The restaurant was established in 1962 and is in a quiet suburb of Milan. Aimo Moroni came to Milan in 1955, and took over the kitchen in a local restaurant. He met his wife Nadia and in 1962 they set up and ran their own restaurant in via Montecuccoli, where “Il Luogo” remains to this day. Initially the cooking style was that of Tuscany, but over time this developed to take in influences from other regions of Italy.
The small dining room has modern art adorning the walls and has about eight tables; there is a further, smaller room off to one side. The tasting menu is EUR 90, starters are from EUR 28 - 55, main courses EUR 37 - 80. The wine list stretches over 29 pages and is unusually well put together. For example the German growers included JJ Prum and Egon Muller, while from the US there was the excellent and rare Kistler McCrea at 2004 EUR 240 for a wine that costs about EUR 81 in the shops, if only you could find it. Rubicon Meerlust 2001 was EUR 80 compared to a retail price of around EUR 20. Egon Muller Kabinett 2007 is EUR 68 for a wine that costs around EUR 35 in the shops. Mas de Daumas Gassac 2001 was EUR 78 for a wine that will set you back around EUR 20 retail. The sommelier was terrific, very knowledgeable, and studying for the master of wine exams. He has already published two books on wine in Italy.
Bread was made from scratch and was a choice of cereal rolls, samphire, brown or polenta; it had pleasant texture (16/20). As a nibble was a white truffle paste on excellent brioche bread, the fragrance of the truffle evident, the texture smooth (17/20). Another amuse-bouche was a polenta with anchovies and carrot juice, with a nice peppery bite to it (16/20).
The first course was a white bean soup from Tuscany with alpine char and dried mullet roe. The beans had excellent texture, the fish flavour good, with croutons providing a little texture contrast; a pleasant, comforting dish (16/20). Spaghetti made with Senatore Cappelli durum wheat was a remarkably simple dish, just with spring onions and hot pepper sauce. Yet the pasta had perfect texture, the sauce providing just the right degree of bite to lift the flavour of the dish, the seasoning excellent. This was so simple, yet so enjoyable (easily 18/20).
Stewed "totani" (squid) with Sicilian almond and artichokes had remarkable texture, soft without even a hint of chewiness, again the flavours working well together (18/20). Next was oxtail stewed in Barolo wine, encased in a ring of delicate pomme puree with silky texture. The meat was slow cooked and had plenty of flavour, the seasoning was again well-judged, while the mash was simply superb (18/20).
A chocolate and chestnut "kiss" featured an almond sorbet with great depth of almond flavour, and a smoothly textured mousse (17/20). A selection of three high quality coffees was available, served with a little selection of petit fours. Service was superb: friendly and attentive. To me this is what Italian food is all about, simple dishes elevated to a high level by sheer care and attention in the kitchen; a thoroughly enjoyable meal.
BookFurther reviews: 13th Jul 2023 | 03rd Jun 2016
Mark Thompson
We dined at Aimo e Nadia in January 2007. At that time they had earned a 1-star Michelin rating. It was by far the best 1-star restaurant of our food journeys and more enjoyable than many 2 and 3 stars. I am glad they have been awarded a second star and Andy had a very good meal. We loved this restaurant because of the unique layered flavors and great service with a "family type" kindness. Also, great selections from the sommelier. We all ordered the seven course tasting menu ... with the two amuse bouche we knew it was going to be a great night. The top courses were 1) Delicate cream of cardoons with small ravioli filled with pumpkin and robiola di Roccaverano cheese and 2) Piedmontese veal tenderloin cooked rare in thin breadcrumbs crust. Really a good time and lunch at Da Giacomo the next day was great.