Martina's advice: the "Cantina da Mario" osteria

One of the questions I am asked most often when welcoming guests is "what restaurant do you recommend?"... I try to always give targeted information that responds to the customer's tastes and needs.

A restaurant that I always list among our best recommendations (given the very positive feedback from customers) is Cantina da Mario. The restaurant has a rustic and familiar style, but it is also elegant in its simplicity.

This Osteria has been managed for a few years now by Michele and Giulia, a young couple who have recreated a youthful environment. At the same time, they are very tied to traditions and it shows in their historic family restaurant.

Our bond with this little restaurant has distant roots: Toni, Giulia's uncle and "institution" of the place, is an old family friend of ours, and he has known both me and my brother since we were very little! He is a lover of Friulian culture and a source of historical and, why not, funny anecdotes.

Now let's get down to business.. what are you eating?

The menu changes depending on the freshness of the products and seasonality, with an obvious preference for the FVG-branded local products. I'll give you some bombshell news: their "must" dish, frico, is always present in the appetizer list. You should know that this is not a traditional frico. In fact, it has been revisited by chef Fabien: the magic touch is the jam which varies according to seasonality. Its basic ingredient still remains the onion, in all its varieties.

Another dish you can always find on the menu is risotto, and even in this case the rules are dictated by nature. When we last visited the restaurant, we found a fabulous one: risotto with carrot cream, cuttlefish quarter crumbs, curry sauce, passion fruit and burrata. Its origin is also interesting, as it is dedicated to the "perfumes that came from the kitchens of the Indian troops in the Foro Boario of Latisana during the Second World War", as can be read in their menu. Who knows what risotto you will find instead... I'm sure that in any case it will be delicious!

Among the first courses there are also "tagliatelle al minusan", a ragú of chicken giblets that is very typical of our areas... and then you can't help but end the dinner with one of their strictly homemade desserts, such as tiramisu with ladyfingers the chefs prepare with their very own hands.

All these dishes are wisely paired with wines… of the house or local and non-local specialities. It's all up to you, who can obviously count on spot-on advice.

All these delicacies and this welcoming and rustic environment are located just a two-minute drive from our farmhouse, but can easily be reached with a walk through the luxuriant Via Fornasatte.

Obviously upon your return you will find our porch where you can have a chat with a full belly (the best in my opinion). What are you waiting for to come and visit us?