La Piola - Alba — Doing Italy

Piedmont, the land of Barolo and Barbaresco also has really good food. Perhaps because it’s also the home of the exquisite white truffle. Maybe, when chefs get to play with such great ingredients their creativity is expressed to the fullest. But then again almost everywhere we’ve stopped to eat in Piedmont was surprisingly delicious. From the café’s where people eat on their lunch break to the 3 Michelin star restaurants.

Whatever the reason, I love visiting this region.

So when my husband said he had to go to Alba for work, and asked if I wanted to come along, I SAID YES. Plus he said I got to pick the restaurant.

La Piola offers many traditional piedmont dishes like ravioli di plin (a fresh homemade pasta filled with mixed braised meat), vitello tonnato (cold sliced veal served with tuna sauce), la bagna cauda (a garlic and anchovies dip served with vegetable credit), and gianduiotto (a chocolate and hazelnut dessert made in the shape of an upturned boat). At La Piola traditional recipes are elevated through the use of excellent ingredients and the techniques of a highly skilled chef.

But it’s not all just tradition, their menu also features a few dishes that are a light twists on the classics.

The restaurant in smack in the middle of Alba, in an updated historic space. The staff is warm, welcoming and still very professional.