In preparation for a big day of touring Milan's famous Quadrilatero d'Oro, Geoff and I decided it'd be a good idea to grab a simple pasta lunch. We ended up at Alla Cucina delle Langhe on trendy Corso Como, a bustling nightlife area that overflows with people at night. During the day, Corso Como is a relatively quiet string of high-end shops, the highlight of which is the famous 10 Corso Como - a "lifestyle" boutique that includes men's and women's clothing areas, a garden cafe, a 3-room boutique hotel, a design-themed bookstore, and rotating art galleries, all housed within a hidden interior terrace complex. We got to browse it since we got to delle Langhe during American tourist lunch time, and thus had a half hour to kill before the restaurant opened.
10 Corso Como is definitely worth a visit, but enough about that. Alla Cucina delle Langhe, just a few doors down, is famously known as Tom Ford's favorite restaurant. While I can't confirm if that's true or not, the legend is that he supposedly keeps a table booked for himself and his guests during the entirety of Milan fashion week. Sure, it was pretty conveniently located for us to stop in during our walk to Centro, but I'd be lying if I didn't admit I wanted to go because Tom Ford likes it.
Supposedly, delle Langhe draws a pretty high-profile crowd of footballers and models, but since we were there right when it opened, the place was completely empty until we were finishing up our meal. The decor is anything but modern, so it's a little hard to imagine the beautiful Prada and Armani-clad Milan elite crowding the place, but who knows... I guess it gets packed at night.
ANTIPASTI - pastry with porcini mushroom, broccoli quicheWe were given a few bites right when we sat down - both were room temp and unremarkable, but were pretty tasty to nibble on while we got things going.
LARDO ALLE ERBE - lardo with herbs - €10We split this order of lardo to start - it's hard to say no to cured pork fat. We were blown away by the size of this portion, and wondered how one person could possibly finish the whole plate. The lardo was as rich and decadent as any version I've had.
TAJARIN AL BRUCIO - tajarin with ragu, parmesan, and brown butter - €11We split two pastas, and started with this tajarin with meat sauce. The thin noodles were fresh and well-cooked, and the butter-laden sauce paired nicely with the bouncy noodle texture.
FUSILLI ALLE ERBE - fusilli with aromatic herbs - €11This boring-looking pasta isn't something I'd usually pick - I actually don't like fusilli all that much to begin with. But it's Tom Ford's favorite dish... and if Tom Ford was the reason we were here, we had to try it right? Fortunately, it turned out great despite its humble appearance. The pasta was al dente with a firm chew, and the sauce had a surprisingly flavorful mix of oregano and sweetness from the tomatoes.
Overall, the meal was very satisfying for what we needed. Thanks for the rec, Tom - I really like your suits, and I promise I will buy your clothes when I'm a billionaire one day.