Antica Trattoria Da Doro (VI)
A lively trattoria, a bulwark of taste and tradition, the "soul" of the small village of Solagna, in the province of Vicenza, located along the Brenta Canal a few km from Bassano del Grappa.
It does not often happen to be faced with an inn that has existed, with certain data, at least since 1600 and the Antica Trattoria Da Doro, according to what has emerged from recent historical research, seems to have been born as a hostel for wayfarers as early as the Middle Ages.
In 1948 the then osteria “alla Speranza” was taken over by Isidoro Scapin, thanks to his love for the daughter of the nearby butcher, and, for everyone, it became “da Doro”, from the nickname of its skilled innkeeper. Today it is his son Giovanni, together with his wife Annamaria and his nephew Serse, who, since the end of the 1980s, has continued the family tradition of good food and the art of hospitality.
From here has passed the whole life of the town, a great responsibility for our trattoria that we carry on with dedication and pride.
(Giovanni Scapin)
In fact, Giovanni, the chef of the restaurant, loves to tell that his philosophy in the kitchen, as well as in life, is based on two concepts that seem different but which, instead, resemble each other: tradition and innovation. Respecting the past, he loves to create a taste that is in line with today, focusing on good and genuine products.
A cuisine, therefore, based on local flavors and recipes handed down from family to family for generations that Giovanni enjoys innovating, according to his taste and his formidable sensitivity towards the raw material. Not surprisingly, a visionary chef and pioneer of many “trends”, since the 90s he has been appreciated by his loyal customers for the enhancement of traditional local ingredients such as sweetbreads, tripe, trout, herring or cod that he interprets with lightness and harmony.
Among the dishes that he cannot remove from the menu, under penalty of revolt from the regulars, we find, in fact, recipes such as the Rabbit liver paté, his famous Baccalà quasi mantecato (cod) without milk, flour and Parmesan, or the Baked onion soup au gratin, recipe inherited from his mother.
The suppliers of the restaurant are almost all local people, often friends with whom Giovanni has maintained twenty-year relationships and thanks to whom he can guarantee the quality and ethics of the product which are the basis of his vision.
The Antica Trattoria Da Doro, thanks also to the great passion of Serse, the sommelier, was also visionary in the choice of the wine list. In fact, since the 1990s, the well-stocked local wine shop has favored natural and organic wines, especially from small producers, chosen thanks to meticulous research and direct selection in the cellar.
The decor of the rooms also follows the personal taste of Giovanni and Annamaria which, after the conservative restoration of 2006 which brought the splendid building back to its seventeenth-century layout, brings together, with a bon vivant spirit, objects inherited from previous managements, such as spoons and the kitchen utensils that can be seen in the corridor that connects the two rooms, works of art donated or loaned by friends and customers, such as the beautiful watercolor by Hugo Pratt, and the result of important collaborations such as the “jewel” glasses by the glass master Massimo Lunardon.
And then, in every room, here it is: the record player that Giovanni loves to play in the background for his guests, having fun playing records according to the inspiration of the evening. A precious detail, as are the genuine love for this profession and the ability to keep intact all the charm of the old village inns of the past. Attention, this is not a cliche: card games tournaments, dancing evenings, and Christmases spent together with customers in the restaurant just say it long!
The Secret
Among the objects most loved by Giovanni, in the great hall of the trattoria we find an old banquet for “ombre” (glasses of wine in the local dialect) with a copper shelf convenient for washing glasses. It’s what dad Isidoro used to use to sell the first glasses of wine in his osteria; at the time, in the post-war period, a real novelty!
Useful Info
Antica Trattoria Da Doro
Via Ferracina 38
Solagna, Vicenza
Tel. +39 0424 816026
Starters: 10 — 14 euro
First courses: 10 — 12 euro
Second courses: 13 — 22 euro