October 28—

LUNCH AT A RESTAURANT new to us in Asti: Falcone Nero, owned and operated, I'm told, by the son of Dirce, the legendary (but in fact perfectly real) chef-owner of Da Dirce, where we've eaten several times on previous trips to this countryside. My favorite kind of restaurant: no printed menu, just a recital by the waiter, the son himself in fact, we recognized him from those earlier occasons, and then repetitions and negotiations and adjustments and a slow working toward decision — in my case, agnelotti with sage and butter, then roast veal. An excellent meal in a comfortable, spacious, quiet, harmonious setting, the oldest restaurant in Asti, we were told, brought completely up to date. I'll never go to Asti again without eating there.

Ribolla gialla: Marco Felluca (Collio), 2007; Nebbiolo: Pelliserò, 2006