San Baylon Restaurant at Palazzo Ripetta in Rome

In March, for DoctorWine, I was invited to an interesting dinner at the San Baylon Restaurant of the new 5*L Palazzo Ripetta hotel in Rome.

This stunning Roman hotel, part of the Relais & Chateaux chain, has invested heavily in two directions: Art and Food & beverage.

On the former, for example, on the steps at the entrance, you can enjoy the view of one of the very famous “Sphere” by sculptor Arnaldo Pomodoro, but if you go deeper into the visit, you will enjoy, among others, works by Giacomo Manzu, Michael Lawrence Marrow (Phase 2) and Angel Ortiz.

For the food & beverage sector, however, hospitality is divided into three directions: Baylon, a beautiful cocktail bar that is very youthful and casual. Ether, the very elegant roof top for the summer season. San Baylon, the real fine dining restaurant.

Here, on the occasion of our evening at the beautiful San Baylon restaurant, we enjoyed a dinner with four hands: those of the Resident Executive Chef Marco Ciccotelli and those starred by Silvia Regi Baracchi, Chef and Patron of the Relais & Chateaux Il Falconiere in Cortona. So we were expecting an alternation of flavors of Roman cuisine and Tuscan cuisine, interesting!

We started with a perfect
amuse bouche
by Asparagus and Parmesan, whose savoriness and freshness definitely whetted our appetite.

Then we continued with a far more complex and articulated dish: Codfish mantecato with Tuscan goat cheese on Valdichiana aglione leaf soup and red onion. A mix of so many flavors that on the surface might have confused us. Instead they held on the edge of admirable balance, even with the different textures.

As a first course: Cappellaccio of beef tail, horseradish and celery. Strongly flavored dish with beef tail filling that explodes in your mouth when you bite into it. A true ode to strength and flavor, as Roman cuisine demands.

Next, on the Tuscan side instead could not miss the Chianina rosatenero with potatoes of various colors and textures. Very tender meat, to the perfect doneness, although a carnivore like me would have liked it more rare, with three different potatoes and a perfect brown bottom.

Finally, made by Elena Coppotelli, Pastry Chef of the Restaurant., we closed with a perfect, beautiful, little sweet and refreshing dessert: Citrus fruits from the world.

We were 12 people at a large oval table, and the service was perfect, cadenced by the right wait times, even though the rest of the restaurant was working at full capacity. Bravo.

What to say in conclusion? That in this restaurant with refined and discreet elegance, you really feel good, you eat elegant cuisine but does not lose its traditionality.

I must necessarily add something about the beautiful wine list, made up of more than 200 labels, some not at all obvious, from regions and appellations less traveled for restaurants at this level. Of course nice selection of champagne and Italic bubbles. Charges in line with the context of the restaurant.