anselmet Pinot Noir Eleve en Fut de Chene 2011 (EUR17, 375 ml)

La Brasserie du Bon Bec @ Cogne, Valle d'Aosta, Italy
72 Rue Bourgeois
11012 Cogne
Valle d'Aosta
Italy

Open Hours: Tuesday to Sunday 12:00pm - 02:30pm for lunch and 07:00pm - 10:00pm for dinner

Tel: +39 0165 749 288

Web: http://www.hotelbellevue.it/

FB: https://www.facebook.com/Hotel.Bellevue.Cogne