Design Week is once again upon us. In honor of the occasion, I thought I’d round up some new restaurants in Milan that opened their doors from April 2023 onward. The list is by no means exhaustive–I couldn’t fit everything, but it’s a starting point. I tried to stick mostly to straightforward restaurants, but there are several excellent eating establishments that warrant a shout-out, like Pan, which is just around the block from me. Following the newbies (which are in no particular order), there’s a list of significant revamps and new outposts of beloved locales. And if I may share one piece o ..read more

In no particular order, here are five memorable March meals I enjoyed at restaurants in Milan and beyond. Pastamadre What better place to indulge in artichoke season than my beloved Pastamadre? We enjoyed them (stem and all!) halved and fried golden with caper mayo alongside a succulent octopus arm over a velvety white bean sauce and puntarelle topped with bottarga. It should come as no surprise that a restaurant named as such has stellar pastas. So stellar, in fact, that you want to try every single one on offer. The good news? They’re always kind enough to divvy up the portions if you ask. S ..read more

I love Chinese food. I always have and always will. Even as I’ve read up on the cuisine over the years to learn more about its regionality, I still always find comfort in the NYC-style lunch or dinner combination platters: the main dish (mine’s usually tofu or chicken and broccoli) with fried rice and a choice between soup (usually wonton or hot and sour) or an egg roll–once upon a time, some spots even threw in both. While these combinations satisfy my hunger pangs multiple times over when I’m on the other side of the pond, they’re not really an option in Italy. But Jin Yong, a Via Paolo Sarp ..read more

In case you’re curious about what I drank this past February, here, in no particular order, are five stand-out wines I enjoyed. And if you’d like to know about some outstanding meals I enjoyed in and around Milan last month, you can check out this blog post. Lupinc Vitovska Amber 2019 I’ll never refuse a Vitovska! This white grape thrives in the Carso region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, a hilly territory outside Trieste characterized by distinct karst soil. This iteration of the grape was fierce – 14-day maceration and three years in tonneau, which gave it a gorgeous golden-amber color. It had sp ..read more

Here, in no particular order, are five memorable meals from restaurants in Millan and beyond that I enjoyed in February. If you know me, the first three spots will come as no surprise. They’re three of my favorite restaurants in Milan, and I couldn’t wait to get to them as soon as I got back here after the holidays – two months was too long to be without them! And if you’re curious about some wines I loved in February, you can read about them here. Stadera This epic gastronomia contemporanea is always spot on. So much so that I’m constantly craving it. For better or worse, there’s usually just ..read more

Did you know that aspic is just as essential to the Milanese Christmas table as panettone? Yes, aspic and gelatin are having a moment, but in the Lombard capital, they’ve always been in vogue–which has always intrigued me as the city stands at the forefront of fashion and design. I recently had the opportunity to write all about it for USA Today’s 10Best. At Christmas time, one particular gelatin has come to represent Milan: veal pâté from Peck, an epic gourmet shop that opened in 1883. Glossy amber veal pâté ingots, golden chickens, and pearly lobsters have glistened in Peck’s display case fo ..read more

Whether you call it a hoagie, hero, or sub, these (at least) three-foot-long sandwiches stuffed with a generous array of cold cuts and then some adorn the table of myriad American occasions, from graduation parties to office outings to barbecues. Well, Italy also has a must-eat celebratory sandwich that’s particularly popular during the holidays: panettone gastronomico. A savory take on the sweet Christmas bread, panettone gastronomico experienced its heyday in the 1970s and 80s but remains in fashion today. Instead of a three-foot horizontal loaf crammed with assorted cold cuts and some then ..read more

Soup makes my heart sing. If I’m at a restaurant or ordering in, I’m likely to avail myself should it be available. But I’m loath to admit that I don’t make soup frequently enough to keep my cravings at bay. See, the thing about soup is that it has to be flavorful, textural, and tantalizing, and this takes time. And time requires patience, a virtue I try regularly to get better at embodying. But the thing is, when I crave soup, I usually seek instant gratification. I’m generally not a fan of the supermarket brands, and unfortunately, there’s not Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods’ nearby where I can ..read more

I don’t remember the first time I tasted fava beans. But I can confidently state that they’re the first veggie that led me to appreciate (and lament) the fleetingness of seasonality. I can’t pinpoint the exact moment, but it happened during my former restaurant-publicist life in New York. I’ve enjoyed the silky, buttery, slightly bitter delights alongside ramps, blended into a purée that crowned bruschetta, and tossed into pasta or risotto–always at the hands of the city’s finest chefs. Yet, it wasn’t until I moved to Italy and started cooking that I experienced fava beans in their purest form ..read more

As you know, I love Milan. It’s Italy’s best unkept secret and home to the country’s most buzzing food scene–one that warrants just as much attention as its fellow Fashion Week cities but remains tragically overlooked. Since starting my podcast, The Milanophiles, I’ve come to understand that Milan is a city you must absorb. It’s Italy, but you don’t go to Milan for Italy–you go to Milan for Milan, and I hope more travelers will realize this to appreciate and love my adopted city as much as I do. As Salone del Mobile/Design Week 2023 is underway, I thought I’d spread some Milan love. I loved th ..read more