OUR FAVOURITE COTOLETTA ALLA MILANESE
Who doesn’t love cotoletta alla milanese? It is our soul food, our comfort food, the treat grandma used to prepare us when we were kids and we visited her on Sundays. Therefore, our favourite cotoletta alla milanese is the one we make at home, with our family! But here is a list of places where you can taste something very close to it. We have followed the recommendations of Valerio M. Visintin, a famous food writer, and we have tried all of them. But first things first: when was cotoletta invented? And above all: who invented it, Italians or Austrians?
MILANESE COTOLETTA OR AUSTRIAN WIENER SCHNIETZEL?
Both dishes consist of a thin, breaded, pan-fried veal cutlet. The debate about which was invented first is now century-old, and it will go on forever. Yet there are documents from the XII century using the Latin name lumbolos cum panitio, which can be translated as “little chops with breadcrumbs”. Therefore a dish similar to the cotoletta alla milanese already existed at that time.
COTOLETTA BY DANIEL
Daniel Canzian is the chef of his eponymous restaurant: a vast, relaxing room in the Brera district, next to the so-called “Leonardo da Vinci’s lock”, where once upon a time the waters of Navigli canal used to flow placidly. His cotoletta is maybe the best in town, according to Visintin, but we also couldn’t resist his “exponential risotto”with curry, paprika and tea.
COTOLETTA BY MARTINO
Da Martino stands on the opposite side of the range of restaurants, in terms of luxury and elegance, than Daniel. It is small, packed with little tables and simple. You will be welcomed as one of the family. Here cotoletta is wide and tasty, covered with tiny tomatoes and some arugula. The menu changes every day, depending on what is available from the farmer’s market.
COTOLETTA BY BRUNELLO
A stone’s throw away from the new Porta Nuova district, bustling with life at any time of day and night, Osteria Brunello gets its name from the famous red wine from Tuscany. Yet its menu is definitely Lombard, including such must-have as risotto and, of course, cotoletta. We suggest to take a table outside, and enjoy the mild temperatures of this unusually warm Winter.
COTOLETTA BY NUOVO MACELLO
Trattoria del Nuovo Macello will surprise you: its cotoletta is not the usual “elephant’s ear”, wide and thin, but a thicker, smaller veal cutlet. And it stands uprighh! It is exceptionally light and delicate, and at the same time tasty and with the ideal balance of salt and fat. Unforgettable. This restaurant is not in the very centre of Milan but very close to the Meat District (hence its name, meaning “New Slaughterhouse”). We recommend you take a taxi: this restaurant is well worth the extra cost.
Mouthwatering, isn’t it? If you want to taste some other Italian speciality, do not hesitate: book a tour with us and we will let you discover the best food in town.
