Dolada

A restaurant with a long history in which a generational changing of the guard has taken place in the kitchen, occupied today by Ricardo de Prà, a young man with triumphant zeal who works day and night—testimony to his blind vocation. He is a complete artisan: he makes cheeses that he then offers on the menu, some of them exceptional; also bacon, extraordinary as well; he produces eggs, peas, etc., gathers wild herbs. And, of course, he cooks the products of the land: mushrooms, frogs, escargots, lamb and game of the highest quality.

He shows uncontainable passion for nature, offering very aromatic, floral and original creations that reveal a prodigious imagination. He demonstrates this, for example, with a balm flower tied to the fork with which tuna belly is eaten in raw cubes, accompanied by a sorbet of the same herb, a sauce perfumed with soy and a bouquet of seaweed, fennel and bulbs. A model of style is his salad in the form of a millefeullies with croutons, raw porcinis, various vegetables, herbs and flowers, as well as two sautéed medallions of goose foie gras; very colorist, also from a gustative point of view, and very gratifying. A creation with great sensibility and palatal immaculateness is the Norway lobster carpaccio with olive oil, pepper, chervil, cream of yogurt and striped mullet roe.

The restaurant is situated in the heart of the mountains, in beautiful country, and it is noticeable in the cooking. Succulent, refined flavors, abundance on the plate, and representation of local ingredients are other characteristics that distinguish it. All of these are appreciable in three extremely important dishes. The first: giant, wild escargots, exultant in flavor and texture… colossal, topped with impeccable mushrooms, some of which are gratinéed with bread, cheese and herbs. A second delight is the frogs—small, wild, incredibly flavorful, served stewed in a sauce with a few magnificent watercress ravioli and pieces of select tomatoes. Another palatal delice is the stewed pumpkin with its flowers and porcinis, in which the components arrive in creams, foams, slices, tournedos… in a thousand ways that make up a whole that is natural, light and intense at the same time; Ricardo is a magnificent seasoner and achieves wonderful sapid intensities.

Other offerings for which to praise the professionalism of the chef: the cod mantecato, the new spaghetti alla carbonara, and the very modern version of panna cotta. Meanwhile, the mother of the chef, Rossana de Prà, acts as the perfect master of ceremonies in the dining room: a great lady, and a great professional.