A borderland and a way station, but above all a medieval village of great charm gentrified over the recent years. Domodossola, hidden in the center of the Ossola seven valleys, is nowadays a popular tourist destination boasting its natural beauty, culture, food, and wine.
Atelier is in the modern Hotel Eurossola, former Hotel Spinoglio, owned by the family of Giorgio Bartolucci, who is, assisted by his wife and sister, the chef and manager of the restaurant.
The new generation has profoundly renovated the venue, choosing bright colors and an informal style, in line with the "pleasure of feeling at home" that has always inspired the hospitality.
Large open kitchen, located in the center of the dining room, stresses the importance of the space where dishes are created and the desire to show the customer their commitment and care.
The restaurant has two souls. Bistrot, with 50-60 seats, and Atelier, one Michelin star, sitting 28 guests.
Bistrot offers menus of the day and traditional dishes. Ancient Gnocchi d'Ossola, invented by Giorgio Bartolucci's father in 1983 and still a symbol of the city and the territory, the gateau of antigoriana ricotta with the soft heart of Bettelmatt and Val Vigezzo ham, and lamb scottadito served with porcini mushrooms and puffed polenta wafers. Besides these, we find international dishes such as Tuna Caesar Salad and Club Sandwich.
Atelier, on the other hand, offers a cuisine that combines the best products of the Ossola Valley, sourced from local suppliers, and the innovative techniques mastered by the chef overseas to bring intriguing proposals that will amaze the diners.
There have been many successful dishes here, such as the Beura polenta arancino with Anzola gorgonzola, the chestnut gnocchi with Cureggio onions and dark chocolate, or the hazelnut Vigezzo lamb with confit tomatoes and pumpkin flowers. The menu changes completely every season following the chef's pursuit of creative experimentation.
When we dined here, they served venison with salsify, mountain red and black currant, fatty ox steak with smoked vegetables and Carmagnola peppers ketchup, mandarin eel and scampo, just to name a few.
Moving on to desserts, the main options are the D as in Domodossola, D shaped chocolate and coconut shortbread with pineapple, creamy chocolate, and mango sorbet, and Ossola, a valley-shaped re-worked Piedmont bonnet served with grappa-flavored pears, blueberry ice cream, Ossolan cheese cream and Chivasso amaretti. Apart from that, caged apples with hazelnuts and amaretti served with grappa-soaked apples, vanilla sauce, and homemade cinnamon ice cream, and the Biancomangiare with chestnuts.
Wine List mainly focuses on Piedmont and the Ossola wine-makers but has some interesting labels from other regions of Italy and abroad. The bottles are kept in the cellar in the main room - accessible to guests - in two areas with different temperatures, for reds and whites.
The restaurant serves Millennium Water - Antica Fonte della Salute mineral water, carefully selected for its purity and refined design of the bottle.
The story of Atelier is a story that has been going on with passion driven by the guests' happiness giving force to write new chapters of the story.
Atelier Restaurant, Domodossola
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The restaurant is a member of JRE - Jeunes Restaurateurs, an association of young restaurateurs and chefs with a common goal to share their talent and love for food with like-minded people." Renato Rizzardi is an honorary member of JRE.
