Tolin Macelleria con Cucina (PD)
A place to discover the best meats, the result of a centuries-old tradition of butchers artisans that has been handed down from father to son for three generations. At the foot of the Euganean Hills, in a small village suspended in time, the Tolin family has, in fact, created an entire world, from the delicatessen store to the restaurant, dedicated to the excellence of meat, not only by selecting the best “raw materials”, but also following the entire supply chain with obsessive care, from the cut to the perfect ageing.
The story begins in Padua with grandfather Aldo, continues with his son Carlo (portrayed in the vintage photo featured in the gallery), who arrives in Lozzo in 1975 to work in the cooperative of local breeders, with whom they still collaborate today, and continues in the present with Andrea Tolin, his wife Lara and their children Camilla and Francesco.
From the 1980s onwards the family business has been continuously expanding in search of maximum customer satisfaction: in 1988 the takeaway opens, in 2012 an outdoor terrace with tables is created for customers who wish to taste the specialties of the butcher and in 2015 the restaurant opens, an immediate success.
For the interior, Lara and Andrea wanted to recreate the atmosphere of their “home” with furnishings made of recycled furniture and everyday objects, such as the guitar or the vintage records collection, the Moka always on the fire (strictly with Caffè Torrefazione Jamaica by Gianni Frasi), or the vegetable garden where you can get the freshest spices every day.
The star of the restaurant is, in particular, the beef meat: fine Limousine, Pezzate Rosse, and Frisone cuts come mainly from the local Lozzo’s stables or from the green Sardinian pastures, while the Angus grass-fed raised in the wild comes from BI Farm in Quarto d’Altino, whilst the chickens are those raised outdoors in Scudellaro di Candiana.
On the menu, there is plenty of choice for lovers of noble proteins: from the trio of tartare to FriTolin, from the “Elephant Ear” to Florentine steak.
The pasta is homemade, the extra virgin olive oil comes from the Euganean mills of Cornoleda and Valnogaredo, the bread from the Quaglia mill in Sant’Urbano and the vegetables are fresh from the garden. First courses and desserts are also excellent: from the meat pie to Lara’s tiramisu, everything is prepared to perfection.
The wine list is based on the philosophy that favors products that start from excellent raw material with labels mostly coming from the Euganean Hills and 100% natural, even if there is no shortage of the most famous international proposals.
And after a meal, don’t forget to pay a visit to the adjacent gastronomy shop to take home some superfine cuts of meat or the delights of the surrounding territories!
The Secret
Andrea is a passionate music lover: the guitar is, in fact, his – sometimes it happens that he entertains the clientele at the restaurant – while the stereo, which he is very fond of, is a gift given to him by his then-girlfriend Lara brought in their enogastronomic”love nest” as a lucky charm!
Useful Info
Macelleria Tolin
Via Chiesa 6
35034 Lozzo Atestino, Padova
Tel. +39 0429 94144
First courses: 9 — 11 euro
Second courses: 5 euro/kg on average for the meat cuts, other dishes from 10 euro