The only Inn with a hole in the sock ... and that does not hide it!
An acoustic, no-frills, express, local product-based cuisine (with local producers)
The Mecenate will turn 25 in 2021.
A quarter of a century like a quart of wine, an adventure that started in the countryside, in Gattaiola near Lucca, in October 1996 and landed in the city, in the so called Ditches area, in May 2012.
25 years of cooking and tasting, of ‘tordelli’(the local tortelli) and good wine, of uphill roads and downhill rolls, of love for the terroire and conviviality. A story made of people and souls, of poetry and songs, shepherds and market stalls, of friends who produce wine and farmers, of fishermen who cast their nets in a responsible way and then bring us their fish. A story we like to tell
and the Cook
Sole: “Call me cook…not chef” For 25 years she has been passionately directing the kitchen of the Mecenate, proposing an acoustic cuisine, made of natural and local sounds, simple, direct, a cuisine that makes hearts and palates vibrate. A cuisine where the many small producers of the area participate in creating the culinary experience, in a virtuous network of carefully selected and exellent food.
The dishes that come out of Sole’s kitchen are the perfect synthesis between her personality, the territory, the style and the story of Mecenate. A faithful transcription of the gastronomy of the territory, which does not however disregard the human factor, made of personal life, the experiences of a lifetime, the music listened to, friendship, the wines drunk and the unforgettable evenings passed at the Mecenate .
and the Innkeeper
Stefano, the Innkeeper. Like his grandfather Guido, who had a trattoria in Corso Garibaldi, and who, as a regular clientele, had the “happy little women” of the brothels of the nearby Via della Dogana and their customers.
Like his father Pietrino, who for a while, as a young man, worked as a cook in the trattoria … but when his wife, Etta, discovered the story of the “happy little women” he then had to change and began to work as a biscuit salesman. Perhaps Stefano’s job as a “innkeeper” is in his blood, or in his DNA and for this reason, every day, he starts again with joy … to be an innkeeper!
Neccettino di farina di castagne con pecorino di castelvecchio di compito (vegetariano)
Chestnut flour crepes with local ewe’s cheese (Vegetarian)
Baccalà mantecato su crostone di polenta di formentone ottofile
Polenta canape with brandade of salt cod
Salumi artigianali con il nostro pane alle olive
€ 10,00
Mixed local cured meats with special bread
Prosciutto di “Gino e Severino”
di Matraia con crostini di fegatelli
€ 11,00
Local ham with chicken liver canapes
Focaccia calda e lardo
Flat salt bread with lard
Tortino di carciofi (vegetariano)
Artichokes pie (vegetarian)
Manzo marinato nel bigongio
€ 11,00
Marinated beef
Antipasto misto del Mecenate
€ 13,00
Mix of local cured meat, cheese, vegetable pie
Polpo alla ligure (con le patate))
€ 14,00
Octopus with potatoes
Tordelli casalinghi lucchesi
Homemade Tordelli
Tacconi al sugo di carciofi (vegetariano)
Tacconi (home made pasta) with artichokes suoce (vegetarian)
La farinata lucchese (zuppa di fagiolo rosso di Lucca e cavolo nero) (vegetariano)
Local cabbage and beans soup with cornmeal and new oil (veg)
Tordelli di patate del casentino al sugo di colombacci
Home made potatoes ravioli with ringeltaube sauce
I veri Testaroli di Pontremoli pecorino stagionato ed olio nuovo (vegetariano)
Testaroli (typical from Pontremoli) with local pecorino cheese and new oil (vegetarian)
Risotto al piccione
Risotto with fall vegetables
Spaghetti alle cicale
Spaghetti with local magnosa
Grilled Sirloin Steak
Carciofi ritti (ripieni di carne di manzo)
Artichoke stuffed (with beef)
Coniglio nostrale arrosto dell’Azienda agricola Il Castello marinato alle erbe aromatiche, con il fagiolo rosso di Lucca
Roast local rabbit with local beans
La trippa dell’osteria
Tripe with tomato sauce
Stracotto di manzo al rosso delle colline lucchesi e purea
Braised beef in red wine and mashed potatoes
(per due persone)
(for 2 people)
Baccalà arrosto co’ ceci lucchesi ed olio nuovo
Roast Salted cod with local chick-peas with new oil
Seppie con la bietola
cuttlefhish with vegetables (bietola)
Tutti i dolci sono di nostra produzione / All dessert are made by us
Budino di pane
| Local bread pudding |
Cialda con ricotta della pastora e miele di acacia nuovo raccolto
Waffle with ewecheese (ricotta) and local ” acacia’s honey”
Panna cotta con salsa
di fragole
Panna cotta with strawberry sauce
Gelato a scelta fra: Crema, Cioccolata, Fragola,
Pistacchio bronte
Ice cream, Chocolate, Cream, Strawberry, Pistachio
Latte alla portoghese
Portuguese-style milk
Cheese cake with local grape sauce
Torta di farina di castagne “castagnaccio” con ricotta
chestnut flowr cake with local ricotta cheese
Torta di arancia e cioccolata
Orange and chocolat cake
We like everything about wine. The aromas, the colours and flavors, the bottles and their labels. The soil, the vines and the vineyards, so different from each other. And then we like to drink it, with something to eat, with friends and end up laughing and singing. Or just drink it alone, suggesting meditation. We like to drink it by candlelight for two and end the night with the candle unlit. And then we like the people who produce wine. Our wine list is made up of men and women, of their work and souls.
Discover our list, consisting of about 300 labels, with wines that can only be tasted in our trattoria and discover the winemakers who have thrilled us, with their very small, local productions. Discover the great internationals and wines “for amateurs”, such as those of Georgia or Portugal .