Ristorante I Due Cippi dal 1976

Dishes mentioned

• Trippa di Mara alla Brace

  This is tripe from the Mara breed, the cap part, cooked on the grill and then seasoned with beef stock, oil, salt, and pepper. If they hadn't told me this was tripe, it would have been hard to tell — the texture is completely changed, the outside is crunchy, the inside is very soft, almost melting. You can taste the smoke from the grill, it's very delicate, and the stock makes it appetizing, making you want to taste it again. We almost always order tripe at trattorias, but this is the first time I've had tripe from the grill.

• Lingua alla Brace con Seppia e Crema di Colatura di Alici e Limone

  We have the central part of the tongue cooked on the grill, seasoned with cuttlefish and a cream of anchovy drippings and lemon. This is a dish that was really thought out — the cuttlefish, which is usually a crunchy element, here becomes the soft element that makes everything more enveloping, because the crunchy part in this case is the outer part of the tongue. Then there's this stock with the anchovy drippings that gives it that savoriness, and I also taste a bit of lemon inside this stock. I don't know if in such high-level restaurants you can say 'mortacci quanto è buono', but I say it anyway.

• Animella di Vitello alla Brace con Porcino alla Brace Glassato alla Liquirizia e Zuppa di Porcini con Salvia Fritta

  We have veal sweetbread on the grill, porcini mushroom on the grill glazed with licorice, and a porcini mushroom soup with fried sage. You should know that Michele doesn't like licorice — it's true, I confirm, I eat everything except one thing: licorice. But I try to take everything together, this is a great classic. It's a dish that even in a context like this brings you flavors you could have in a very traditional restaurant, everything cooked to perfection, crazy techniques, a very successful dish. For the first time in my life I ate a dish with licorice that was amazing, pleasant, and I loved it — the licorice didn't show what for me are limits imposed by my taste buds. In this case you taste it just a little at the end on the tip of your tongue, and it refreshes, it makes you come back for the second bite with freshness. He uses licorice to give freshness — that's huge.

• Lumaca alla Brace con Aglio, Cipolla, Fagioli Cannellini, Sedano, Erbette di Campo, Estratto di Pomodoro e Olio al Prezzemolo

  We have snail on the grill with garlic, onion, cannellini beans, celery, wild herbs, tomato extract, and parsley oil. The snail in this dish becomes very delicate, and you taste all the rustic side — the celery, the leek, the aromatic herbs, the parsley oil. I taste just the snail — it's made delicate by the grill. The grill gives that smoke that makes it less 'snail-like' and therefore delicate. We are witnessing a little magic on the plate. In the previous dish, licorice made the dish better, at least for my palate — a palate that doesn't love licorice — and in this case the grill makes the snails better, or at least sweetens them, we can say it gentles them. There is an audience that doesn't love snails — this could be the first approach to snails.

• Ravioli Ripieni di Diaframma di Chianina con Demi-Glace di Manzo e Limone Candito

  We have ravioli stuffed with Chianina diaphragm, seasoned with beef demi-glace and candied lemon. You see, this is caramelized lemon — it gives so much freshness. I didn't expect this creamy consistency inside the ravioli — a diaphragm, maybe I expected it a bit more 'rustic' in quotes, but it works a lot because the pasta sheet is soft but at the same time has some slightly crunchier corners. Then there's the demi-glace from the same meat, which is crazy, and that lemon zest that gives the freshness that makes you want to try it again. This Chianina raviolo is what I want to find in restaurants like these — a very refined first course with a carnivorous heart, and despite the appearance being a bit feminine, I see it as a woman with balls, because lightening it with candied lemon softens it. If it had been male, candied lemon wouldn't have been there, in my opinion. Then guys, come here and order the raviolo — regardless of whether it's male or female, it really deserves it.

Dishes mentioned

• Champagne
• Soppressata di mangalizza

  This soppressata from Mangalica pig is incredible. When you put it in your mouth, it almost feels like a candied fruit. The aromas don't hide the pork flavor but elevate it to the highest level. It's sweet at first, then peppery, with hints of berries and hazelnuts. I've never had a soppressata like this before.

• Raviolotti con diaframma

  This raviolotto looks almost like a plin with its closure. The pasta is very thin. When you chew it, it mixes perfectly with the diaphragm filling, which is nicely adherent to the dough. Then you get that candied, citrusy flavor of the lemon, and the sticky demiglass on your lips closes everything. The candied lemon goes really well with the diaphragm. It tastes like grandma's broth. But there were too few of them.

• Spiedino di lingua con gamberetti

  I want to start with this skewer. The shrimp has a much firmer texture compared to the tongue, which is reduced to an incredible cream. The lardo in which the shrimp are cooked and the beef fondo add so much richness. It's fantastic.

• Trippa alla brace

  I was really curious to try this trippa alla brace. It's spectacular. I thought I'd taste the grill much more strongly, but the charcoal flavor is limited to the outside, and then you get a lot of the beef fondo. The trippa is incredibly tender inside.