The Essential Black Cabbage
Can you guess… When, in the middle of the day, at work in Paris, I suddenly long for Italy or feel a strong urge for anything Italian, what do I do most of the time? Well, either I go to an Italian restaurant, or I go to an Italian restaurant.That happened to me again just a few days ago. Luckily, I remembered – just before this bout of fever reached its peak – that my husband and I were invited later on that day to a Tuscan wine tasting and dinner event at Divinamente Italiano, an Italian restaurant located in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement. Talk about a stroke of good fortune!
The minute I walked into the Divinamente, my fever dropped. Italian microcosms have a wonderful effect on me. First, the warm-hearted welcome you get from Rafaella, one of the owners, puts you right away in a good mood, as do the spirit and atmosphere of the venue. And then you have the great food, of course! The only weak point, if I may, is the “decoration”.
My husband and I simply revelled in this wine-tasting dinner. There were in all six different courses – all with aromas and flavours you can’t believe exist, – and each of these courses was served with a cleverly selected white or red wine. Traditional Tuscan cuisine at its best! The chef Matteo Oggioni even gets his supplies from merchants who ferret out for him victuals that cannot be found in France, like the cavolo nero (black cabbage), essential to anyone who wants to lead a happy life.
The Divinamente Toscano organizes these wine-tasting dinners on a monthly basis and introduces wines of different Italian regions every time. At 80€ per person, it’s not cheap, I admit, but we’re talking here about real high quality and guaranteed satisfaction!
