Spazio Battirame 11 in Bologna, review: a winning formula for everyone
Battirame 11 is more than a restaurant: it's a project that embraces all the best practices of contemporary cuisine, from inclusion to sustainability and, of course, masterful cooking.
First, there's the municipal vegetable garden, owned and operated by a cooperative that produces vegetables and legumes, employing workers from socially vulnerable areas, providing them with jobs to escape marginalization. This inclusive garden, with organic produce, not only supplies Max Poggi's restaurant, but also serves an entire community through the policies of local solidarity purchasing groups. Hospitality, nature, and health are the watchwords for this experience, which uses four hectares of land belonging to an old farmhouse in the Roveri neighborhood, within one of the largest artisanal zones in the area. This year, it turns five, but it's not finished growing and accumulating projects.
This project draws on Max Poggi's experience, which focuses on comprehensive sustainability, choosing only small producers and farmers to supply raw materials. The first impact is that Battirame's menu changes constantly every week. When you adopt a policy that excludes all large supply chains, ingredient availability is never consistent, and you have to adapt: "What's available, when it's available" is the motto of the chef, who has made a virtue of necessity. This way, however, we can truly support smaller businesses that produce quality products, but their numbers aren't sufficient to reach large-scale distribution. Reliable raw material sourcing, waste reduction, and respect for work that redevelops a socially responsible dimension are the guiding principles for an experience that transcends the culinary aspect.
Sustainability is a concept often overused by many who seek to follow a course of action that's often very difficult to fully sustain. But this isn't the case, and when we encounter truly virtuous examples, it's right to point this out, because it's not just a matter of narrative. If it's not limited to words, or a few select products, sustainability means extensive research among producers and a constant struggle to source raw materials, with all the resulting repercussions on kitchen work, which becomes just the last step in a much more demanding commitment. Where this concept manages to marry sensitive social issues that are difficult to align with production and marketing logic, then we're faced with a truly unique case. Let's face it: if the food at Battirame was bad, truly bad, it would still be a success. Fortunately, the opposite is true.
The restaurant is entirely outdoors, with many reused objects (as per the design logic), and a spartan feel reminiscent of a country festival; string lights hang from the trees, and tables scattered around the garden have marble tops and small placemats. Ceramic creations and bottles shaped by the cooperative's artisans also grace the table, adding a splash of color. The waiters constantly roam the large garden, always attentive and courteous. Then, at the end of the service, the chef appears, enviably enthusiastic, ready to chat with customers and explain the Battirame project.
The formula is the same every evening: a four-course menu (appetizer, first course, second course, and dessert) and a bottle of wine for every two people from the Cesari farm, a partner in the project, at a fixed price of €50. We enjoyed a welcome dip, followed by a superb zucchini flavored with roast chicken sauce and parmesan cream. This dish already demonstrates Max Poggi's mastery of cooking juices, which extract aromas and create true concentrations of flavor that transform a dish.
The same can be said for the slice made from a large cut of old beef, perfectly browned and kept pink inside, flavored with a Sangiovese sauce and some roasted vegetables accompanied by a magnificent tomato gratin: the meat, sourced from a Reggio Emilia farm, is tender and flavorful, enriched by a glossy, wine-flavored sauce. It ends with a baked ricotta tart with a perfectly executed cherry sauce.
These days the Battirame space is winding down and in mid-September Max Poggi will return to cook at the Trebbo restaurant, so I recommend not missing the final stages of this beautiful experiment, in which ethics and sustainability are the compass of great gastronomy.
Opinion
Spazio Battirame 11 is a winning bet from the start, where everything focuses on social ethics and food sustainability to result in a great cuisine.
PRO
- outdoor restaurant in a relaxed and informal atmosphere
