Osteria Al Carro Armato, Verona

As I've said before, Verona is full of places to eat and drink, for all tastes and wallets. There are superb places at all cost levels, simple pizzerias, gastronomic temples, tourist traps, everything really that your little hungry heart desires. The food is generally decent, the wine selection good and most places won't break the bank; this is essential for me, because, as regular readers of my nonsense know, my bank is already on its knees, if not already broken!

So these days I shun the expensive places, no matter how good they are, and am, alas, unable to pose in the more pretentious ones. My tastes, therefore, are concentrated on the simple but good, the individual, independent, inexpensive, interesting and human. And the place you are imminently to read about combines these qualities admirably, but is so much more.

In your wanderings around Verona's 'Centro Storico' (old town) you will doubtless want to see important things like Juliette's balcony and other interesting (ha-ha) sights. Around the corner from that, the beautiful Piazza delle Erbe is a busy place with smart caffes (italian spelling...), wine bars, a rather tacky market and loads of tourists, but two blocks up the tourist flow dwindles and the little lanes are relatively quiet. In one of these, and if you know where it is, can be found a little osteria well worth discovering, dispensing hospitality to all and sundry.

The Osteria Al Carro Armato, to give it its full name, is just a gorgeous place to have a nice glass (bottle? bottles???) of wine and/or a bite to eat. You don't go there for the designer surroundings or trendy environment - it has changed hardly at all in the 20+ years that I have known it - nor to people-watch (although there are regularly notable local personages to be seen if you are that way inclined) for it is not that kind of place; rather, you go for the warm welcome, the civilised, congenial atmosphere, to eat, drink and relax.

There are many places to go to in Verona, as befits a tourist town, and many surpass the C.A. in luxury/variety/views/trendiness; not one surpasses it for respect and affection to the customer. If I were fortunate enough to live in Verona I would be in there as often as possible, a regular, for it is that kind of rare, loving place. It belongs to no chain, conforms to no stereotype, is nothing but itself - a temple (very simple, plain almost) to hospitality.

Don't go there for elaborate cooking or outrageously rare (and expensive!) bottles of wine, as Verona has other places for that. Go there for the genuine hospitality that the wonderful proprietor Anna-Lisa (she is the small lady in the glasses and the warm, shy smile) and her staff show to everyone who crosses the threshold, whether the place is busy or relaxed.

The menu is relatively simple and the food mainly regional in style. Everything is freshly prepared and presented in the same style as the C.A. itself, without pretension and fuss. The surroundings are minimalist and not for those seeking comfortable armchairs and starched tablecloths - this is an osteria and for those you go to a ristorante and pay accordingly! To explain this, I had a plate of mushrooms and polenta with Asiago cheese, warm, local, tasty and satisfying; there are also cold plates small and large, pasta and meat dishes, as well as selections of cheese and charcuterie. Do not expect 101 choices, though, keep it simple and be assured that whatever you choose will have been checked out thoroughly and approved by the proprietor herself.

The wine list is also relatively simple and is not hugely long, but contains many interesting bottles worth trying, local or otherwise; it is compiled with knowledge, affection for the product and a desire to offer the customer choice and value for money. We had some nice - and interestingly different - bottles, as you will see from the photographs, the first of which (Durello by Sandro de Bruno) is apparently now a curiosity; the grower has either stopped or is about to stop making it, an individual aged white with too much personality for today's more stereotyped consumer and, therefore, difficult to sell. Its golden colour hints at the age, the nose and full taste confirm its age, quality and attitude - I found it delicious.
The reds were both local, made by a producer called Fondo Prognoi (of Tinazzi Laura), with a heavy emphasis on responsible agriculture, respect for the environment and so merit the certification of 'Biodiversity Friend'. One of the wines, Quedius, is a simple Valpolicella DOC in the lighter, more authentic style that I love and that is, of course, less fashionable today when the emphasis is on heft and rampant fruit. Instead, good plain  Valpol is fresh red fruit in a glass, winningly subtle and complex, at first glance simple but not really, look again. Not a great wine, no, but at its best a very enjoyable, characterful glass indeed. The second red wine, Lichene (Lichen!), a mixture of merlot and croatina (a red grape variety I had not come across before), was indeed heftier (thankfully not in alcohol terms) but to my mind less interesting than the Valpolicella, though perfectly competent and tasty; perhaps it needs a bit of time to settle in the bottle?

Did I have a tiny bit of Grappa at the end of the evening? Well, I believe I did, as both the setting and the company seemed to require it. The tiramisu I had with it was just to keep a bit of a balance of tastes and flavours, and to be able to report on its quality, which was pretty good... I know, I know, any excuse to enjoy myself, but believe me I need to in these sad, straightened, times.

Will I go back to the Caro Armato? So long as Anna-Lisa is there, with her kind smile and her warm welcome I will keep going back whenever possible. As Michael, Patricia and Stanley are regulars there I will always try to go with them, for their presence makes it even more special.

If you are going to Verona, I would urge you to visit them, otherwise look them up on the web to get a better feel for the place. And write in and tell me of your experience, maybe?

Go on, you know you want to...