Posts filed under 'Restaurants'
Il Rosa al Caminetto is the restaurant of a 4 star hotel behind the Duomo, in the very centre of Milan. Thanks to Marcello Forti, a young entrepreneur and new dad, the restaurant has taken a turn and become quite family friendly.
First of all, children under 8 eat free on any day, lunch or dinner. Then they have a big amount of crayons, markers and colouring books which they will happily bring to the young customers to keep busy while waiting for their meals…or while waiting for their parents to eat their own (a rare thing to find in Milan!).
We were there on a Sunday lunch when they serve an Italian version of brunch. There was a starter buffet with cheese, cold cuts, salads, quiche and grilled vegetables. This was followed by an entree and a main course, and we finished the lunch with a trip to the dessert trolley! (more…)
Michela in Milan
Feb 07, 2009
Last Sunday we spent the perfect winter day visiting the Natural History Museum. We met there quite late in the morning, with another family with two children.
We first toured the ground floor where the main attractions for children are the skeletons and reproduction of dinosaurs; there is a life-size triceratops that is really impressive.
Then we headed to the cafeteria, which is on the top floor with a gorgeous view over the roofs and trees of this very central neighbourhood of the city. While, as usual in Milan, the cafeteria does not cater especially to children, the staff there are really patient and will help you compose a plate for the little ones. I was not sure what my little daughter was going to like, so they let me pick and mix among the various foods available. The quality is good and the price quite reasonable.
Then we headed to the first floor so that the children could burn off some of the energy accumulated while sitting at the table. They roamed enthusiastically through the corridors, looking at wild animals set in nicely restored dioramas that really help them envision where lions, polar bears, elephants and the like live in reality. (more…)
Michela in Milan
Feb 01, 2009
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I did something we had not done in a while; we went out for dinner on a Wednesday night. We picked a relatively new restaurant in our neighbourhood on the basis of a couple of reviews we had read (and their website) and we were so pleased with our choice!
Pane e Acqua is a very small restaurant opened by chef Francesco Passalacqua when he decided that the experience he had accumulated over the years working in the best Milanese restaurants was enough to start playing solo. The cuisine is delicious — a modern and elaborate take on traditional Piedmont recipes. The people who work with Francesco are all young and friendly; you can tell they enjoy what they do.
What also helped me fall in love with this place is the décor. It’s so not Milanese I’m afraid… it’s so young, understated and cool, not flashy but vibrant and colourful. It is a clever mixture of old, new, rich and poor!
I keep recommending it to everyone I talk to, and I can’t wait to go back!
-Michela
p.s. photo by studio Calatroni
Michela in Milan
Jan 05, 2009
Milan is not a city full of spaces for great outdoor activities; people just make the best of what is available! The biggest park in the center of town is Parco Sempione, bordered by the Sforzesco Castle, the Triennale, the Arco della Pace and the Aquarium. It’s no wonder it has been central to Milanese leisure time activities since its creation in 1888.
So even if it’s not comparable to the beautiful (and unique) London parks, it constitutes a very good and effective outlet for kid’s energy. They can run, ride bicycles and play football, and on the side nearer Arco della Pace there is a nice playground with big climbing structures that will appeal even to the most experienced kid. Nearby there are kids’ electrical motorbikes and cars — the dream of every preschooler, and a cute (and old) electrical train that will be the joy of the younger ones. (more…)
Michela in Milan
Oct 22, 2008
This restaurant has a story with a happy ending!
El Resentin* used to be a wine-bar, or better a “grappa” bar open ’til late every night, where actors from the nearby theatre could find a quiet place to have a drink after the show. It opened 25 years ago on the ashes of a bistro that had been there since the 1920s. But in the spring of 2007 it closed down.
Then Rome-born Eros Ramazzotti, the famous singer, who lives nearby in the Brera neighbourhood and used to have breakfast in a café on the other side of the street, noticed the closed windows and thought it could be nice to open a restaurant to build even stronger roots in Milan and in the neighbourhood that had always made him feel welcome.
He bought the place and last September the “new” Resentin opened for business. The idea was to have a nice and welcoming place where one could eat like at home, and where families could feel welcome.
