RESTAURANT
Name
LA TROTA
Street Address
Via S. Susanna, 33 02010 Rivodutri (RI)
Phone
+39 0746 685078
info@latrota.com
Website
Date of evaluation
August 2nd 2022 – 03:00 pm
Evaluator
Paolo Borzatta
evaluation
review
The restaurant is located on the western slopes of the Terminillo massif, above the Rieti plain, in a green and water-rich area, right across the Santa Susanna canal where crystal clear waters flow. From all these streams, lakes and ponds come the freshwater fish that the chef Serva (two Michelin stars) knows how to treat with absolute mastery and which make it the restaurant’s signature.
The snow-white dining room with well separated tables gives a great feeling of peace and tranquility and the incomplete reconstructed square columns together with the real ones give a sense of great intimacy in a very original way.
The menu is centered on two tasting sequences of 8 dishes: one of freshwater fish and one of land with the addition of an amuse bouche and a post dessert as a bonus. However, there is the clever variant that you can choose to eat only three or four dishes by choosing freely from the two menus. Almost every dish is based on a different fish or animal. The unusual use of freshwater fish in haute cuisine is very interesting and takes advantage of very refined techniques of “treatment” (marinating, caramelization, use of spontaneous wild herbs, type of cooking, etc.) which soften and embellish the flavors.
Achieving these results requires perfect technical execution. The initial gazpacho with drizzles of caramelized oil, the catfish with crispy skin, the trout tortelli with pear, wild garlic and black tea are absolute masterpieces, among others.
The wine list is impressive. The Champagne collection with, in addition to all the great Maison (with the right vintages), what I consider to be the holy trinity, Selosse, Marguet and De Sousa, is a symptom of great expertise.
The service is always impeccable, extremely attentive and without ever being invasive.
I had a really good time and I was also rightly “amazed”: therefore a great 60% House of Pleasure but also House of Wonders at 40%.
