Latteria San Marco, Milan

Next stop was Milan. I had heard many good reviews of this restaurant, so decided to have a quick lunch the day after I arrived. It's a very small restaurant, probably only seats only 20 to 25 people. This a very typical Italian family owned restaurant, where the wife is the cook, the husband handles the bar and the rest of the family are involved somehow...

For starters, I had Coppa Piacentina with Melon. This is a very typical summer dish in Spain/Italy...actually a no brainer: The freshness/sweetness of the Melon combined with the salty Jamon Serrano/Prosciutto or Coppa in this case is just a perfect combination. Coppa is a type of Salami made from pork (neck) salted, aged naturally and stored raw. The finished product is cylindrical in shape and weighs around 1.5 kilos. It's not as salty as prosciutto, in fact a bit sweeter, but it still has enough salt to have a good contrast with the Melon.

For main, I had: Carne Cruda Marinata con Pomodori - a different version of Carpaccio, in this case the meat is marinated in some kind of lemon mixture..which I know is typical from Piedmont. a very refreshing/light dish which, if you are a regular reader of this blog, you will know how I love raw meat. When i see it on the menu, I just cant resist not ordering it.

We opted not to have dessert, just 2 cups of 'cafe', which is how they call the espresso in Italy. Incidentally, I must say that the best espresso I've had, is in Italy. A short, concentrated shot of espresso, served at the right temperature and with the 'crema'...just a perfect way to end a meal.