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 Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Italian

Map: La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

Price: EUR30 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 4 October 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 6/10

Value for money: 5/10

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

Visiting Lake Como can be a really good vacation with those beautiful view and landscape. However, it can be tedious sometimes to find proper non-tourist type restaurants. Here is one for you. La Cucina della Marianna, which is a part of Alberghetto della Marianna, is a local joint in Griante with good local food and friendliness. The alberghetto part is a kind of decent place to stay in which Paola, the owner, manages almost everything. On the other hand, the restaurant part is run by Chef Ty who is Paola's husband. It sounds more interesting when it comes to family run kind of place, right? By the way, both Paola and Ty are so lovely, friendly, funny, and helpful.

The place is not big but cosy and comfortable. There are probably around 10 tables only and during the night of our visit there were around 4 or 5 tables. Ty only serves 1 set of dish per day, meaning a choice of starter, first course, second course, and dessert per day. So you won't stand a chance to repeat the dish you may have on a previous day of the same week. Basically, there is no need to choose what to try and let Ty improvises for you. All you need to think is how full you would like to be.

La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy

the family run hotel and restaurant

local and warmly welcome atmosphere

small dining room but with comfort

As mentioned, there is only one set of menu a day. However, you do not have to eat the all 4 courses. For us, we went for medium menu (EUR35) which comprised of first course and second course. Pricing seems high but if you are a guest of the alberghetto, you do get 25% off. As for the wine, there are a selection of decent list as well as wine by glass (all Italian of course). You may just tell Ty your preference and he can make suggestion. For me, Ty recommended La Brugherata Rosso di Alberico Merlot 2013 (88/100) which is a local wine in the Lombardy region. It has fruity character of Merlot but rather lively acidity and medium body. Good table wine to enjoy young.

bread basket

amuse bouche

La Brugherata Rosso di Alberico Merlot 2013

For the night of our meal, the first course was Chestnut Spatzli (7/10). This egg based soft pasta was so simple, so local, but so delicious. There are always some kinds of magic in good pasta dishes and this one was no exception. The soft and tender texture of pasta blended so well with natural sweetness of chestnut. With an addition of good grated cheese on top, this was delicious. For the second course, it was Mushrooms Pork Cheek (7/10). Ok, it was tender, it was juicy, and it was yummy. We liked the strong mushroom flavour of the sauce. The mash alongside was smooth and nice too. We were not disappointed at all.

Well, let me tell you one thing. If you are thinking to visit Lake Como during the next few years and would happen to be in Griante area, do not miss this place. There is a high chance that both Paola and Ty might retire in the next few years after their decades of services. Why not at all stay Alberghetto della Marianna and have a meal there if you really have a chance. Thank god we found this place.

Chestnut Spatzli

Mushrooms Pork Cheek

La Cucina della Marianna @ Griante, Como, Italy
57 Via Regina
Griante
Como, 22011
Italy

Open Hours: Sat to Sun for lunch 12:30pm - 02:00pm and Tue - Sun dinner 07:30pm - 09:30pm

Tel: +39 0344 43111
Web: http://www.lamarianna.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/pages/la-Cucina-della-Marianna/138362439527105

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

Cuisine: Italian

Map: Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

Price: EUR33 per person (what we paid for)

Visited: 5 October 2014

Food: 7/10

Atmosphere: 8/10

Value for money: 8/10

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

Bellagio is without doubt a very beautiful small town in the Province of Como. Being so famous does of course come with difficulty to spot non-tourist kind of restaurants. We were no exception and were in the search of good restaurant. At the time of our visit, I have to say we were lucky enough to discover this fabulous restaurant which is just a few kilometres from the centre of Bellagio. It is Ristorante Silvio which is a part of hotel Albergo Silvio.

Ristorante Silvio is located right by Lake Como on the West side of Bellagio and facing Tremezzo. The dining room is spacious with around 20 tables. There are also outdoor seats for al fresco dining on a good weather day too. In fact, windows in the dining can be lifted down which is splendid. At the time of our arrival, there were only a few tables around but the place was packed with local within 30 minutes. At this point, we were at least sure that we had been in the right restaurant.

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

moderate size dining room at the time of opening

It was crowded when we walked out

alfresco here at Ristorante Silvio should be fabulous too

nice view from the dining room

Ristorante Silvio is well-known for its fish dish and local cuisine. It is believed that fish are caught fresh daily here. Scanning through the menu, it is parted into 4 main sections as usual: starter, first course, second course, and dessert. Unsurprisingly, most of dishes are fish menu. Pricing was the surprise, it is kept in line with most of local restaurants and we would say that it is a good value accounting its location and quality. For wine list, it is ranged from table wine to the high end side. The list is not extensive but at its modest choice. for me, Corvo Bianco 2013 from Sicily did its job pretty nicely with fish dishes. The fruity aroma character with crispiness did the job rather well. This is a decent table wine definitely.

the menu

rather nice bread

Corvo Bianco Terre Siciliane IGT 2013

a nice corner with greet

For us, the first two dishes were Homemade Stuffed Ravioli with Savetta Fish and Butter (8/10) and Homemade Tagliolini with Fresh Lake Fish Ragout (8/10). The ravioli was excellent. Texture was great. I just love the word al dente really. It is a word that comes with deliciousness. The filling was smooth fish mousse. Cooked with butter, herbs, and topped with sage. Delicacy in local style, it is. For tagliolini with fish ragout, this was somewhat strange. I normally would see ragout of lamb or beef. But it was fish in such a case. Just by looking, you would not believe it was fish. Having tasted, I still hardly think it was fish. Hardly any trace of fishy scent. This is a fabulous ragout dish in Silvio style. A must try dish, I would say.

Homemade Stuffed Ravioli with Savetta Fish and Butter (EUR9)

Homemade Tagliolini with Fresh Lake Fish Ragout (EUR8.5)

For the main courses, the first one was Fried Pike with Onion Cream (6/10). An enjoyable fish dish with a little firm texture of pike pairing with savoury onion cream and lemon. I would not say this dish is as wow as those aforementioned pastas but still a good one to enjoy. The second one was Boneless Grilled Lavarello (7/10). Lavarello is a local lake fish. The texture was low in fattiness. Firm but not hard. Somewhat thin fillet. This was fresh and delicious. Simple grilled fish with lemon was sure enough and satisfy. For both dishes, there were potatoes and zucchini along side to accompany.

Well, we have to say that we really this restaurant. Nice view. Good food. Good wine. Not overly priced. What else should I demand more???????

Fried Pike with Onion Cream (EUR17)

Boneless Grilled Lavarello (EUR16)

Ristorante Silvio @ Bellagio, Como, Italy

12 Via Carcano
Bellagio
Como 22021
Italy

Open Hours: daily from 12:30pm for lunch and from 07:30pm for dinner

Tel: +39 031 95 03 22
Web: http://www.bellagiosilvio.com/
FB: https://www.facebook.com/HotelRestaurantSilvio