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| Dolce & Gabbana Patio |
Rarely do I find a restaurant that I could hang out in all day. I am the type of person that has to be constantly on the go seeing and doing things. One mid-day we were walking through the fashion district in Milan and saw a through an open doorway a small patio with some folks sitting and sipping coffee and other types of adult beverages. There were no signs and it seemed like a private event. A young man came rushing toward me and I felt I was going to get grief for snapping a few shots, but he was smiling and said don't walk away come on in and see
Dolce & Gabbana Bar Martini. He said that it was a wonderful place and he took us on a tour that would through an outdoor restaurant into a very fine restaurant and then into a Disco and then into another casual drinking area and out on a different street. This place was amazing so we decided to come back later for an aperitif and a snack. We sat out on the patio which was a great people watching experience, there were business folks, families with bags from every top designer in Italy, there were teenagers with bags of shoes and clothes from the same stores. People from every country imaginable.
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| Great Drinks |
We ordered a couple of their exotic drinks, mine was a blackberry and lime concoction and JoAnn's was and Italian Bloody Mary, both drinks were over the top. Before the drinks came we received a basket of the freshest bread and several trays filled with olives, chips and olive oil soaked smoked sun dried tomato. With the Bread they brought the most magnificent Balsamic and Olive Oil. With all this service and great ingredients at a reasonable price this restaurant is not here to make money but allow you to experience the Dolce & Gabbana lifestyle. We started talking to our server Emmanuel and he suggested that if we like this we should come to dinner so we agreed and set a time.
The restaurant decor is royally flamboyant, dark, magenta colors, dark wood, comfortable chairs small but several private dining room areas, warm. It was not busy the night we went there and Emmanuel insisted on working with us throughout the evening.
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| Crudo |
Let's get to the food we were fortunate enough to get that fantastic bread that was paired with their Balsamic and Olive Oil again and that got the meal rolling in the right direction. Like all nicer Italian restaurants we were presented with some fantastic
Amuse-bouche throughout the evening the first was a Monk Fish
Crudo it was accompanied with sun dried tomato, capers, and a sun dried tomato. It was very light with different tastes of sweetness from the Monk Fish and the Tarragon and a tart bite from the Tomato.
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| Zucchini Soup |
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| Duck |
For our Primi's JoAnn had the Creme di Zucchini which was a vividly green soup with Lobster and pieces of caper and olive finely chopped, savory and very rich. I had Eggplant Parmigiana which was rich and one great bite after another. The Chefs in Italy know how to make a Tomato Ragu that is not acidic but savory, as I learned from Chef Antonio in cooking school it takes many hours to create a good ragu. The dish was topped with a sprig of flash fried Basil.
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| Ravioli |
For the main Joann Ravioli di
Burrata and I had the Roasted Duck Breast with Fig Jam and Balsamic. The Ravioli was stuffed with Burrata cheese with a chopped tomato, basil, olive oil and diced squid and was a light and creamy taste with a touch of the mare. Mine was a perfectly roasted Duck Breast combined perfectly with a Fig Jam, the skin was crispy and the meat was very tender. This is possibly the best duck dish I have had.
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| Gelato |
The evening was not over Emmanuel as a present gave us a
Gelato challenging us that this was the best in Milan. I had the Strawberry which was as close to eating a Strawberry as could be, JoAnn's Pistachio was creamy and nutty. Great way to end the meal.
Strawberry and Pistachio
My conclusion is that if you go to Milan and want a great meal, service and ambiance you need to try Dolce & Gabbana Bar Martini. If you are there ask for Emmanuel he will take great care of you.