Something happened. Davide Scabin opened a beat al trattoria Central Market of Rome, at Termini Station. As if the general quality of this latest creation of Umberto Montano it wasn't already sky-high.

The Central Markets

Behind the Central Market in Florence, Rome, Turin and what will soon open in Milan, there is always the same genius: Umberto Montano. Born in the dunes and gullies of Stigliano, from a painter's father and mother nurse, he soon began working as a teacher in a hotel institute. Then, one by one the bursting of his enthusiasm, one by one the need to escape from some problems, he moved to Florence, where he continued his teaching work. During this period, he feels ever more strongly a deep desire for freedom: "The freedom to be in a big city, the freedom to be able to build something of my own, the freedom also to make mistakes. And dreams have no inhibitions . So he looks for and finds a restaurant (today Alle Murate of Florence, with very ancient depictions of Dante) buys and studies Ferrandini's book Honesty in the kitchen and decides that in the years in which tradition was denied he would have done honest and professional cuisine, the two threads of all the places that will open to follow. Without repeating ourselves about Florence, Turin or anticipating us on Milan, we lean towards Rome, where even before the arrival of Scabin, nothing was at a very high level, with the maximum of catering: from the pizza by Gabriele Bonci to the round one of Pier Daniele Seu, up to trapezzini by Stefano Callegari and the selection of wines from the great sommelier Luca Boccoli.

Piedmontese cuisine

To maintain this tenor, Umberto Montano had no doubts in entrusting the Mercato restaurant to Scabin, who already imagined Scabeat just as he wanted it: a disruptive trattoria, open seven days out of seven, which served in perfect New York beat style agnolotti del plin is Saltimbocca to the Roman at any time, from eight to midnight. "I want to become a reference point for both travelers and the Romans, I want to get into the Roman's favor, I want it to come to Termini for dinner, as a sort of after-theater." The idea is that of a kitchen piemontesca, which unites the dishes of Piedmont, the region that flows in the blood of Scabin, with those of the Roman tradition, towards which the chef has a profound respect. So there are vitello tonnato is broccoli soup, but also a mix of both as the Cavour risotto going to Rome, with fondue and chicory, or i Beans with pork rinds but Piedmontese or, again, as we shall see, cuts of meat directly from Marco Martini of Boves, in the province of Cuneo, cooked in the Roman style. In short, a truly beat cuisine that just like the generation in the fifties, rejects the rules imposed for new, explicit, raw representations. And all in Nasa oven ceramics. But from one like this, it was to be expected.

Word of grandmother (Roman)

To be sure of starting off on the right foot, Scabin wanted the grandmothers, Roman of course. So, after a non-stop night where his dishes came out to the rhythm of dj Claudio Coccoluto, the menu was submitted to the judgment of some Roman ladies who came from various parts of the city to test this new opening. The verdict was more than positive, I would say enthusiastic, above all on a traditional Roman dish that won over everyone and that, despite their years of home experience, didn't even know them: the Picchiapò.

Famolo alla Picchiapò

The Picchiapò is one of the ancient recipes of Roman cuisine, the real one, at home, not iconographic. There are various hypotheses about the origin of the name. What is certain is that it is also a mask: in the past "Picchiabbò", with the b, represented a court dwarf, an extravagant character. In the kitchen, instead, it indicates a recovered meat, usually a boiled beef (not to be confused with boiled meat), sautéed in a sauce of stewed onions with tomato and accompanied with potatoes. For the occasion Scabin proposed the Cheek to the Picchiapò bringing together two classics in true Piedmontese beat style: Piedmontese beef cheek by Marco Martini, cooked at Picchiapò. Needless to say that in this dish there is a profound sense of what Scabeat wants to be.

Breakfast for taxi drivers

But for Scabin breakfast is the meal of the future: "I almost never do it myself, but if I want to give myself a gift, then eggs, salmon and avocado". So he devised the one he called breakfast for taxi drivers, designed for all those workers who finish the shift or start the work day very early, but also for businessmen such as entrepreneurs and managers who are between 8 and 9 am to be connected with the time zone both in Japan and in New York. For this it will be in real beat style with Benedict eggs, ricotta, bacon, soppressata, cured meats, cheeses, fondue, Club Sandwich, White pizza; but also croissants, brioche and toasted bread in the right place with butter and jam. In short, great intentions that will soon come true in a place that is already a security, because as the fuchsia sign above the kitchen reads: "The future is what we have forgotten". And I add: we just need to remind ourselves.