The menu is simple with a few starters, about five “primi piatti” of pasta and rice, about five mains (meat and fish), a few nice salads and very good desserts. Complemented by a serious wine list. The selection is modern and traditional at the same time, quite a good mix! (more…)
Michela in Milan
Oct 20, 2008
I recently took a stroll in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, the only covered gallery in Milan that connects the Duomo Square to the La Scala Square. It was built in the second half of the nineteenth century and traditionally it was considered Milan’s ‘good sitting room’. It used to be lined with luxury boutiques and nice cafés, and they all had black signs with gold writing. Then in the 1980s the quality of the shops fell and the Galleria wasn’t a shopping destination anymore. The central octagon still hosts a MacDonalds (with a very sober black sign!), but now the wind has changed and in the space of 50 meters, under the same glass volts, you can find Tod’s, Prada, Gucci and Luis Vuitton. So if you need a handbag you know where to go! (more…)
Michela in Milan
Sep 10, 2008
What have they got in common? Nothing you’d think. But they successfully coalesce in the new Coffee Design here in Milan, which reopened in full swing this April.
The place has just been refurbished by Michele De Lucchi, and it is now more sleek and airy. The kitchen is now behind a huge glass wall and chefs can been seen working from the main bar counter. The menu is the fruit of the cooperation of Carlo Cracco — a Michelin starred chef, and the Autogrill group, already present in more than 50 locations where food and culture mix, like the Prado museum, the Jardin de Versailles or the Empire State Building. 
The menu is a balanced mix between delicious sandwiches, healthy salads, selections of cheese and cold cuts and a few warm traditional Italian dishes presented in a very modern way. There is also an impressive wine list!
So where do the kids fit in? You can get every dish in a child’s portion for about 2/3 of the price! So civilized, and so rare in Milan…
-Michela
Michela in Milan
May 18, 2008
Museums in Milan are not too exciting for kids; they could do with some re-styling and the addition of some hands-on activities. So when Esther came for a visit on one of the few rainy weekends in January, I was not sure where we could go with our four kids! (Shopping all day was definitely out of the question)!
I opted for a lunch at the cafeteria of la Triennale followed by a visit to the just opened Design Museum. 
La Triennale foundation di Milano is a cultural institution that funds and hosts exhibitions and various cultural activities in the fields of architecture, design and contemporary art. Since 1933 it has been based in Milan, in the Palazzo dell’Arte, which is located quite conveniently (on a sunny day) next to Parco Sempione, a decent-sized urban park.
The choice couldn’t have been better… even though they were refurbishing the kitchens so all we could get for lunch were (nicely filled) paninis! (more…)
Michela in Milan
Mar 16, 2008
Monday:
Take it easy on Monday morning, as so many things are closed! Go to a nice bar and have the typical Italian breakfast: cappuccino and cornetto (the italian croissant) and get a babyccino for your kids. To get the full experience you should have it quickly and while standing up, but that may not be ideal with children in tow.
Wherever you are you should not be too far from a stop of the 29/30 tram line: it’s a line that does a complete loop around Milan following the (now inexistent) Spanish walls. The trams in service on this line are very old, similar to San Francisco’s cable cars, and children love them! Wait until rush hour is over and board one, tickets are 1 euro and kids below 10 go free.
Get off in Corso Vercelli, one of the nicest shopping streets in Milan. Corso Vercelli, together with its continuation Via Belfiore and Via Marghera is probably one of the best places for shoes, kid’s shops and jewellery (together with everything else). Take a break and have a gelato at Grom, undoubtedly the best ice cream in the world! Reboard the tram and complete your tour. (more…)
Michela in Milan
Feb 18, 2008
On Saturday morning we decided to go and have a look at the new food hall on the 7th floor at “La Rinascente” (which is basically the only department store in Milan).
It does look great. It reminds me a bit of the 5th floor at Harvey Nicks (in London) …although it’s possibly smaller.
There’s a restaurant, coffee bar, chocolate (Valrhona) corner, juice bar, sushi bar, sandwich bar and a mozzarella bar. Plus you can buy some fine teas, biscuits, ham, cheeses, sauces etc.
So why am I telling you this? (more…)
Michela in Milan
Nov 07, 2007
