If someone had told you that chocolate would marry the sea in a riot of flavors, would you have believed a gastronomic joke? Yet, it really happened. Last night, the prestigious Bistrot Restaurant in Forte dei Marmi opened its doors to one of the most surprising and refined evenings of the year: “Le Chocolat des Territoires du Monde et la Mer,” an event signed Chaîne des Rôtisseurs and masterfully orchestrated by President Giovanna Elettra Livreri.
Doing the honors was an exceptional duo: master chocolatier Alessio Tessieri, visionary founder of Noalya and the Tessieri School, and Executive Chef Andrea Mattei, the heart and soul of the Bistrot Restaurant. Together, they have transformed chocolate from sweet temptation to the undisputed star of a bold and surprising menu. And it’s like a journey between the sea and cocoa: the menu that enchanted everyone. Special thanks To Silvia Biagioni, Gastronomic Advisor, who collaborated on the choice of the menu.
Forget the classic dark chocolate in a cup or the usual praline after coffee. Here we are talking about blond shrimp tartare with fennel and Criollo Almendra Blanca de Tabasco chocolate, or a slice of baked ombrine with 70% Madagascar chocolate, cauliflower puree and Vermouth di Prato. Pairings that sound like poetry for the palate, joined in a dance of flavors where cocoa enhances, amazes and, let’s face it, challenges the most traditionalists.
All, of course, washed down with an impeccable selection of wines and spirits carefully chosen to enhance every nuance of the “food of the gods.” Because, you know, cocoa has a thousand personalities, just like the best guests at an exclusive dinner party.
The atmosphere of the evening combined conviviality and gastronomic culture with a hint of wonder. Chocolate becomes art between bites, guests discovered the secrets of Noalya’s “bean to bar” method and the importance of selecting the best cocoa beans from distant and fascinating lands. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to explore how a much-loved ingredient can reinvent itself and amaze in all its forms.
In short, a perfect evening for the most refined palates, haute cuisine enthusiasts and diehard chocolate dreamers. Because, let’s face it, who would have imagined that cocoa could turn into the secret soul of a fish dish? Yet, after this experience, we will never look at a chocolate bar with the same eyes again.
