The Gambrinus has absorbed almost all one side of the cross at the centre of the big arcade, and many people eat their simple evening meal there, though it only claims to be a u brasserie,” not a restaurant. There is a comparatively new restaurant and birreria in the big square on the opposite side of it to the Cathedral. This is the Casanova, Casanova which looks clean and bright with its Piazza dei nouveau art decorations, its galleries Camp0 Sant0 and its chairs and tables of light coloured wood. A band apparently plays all day long in the musicians’ gallery, for I have never passed there without hearing music inside, and I have found the simple food there 240 The Gourmet' s Guide to Europe to be cheap and well cooked. It is, I should think, a dangerous rival to the Gambrinus. I am told that I should include the De Albertis and the Isola Botta in my list of the restaurants of Milan, but I have never seen or been into either of these two dining places, and therefore can say nothing either good or bad about them. Wherever one dines and wherever one breakfasts there are certain Milanese dishes which one should order. The Minestrone soup is a dish which is not only found all over Italy but which is popular in Austria and on the French Riviera as well ; but the Minestrone alia Milanese , with its wealth of vegetables and suspicion of Par- mesa✪ Minestrone alla Milanesen, is especially excellent. The Risotto Milanese , rice slightly saute in butter, then boiled in capon broth, and finally seasoned with Parmesan✪ Risotto Milanese and saffron, is one of the celebrated Milanese dishes, but the simpler methods of serving Risotto , al sugoy al burroy or con fegatini suit better those who do not like saffron. Better still is a very well known dish of another town, Risotto Certosino , in which the rice is seasoned with a sauce of crayfish and garnished with their tails✪ Risotto Certosino. Then come the various manners of cooking veal, the Cbtelette a la Milanese , cutlets plunged in beaten eggs and fried in butter after being crumbed✪ Cotoletta alla Milanese, and others stewed with a little red wine and flavoured with rosemary ; and the Cbtelette alia Marsigliesey of batter, then ham, then meat which, when fried, is one of the dishes of the populace on a feast day. Ossobuco , a shin of veal cut into slices and stewed with a flavouring of lemon rind✪ Ossobuco, is another veal dish ; and so is the delicate Fritto Picatto of calf’s brains, liver, and tiny slices of flesh. Polpette a la Milanese are forcemeat balls✪ Polpette alla Milanese stewed. Panettone are the cakes of the city✪ Panettone and are much eaten at Carnival time. Stracchino or Crescenza is a cheese much like the French Brie. Gorgonzola all the world knows well ; and though Parmesan takes its name from Italy 241 that Duchess of Parma who introduced it into France, the best quality comes from Lodi, near Milan. Val Policella and Valle d’Inferno are the wines to drink. AFTER DINNER

AI-modernized reading of the original text

The Gambrinus has absorbed almost all one side of the cross at the centre of the big arcade, and many people eat their simple evening meal there, though it only claims to be a u brasserie,” not a restaurant. There is a comparatively new restaurant and birreria in the big square on the opposite side of it to the Cathedral. This is the Casanova, Casanova which looks clean and bright with its Piazza dei nouveau art decorations, its galleries Camp0 Sant0 and its chairs and tables of light coloured wood. A band apparently plays all day long in the musicians’ gallery, for I have never passed there without hearing music inside, and I have found the simple food there 240 The Gourmet' s Guide to Europe to be cheap and well cooked. It is, I should think, a dangerous rival to the Gambrinus. I am told that I should include the De Albertis and the Isola Botta in my list of the restaurants of Milan, but I have never seen or been into either of these two dining places, and therefore can say nothing either good or bad about them. Wherever one dines and wherever one breakfasts there are certain Milanese dishes which one should order. The Minestrone soup is a dish which is not only found all over Italy but which is popular in Austria and on the French Riviera as well ; but the Minestrone alia Milanese , with its wealth of vegetables and suspicion of Parmesan, is especially excellent. The Risotto Milanese , rice slightly saute in butter, then boiled in capon broth, and finally seasoned with Parmesan and saffron, is one of the celebrated Milanese dishes, but the simpler methods of serving Risotto , al sugoy al burroy or con fegatini suit better those who do not like saffron. Better still is a very well known dish of another town, Risotto Certosino , in which the rice is seasoned with a sauce of crayfish and garnished with their tails. Then come the various manners of cooking veal, the Cbtelette a la Milanese , cutlets plunged in beaten eggs and fried in butter after being crumbed, and others stewed with a little red wine and flavoured with rosemary ; and the Cbtelette alia Marsigliesey of batter, then ham, then meat which, when fried, is one of the dishes of the populace on a feast day. Ossobuco , a shin of veal cut into slices and stewed with a flavouring of lemon rind, is another veal dish ; and so is the delicate Fritto Picatto of calf’s brains, liver, and tiny slices of flesh. Polpette a la Milanese are forcemeat balls stewed. Panettone are the cakes of the city and are much eaten at Carnival time. Stracchino or Crescenza is a cheese much like the French Brie. Gorgonzola all the world knows well ; and though Parmesan takes its name from Italy 241 the Duchy of Parma which introduced it into France, the best quality comes from Lodi, near Milan. Val Policella and Valle d’Inferno are the wines to drink.

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Minestrone alla MilaneseRisotto MilaneseRisotto CertosinoCotoletta alla MilaneseOssobucoPolpette alla MilanesePanettone

The gourmet's guide to Europe