A summer based on micro-seasonality, biodiversity, and balance: Cristiana and Niko Romito reopen Ristorante Reale | Casadonna with a new tasting menu and brand new a la carte dishes.
Ristorante Reale | Casadonna: a theater of research and experimentation
The continuous research carried out on transformation processes for the expression of taste has led to further study of the ingredient itself and the complex system of natural variables that determine it.
“The vegetable is never the same; it is constantly changing with climate, soil, exposure, and its micro-seasons. The vegetable requires special sensitivity and attention to be able to interpret it. We have developed our ability to listen to the product and learned to adapt our creativity every day to deal with this perennial change of the ingredient,” says Niko Romito.
The chef paused to analyze how, within the same season, a vegetable changes, just as it changes with altitude, microclimate, type of cultivation, and variety. He thus narrowed his sourcing range more and more, drawing on the great biodiversity of Abruzzo and neighboring regions. He has thus learned to capture all the changing characteristics of a product at every moment and adapt technique and creativity to them to achieve the perfect balance. A balance that has never proven to be such a dynamic process as it is in this menu.
This new awareness in turn also stimulates technical work to synthesize taste – concentrating and enhancing it. An approach to studying the product and its possible transformations, which also resulted in the new dishes using meat protein.
All the Creativity of Niko Romito
The new plates on the menu synthesize this path, exploring new ingredients, temperatures, refining techniques, acidification, and maturation.
With the Mushroom Salad, the possibilities of the Crema mushroom are explored, the lesser-known yet more flavorful variety of what has always been considered a common commodity, the champignon.
Rice, bell pepper & apple reinterprets the classic Italian risotto by reflecting on temperature, bitterness, and new use of fruit. Sea bass and lemon, on the other hand, is a work on the structure of the fish, the concentration of flavor, as well as the selection of an extraordinary catch.
Cazzarielli and Parrozzo are homages to the Abruzzo tradition, contemporary reinterpretations of iconic dishes and flavors of the region, according to new principles of elegance, lightness, and depth of taste.
Accompanying the Degustazione Reale is a new selection of paired glasses: great wines, extracts, cocktails, infusions, and drinks. The careful dialogue between food and wine, between the kitchen and sommelier Gianni Sinesi, returns an intense journey, to be discovered with curiosity.
“Il Reale e Casadonna evolves naturally, with confirmations and novelties. During the break, we renovated the large terrace on the estate and searched for new details and materials in the rooms and environments. The Hall, the Kitchen, and the Reception of Reale | Casadonna are waiting for the start of a new season, full of research and elegance,” Cristiana Romito explains.
Degustazione Reale
The new Degustazione Reale tasting by Niko Romito includes: Tomato and strawberry aspretto; Alcoholic misticanza and almond; Carrot; Cazzarielli, beet, and lemon; Bread; Watermelon and tomato; Onion filigree; Eggplant and peach caramel; Rice, green bell pepper and apple; Mushroom salad; Roasted escarole; Plum, cream and bay leaf; Parrozzo and fruit.