Satricvm at Le Ferriere, in the heart of Agro Pontino, Max Cotilli and Sonia Tomaselli prove that fine dining can be creative, engaging and anything but predictable. A gastronomic journey full of technique, personality and surprising pairings, including wines, sake and cocktails.
Around the fine dining has developed in recent years a heated debate. There are those who consider it an anachronistic model, those who find it too costly compared to the current economic situation, and those who criticize its environmental impact and wastefulness. These comments have been joined by the Controversy over working conditions in haute cuisine kitchens: underpaid workers with crazy hours and subjected to enormous psychological pressure. Finally, on the gastronomic level, here are the criticisms of certain mini-portions, technological excesses and casual use of additives. But at Satricvm something different happens.
When fine dining works
While I agree with some of these reflections, I continue to find the fine dining stimulating when it succeeds in surprising with new ideas, bold pairings and dishes capable of engaging all the senses, to be bitten into to discover the textures, cooking, flavors, pr
ofumi. Dishes where creativity, technique and pleasure go hand in hand.
The proposal of Satricvm, led in the kitchen by chef Max Cotilli and in the dining room by the talented sommelier Sonia Tomaselli, his wife, represents an excellent example of this philosophy. Their dishes are original, curated and tasty; the service is precise and the pairings by the glass add further interest to the experience. Please note: this is not a new opening: after significant professional experiences in England and India, the couple has been running this restaurant for a full sixteen years.
A menu full of ideas
The luncheon proved to be articulate and – strange to say – entertaining, among the most compelling in recent years.
The opening was entrusted to a series of tastings that already told the stylistic signature of the cuisine. Roasted scallop, scallop puree and fermented chili on a pillow of crispy rice. Cuttlefish fettuccelle all’amatriciana; Smoked herring and apple crumpet; Frozen marshmallow with Pimm’s, cucumber and orange; The Aquarium: oyster Royal Hervé. oyster butter, macerated seaweed; finally “Mater Matuta”: buffalo, sea urchin, sumac powder, crumbled taralli.
Intriguing course between first and second courses
Among the first courses, notable is the Spaghettone Garum, whipped with tuna garum (self-made from fermentation of salted tuna). Sichuan pepper and katsuobushi. To follow, a Artichoke brûlée in three cookings, stuffed with artichoke crème brûlée and topped with mint oil.
The route continued with the whole pigeon, roast with its bottom, leg confit and chestnut. A dish that synthesizes technique, flavor depth and respect for the ingredient.
Out-of-the-box desserts and pairings
The final part of the menu included Tahitian Frozen Milk. A predessert made with almond milk, star anise, cinnamon, ginger, and lime, followed by the dessert dedicated to Antonio Pennacchi, sweet sigh with Strega liqueur and karkadè Bavarian cream (representing Pennacchi’s black cap and red scarf), and small pastry.
Special mention deserves the beverage route
At this point, however, we need to talk about drinking, because the very talented Sonia has proposed a pathway by the glass even more fun than the menu. Not only great wine, but also sake and cocktails, in a dynamic sequence that is never dull.
Among the labels tasted: Piana dei Castelli’s Marte Brut Nature Metodo Classico and Tröpfltalhof’s amphora-aged Rosé Marie 2023. After sparkling and rosé, a disorienting, spicy, very tasty quasi-red. Domaine Baud Génération 9’s Côtes du Jura Poulsard 2021. Followed by the celebrated Château Musar 2017 from Lebanon, and we ended on a high note with a passito made by Nevio Scala, former Parma coach, with his Infundo 2021, from Garganega grapes.
An experience that leaves its mark
What do you say, does it sound like a boring, repetitive lunch with tried-and-true flavors? And do the pairings seem obvious to you? Recognizable but never predictable dishes, bold pairings and a strong personality make Satricvm an address capable of demonstrating how fine dining can still be current, fun and accessible.
Fine dining that I like is just that, what’s more, at absolutely no exaggerated prices. An experience that confirms how much haute cuisine, when it is authentic and free of mannerisms, can still excite.
