La Brughiera In Almè

My favorite restaurant, new chef but traditional dishes always excellent, inimitable zola pumpkin and ginger

An unforgettable experience. An enchanting location, refined, thoughtful, and attentive to detail.

Sometimes we Milanese struggle to imagine leaving the city for high-quality food and wine experiences, because we think about the distances and travel times... but everything is extremely relative in our Milan. In fact, in the same time it would take you from one suburb to the other, you can easily reach a town like Villa d'Almè, where this Michelin-starred restaurant is located in the province of Bergamo. The choice could not have been more perfect! A truly beautiful location, both externally, which we could only guess at since it was already dark, but above all internally: that elegance, refinement, care, and warmth that only provincial places can provide. This is Osteria della Brughiera: a truly well-kept villa, with several beautifully furnished rooms, with a piano, paintings, candelabras, vases, and flowers that enhance the atmosphere and ennoble the experience. Obviously, we're here for dinner, and it doesn't start off entirely appropriately: we're just a few kilometers from Franciacorta, and we feel like we're catching the dining room staff a bit off guard when we ask for a local bubbly as an aperitif instead of their Champagne! But I say, having traveled with my wife to various parts of France, we've never been offered a non-local bubbly in that country. I ask, is it possible, just a few kilometers from Franciacorta, to be offered Champagne as the first option? Think about it, folks, think about it! This impasse aside, the dinner proceeds truly excellently, at times superlatively. The aperitif is a Franciacorta sparkling wine, a pure Chardonnay. For dinner, we opted for an à la carte menu, and after a series of exquisite mousse bouche, we began our journey. I opted for a dish that intrigued me greatly, a Slow Food Presidium from the South: Acquaviva red onion stuffed with porcini mushrooms and gratinated with Comté cheese, accompanied by a puff pastry filled with porcini mushrooms and crispy onion. The onion was divinely prepared and brought to mind French onion soup revisited with Comté cheese. I would have a point about the provenance of the porcini mushrooms: a restaurant of this caliber can, indeed, must, use top-quality ingredients, in this case porcini mushrooms from the Borgotaro area, but these were not from there. Regardless, the dish was exquisite. My wife had some very fresh grilled Ligurian scampi, which were perhaps a tad overcooked. We then arrive at the dish that we unanimously declared worthy of a standing ovation, perhaps the dish of the year so far! Cappelletti stuffed with pumpkin, gorgonzola, and ginger, presented unseasoned in a row along a napkin, to be dipped individually in the gorgonzola, pumpkin, and ginger sauce. Both the flavor and the truly ingenious presentation were fantastic. I then proceeded with two main courses: the first was an exceptional Lucanian lamb with its arrosticini with crusco powder, and I finished with a wonderful polenta pasticciata with porcini mushrooms and abundant white truffle. The truffle was excellent, but the porcini mushrooms were a bit less so, as they didn't stand out in either this dish or the appetizer. I recommend leaving the Alps behind and going fishing in the Apennines near Borgotaro and Cerreto Alpi! The service was excellent, and the wine that accompanied us for the evening was quite impressive: a Maurizio Zanella 2019 from Cà del Bosco, a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, and Merlot. Just one piece of heartfelt advice: let's forget about pointless French "reverezes," which are out of place and unnecessary. Why suggest Champagne as an aperitif? We're just a few kilometers from Franciacorta! Even if we were in Palermo! The Camillucci Anthologie Blanc vintage, 100% Chardonnay, is excellent. And again: why describe cappelletti "à la bourguignonne" on the menu? We're talking about pasta...let's forget about France!

Unforgettable experience. An enchanting location, refined, delicate, caring, and constant attention. "Eating" is the wrong word to describe the gourmet experience. You float along that journey. We felt like we were in a magical bubble, lighthearted souls enjoying imaginative dishes, created by an artist, with extraordinary works of art on the plate (nine of them) and top-quality wines. Congratulations to everyone! The star is truly deserved, and we're giving you ours too! Thank you so much! See you soon!

Extraordinary food, wine and service. The best ever restaurant I have ever been to, and I am a gourmet! the food was truly stratospheric. And the service so incredibly attentive and knowledgable. I had the degustation menu and was very glad, so creative and balanced, innovative and surprising. In the end for that level of quality very good value. You can tell they are truly passionate, I think it is worth going to Bergamo just to eat there, the town also offers many visual delights. I was truly impressed and will be back.

A little treasure trove where you can relax and unwind. Professional service, attentive to every detail, yet informal yet high-quality. As if their philosophy were "Feel at home without being at home!" What more can I say? Wonderful! The flavor and presentation of the dishes are second to none! Simply perfect. Not to mention the Chef who serves you at the table, creates an exceptional Bloody Mary for you, and at the end of the dinner, personally takes you to see their cellar, where you can find old vintages, their aged hams, their preserves, and their cheeses!! TOP!! 😍 Compliments to the waiting staff, the kitchen team, and the Chef! We will definitely be back!

Over the years, the cuisine has lost some of its splendor, though I must say the quality of the food remains consistently high. Excellent wine selection Excellent service Always a charming location.

Much better than you might imagine from the reviews. Impeccable in every way, not least the warm hospitality throughout the time I spent with my guests. It deserves at least two Michelin stars!

Everything was perfect and excellent. Impeccable staff, delicious, refined, and high-quality food. A unique and sophisticated location. The owners are wonderful people. Absolutely recommended for a unique experience.

Excellent as always, it's the 3rd time I've been back and I have to say that every time I've been satisfied.