Andrea Aprea v. Verso Capitaneo (Milan)

Over the past couple of weeks I visited both restaurants in Milan and opted for their most extensive tasting menus. I decided to include several pictures from each as to not inundate you with dozens of pictures, therefore the pictures above are not inclusive of every course. The first 6 are from Andrea Aprea and the last 6 are from Verso Capitaneo.

Andrea Aprea:
– Wonderful amuse bouche, including an aperitif encased inside a firm shell of pop rocks that fizzed in your mouth and an olive tart with a gel that tastes like the essence of a black olive and a heavy dose of orange zest on top. I thought that these set a great tone for the night with a strong start.
– This was a “gift” from the chef, one of his signature courses: milky burrata coated with a crispy, spherical shell of clear sugar sitting on a velvety tomato sauce with small pieces of sun-dried tomato within. A hint of basil lingered on the palate. Fantastic.
– This course was a sort of thin-sliced duck (cold) with foie gras (cold) and raw langoustine (cold). This one fell flat for me. It looked beautiful but there were too many flavors going on, and I think it needed a textural/thermal contrast. The whole was less than the sum of its parts.
– My favorite course of the night: potato “Amatriciana”-style. While it is odd to serve a single baby potato in a bowl (covered in silver leaf, no less), the Amatriciana sauce was so rich and decadent and evocative of beef bourguignon. The Parmigiano reggiano foam brought a creaminess that, once combined with the flavor and texture of the potato, reminded me of a chowder, except with a deep, pungent, cheesy flavor. While this was a summer night, I’d expect this to be even more comforting in the winter.
– Bottoni pasta filled with grana padana reserve, topped with raw veal sausage and caviar. It was around this time that I questioned how many raw products I’ve eaten through the night. As an American, this is not something I’m used to, although having traveled a bit in Italy before, I’ve seen plenty of raw products (especially shrimp) on menus before. Can’t say I’m a huge fan (there was a beef tartare course right after the raw langoustine/duck/foie course), but the taste of the veal was hardly noticeable over the aggressively salty ravioli filling. The broth was pleasant and tasty, but it still had a hard time fighting with the strong, sharp cheese flavor. I liked this course, but thought it needed some workshopping.
– the first dessert (or pre-dessert, I suppose) was lemon served three ways: sorbet, merengue, and candied. All were served in a plastic lemon and accompanied with a show that required a member of the wait staff to pour liquid nitrogen into a carton of real lemons on the table. You eat the course while a cool mist rolls over the table. I was debating whether this was tacky or fun, but I decided that it was fun. And the different flavors and textures of lemon were delicious, which was the most important part.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time at Andrea Aprea. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a post about it here, so I thought I’d give a reference point for the restaurant. The service was a bit stiff, but they warmed up to you if you had a question or a comment to share. The dining space is beautiful as well. Several courses fell flat (the main courses of quail and lamb [not pictured] were fine but I’ve had variations of them at a lot of different places – small cuts of meat with a reduced stock poured on top and a sautéed green on the side. A small piped puree of starch, etc.). Their signature risotto was a little too crunchy and firm for me, but tasted fine, and their final dessert of strawberry and merengue was underwhelming, but I think the good outweighed the bad. Ultimately, Andrea Aprea succeeds in serving heartier flavors and traditional flavor combinations with a slight, reserved flair for the dramatic every now and then.

Verso Capitaneo:
– Upon receiving our amuse bouche, what struck me first about Verso, is how much more artful and creative the presentation was. This was a theme that continued throughout the night. Unfortunately, the amuse were pretty but lacked cohesion. A beet rose with caviar tasted like, well, beets and caviar. Baby corn wrapped in squid tasted like baby corn and squid. The flavors seemed disparate to me.
– One of the first courses of the night was a raw scallop (again with the raw products, just an observation) with a potato mousse in the shape of a scallop shell. I didn’t like this one at all. It lacked seasoning and the flavors were very simple, bordering on bland. The scallop was delicate and supple but the mousse had a similarly soft texture and it felt like mush in my mouth. There was zucchini for crunch, I suppose, but it was sliced too thin to account for much contrast.
– This course was a gnocchi made with a rehydrated breadcrumb dough with raw langoustine on top. The flavor had good depth — the dough was made with a beef/pork stock, which explains the mahogany-brown color of the gnocchi. The texture of the gnocchi was extremely crumbly but not firm. It was a bit difficult to eat but the flavors were good, although I’m not sure the raw langoustine was necessary, to be honest.
– The lamb on this plate was the best lamb I’ve ever eaten, bar none. I’ve never had lamb more tender and rich in flavor. All of the other components of the dish I could live without. There was a tender, acidic green, a red pepper coulis-like sauce inside of a tiny, crispy cigar, and other bits and bobs on the plate, but again, I think cohesion was an issue. Nevertheless, I enjoyed this one and I’ll be thinking about that lamb for a while.
– My favorite (savory) course of the night: pigeon with baby strawberries, mustard seeds, and morels. For all that I’ve complained about cohesion, this one finally delivers. Sweet, salty, sour, umami, tender, crunchy, smoky, etc. This one has it all. You can opt for a skewer of innards (I didn’t), or a skewer of crispy skin. This dish was a symphony of flavors and textures, a playground of good eating. The feather tuile was a nice touch.
– I present to you the best dessert I’ve ever had — ever. Panettone soufflé with panettone ice cream and orange sauce. For some reason the soufflé was covered in gold but I suppose it deserved its crown because this blew me away. The soufflé had an ideal, delicate, pillowy consistency and a crunchy sugar-coated top. The inside was studded with grapes and candied orange. Combining the warm soufflé with the cold ice cream stopped me in my tracks. It was so superb that it is hard to put it into words, so I will stop. I will cherish the taste of this dish forever.

Overall, Verso Capitaneo was ambitious in their plating and cooking methods. I question if some dishes valued style over substance, but when the chef gets it right, it’s a home run. I see more 3* potential in Verso than Andrea Aprea, but Verso has quite a lot of room for improvement. The highs were higher at Verso, but the lows were lower. I was inexplicably served a ravioli with almond cream on the inside and I don’t know why. It was borderline inedible. Their signature king crab pasta [not pictured, the restaurant was very dark at that moment] was good but not as spectacular as I had hoped. Verso succeeds in presenting an interesting vision and philosophy of food (an early course of lobster tartare with horseradish ice cream, etc.), but, in my opinion, would benefit from simplifying some of the courses and delivering bolder flavors and textures with more traditional cooking. The open kitchen is a treat to watch, regardless of whatever they choose to serve. Verso is another restaurant I’ve never seen posted here, which is why I wanted to do a bit of a comparison.

Let me know if you have any questions!