OstiNati dei Lassi, wine bar with kitchen

The place is not one where you would look for an interesting “joint.” We are at California, which has nothing to do with the United States but is a hamlet of the municipality of Bibbona on the Tuscan coast. A place known basically only to those who, traveling along the Aurelia from the north, want to go to Bolgheri. Or from those moving in the area. Yet here is a wine shop with kitchen that is a must for those who are fond of cheeses, cured meats, prosciutteria and wines, plus some dishes cooked “the way grandma used to make,” in short, traditional local cuisine.

We are talking about OstiNati dei Lassi, by Massimo Lassi, a very likeable, persistent character as well as “innkeeper-born,” who in this tiny wine shop with kitchen, which we would once have called osteria, offers excellent wines (not only local, but ranges all over Italy as well as France), to take away as well as to open at the table. You’ll find, at very honest prices, from Sassicaia to Pergole Torte, from Le Macchiole to Tenuta di Biserno, from Cepparello to Montevertine and then the emerging Bolgheri, like Podere il Castellaccio, but also Oddero or Cascina Fontana and then Champagne, Trentodoc etc. All wines chosen by the patron who sells only what he likes (He confessed to us that he had bought a “natural wine,” three bottles, but after opening one to taste it, the others he cannot sell). In short, one can indulge quite a bit and it is impossible not to find something to like.

Since OstiNati dei Lassi is a wine shop “with a kitchen,” of course we also eat: first of all, various boards with really good raw materials, try the really spectacular cheeses and the prosciutteria. Then classic Tuscan dishes, from chitarrine with organic Piedmontese fassona ragu, with grated 24-month Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, to pasta with pistachio pesto and pecorino cheese, to risotto “of the day” and some soups (depending on the season). Finally, the meats: Piedmontese fassona from the butcher Cazzamali, certified organic and controlled. Served either raw, such as French seasoned tartare, or cooked as burgers, chops or ribs. There is no shortage of classic tripe or chicken.

There is no tablecloth, you eat on typical paper placemats and the décor consists of the shelves with the bottles. There is also a small summer outdoor seating area to add a few tables to the small allotment. If you are looking for a fancy place you have the wrong address, but if you want to eat wholesome food and drink well, the place is right. Massimo personally selects the products he uses in the kitchen or sells in the wine shop, and believe me, he has good taste.