Povero Diavolo

Fifteen minutes from Rimini, in a small, beautiful and high rural location with a paradisiacal panorama that reaches the sea, is this simple and charming restaurant immersed in an important transformation phase. The owner, Fausto Fratti, a real character who enjoys nature and the good life, who declares himself obese from the great product, has always hired great chefs. The last one, Giorgio Parini, who arrived a long time ago from Le Calandre, has been growing together with this restaurant, which has become one of the best in Italy. Therefore, with the news, the event…the table is served and demands a visit. Artistic cuisine brimming with personality and genius, with a magnificent and brilliant future: this is what you can expect here.
Upon arrival, you must ask for the owner and throw him this bait: “what is in the storage rooms and in the restaurant that could surprise us?“. He immediately speaks his mind: “The best salami in the world”. Indeed, it is outstanding. Other cured meats also inspire gluttony, and a sheep’s milk cheese is not half bad, noble in its rusticity. And to pour into the wine skin? He jumps immediately: “No problem”. Fausto invites you to visit the cellar while he waxes knowledgably about champagnes and red wines.
The cuttlefish tartare in herbs infusion served with the latter and rustic toasted bread apart marvellously reflects the culinary spirit of the house: mental and sapid nature and purity based on exceptional and utterly fresh products seasoned with extreme talent. Apparently simple and immaculate elements transmit great emotional and palatal vibrations. The mussels, served raw and warm with a green pepper sauce mixed with borage and spinach, together with a dehydrated lemon emulsion, is another demonstration of how the chef softens and harmonizes a priori strong contrasts. The green gnocchi, made of wild nettles and spinach, proposed onto a razor-shell soup and tea with jasmine gel, ended up stealing our heart; exquisite and magically tempered fragrances. Essence and clairvoyance are found in three elements with two flavours: cypress tagliolini with clams; wood and sea connected by perfect pasta. The same philosophy governs the minimalist and simply BRILLIANT risotto: white rice cooked in tomato water with clear taste of the latter (the juice of 7 tomatoes per portion). What a purity! What a freshness! What a nerve! To make things even clearer, here is another example of definition and style: pinkish lamb kidney with thin slices of turnip marinated in vermouth and spongy angelica sauce. And what can we say about the wonderful salad made of spring onion grilled with malt, red soft fruit and flowers. And for more exquisiteness, try the pigeon breast, magnificently designed and treated, with beet, sherry powder, pistachio cream, cheese stock, … Glorious!
As we happily stuffed ourselves with the appetizers (ricotta, tomato and oregano tartlet; chocolate cake with onion cream; egg cream with chocolate and mint; and salted baba with pigeon liver), we had to leave the desserts for another visit. This is one of the few times we were kissed on the mouth with such a sensitivity. Our tongue was really charmed by this utterly refined fantasy. Sex with love –and with romanticism, if I may say so.