It was a rough day out at sea as we cast down our anchors one Saturday lunchtime at L’Orsa Maggiore in Forte dei Marmi. While the waves outside were choppy, smooth sailing was nevertheless the order of the day at this gourmet restaurant captained by chef Giancarlo Morelli.
L’Orsa Maggiore: gourmet dining right on the beach in Forte dei Marmi
L’Orsa Maggiore is a beautiful restaurant. Beautiful as in bello: a floor-to-ceiling window acts as a contemporary frame of the Tuscan beach just outside, captured in its perfection. Beautiful as in classy: wooden floors, sea grass green chairs, white panelled walls and ceilings, white candles, linen and lighting. There’s a table devoted to beautiful books and publications, of the ilk that design lovers will happily pore over for hours.
The food is beautiful, too. Secure at his Michelin-starred restaurant Pomiroeu just outside Milan, Bergamo-born Morelli is using Forte dei Marmi as a springboard for his Food Studio project. And it’s working.
Perfect seafood salad
Provocation is immediate with the amuse-bouche: a perfectly fried prawn with Parmesan shortbread crumbs. Provocation that turns into exquisitely delivered expectation in the form of a seafood salad starter interspersed with salad leaves, spring onions, roasted tomatoes and toasted almonds.
Spaghettoni with olive oil, garlic and chilli pepper, chard, prawn tartare and Cinta Senese bacon dust.
Simple elegance and pure flavours are the leitmotifs that run through into the primi and a dish that is fast becoming L’Orsa Maggiore’s signature plate: spaghettoni with olive oil, garlic and chilli pepper, chard, prawn tartare and Cinta Senese bacon dust. It’s a performance on a plate: the gentle heat from the peperoncino, the delicacy of the prawns and the bacon lifts the baton to smokier heights.
Beef flank served with caramelized onion and coffee
It’s not all fish-oriented. We also enjoyed a frisky beef flank served with caramelized onions that acted as a foil for an energetic dusting of coffee. Plus there’s an entire section on the menu for vegetarians, with enticing dishes like candied asparagus, egg truffle, Accasciato cheese and pink pepper meringue.
Desserts range from the international (tiramisu deconstructed and cheesecake with a spelt base) to the very nearby. The locally sourced goat’s cheese gelato sprinkled with barley crumbs, drizzled with extra-virgin olive oil and topped with candied lemon tasted essentially like summer in a glass.
Summer in a glass
The wine list is equally superb, extending outside the region to shed light on gems by small producers like sparkling rosés from Veneto, uplifting pinot grigio from Friuli and ever improving Barbera d’Alba from Piedmont. (The couple next to us stayed loyal to Tuscany with Castellare di Castellina.)
L’Orsa Maggiore is what people should be getting for their money in a Forte dei Marmi restaurant. High style, international flair, Italian culinary saper fare and the finest of Tuscany’s produce.
L’Orsa Maggiore
Viale Achille Franceschi, 29
55042 Forte dei Marmi
0584 82219
www.ristorantelorsamaggiore.com
Closed Mondays and Sunday dinnertime
Prices begin at 22 euro for starters, 20 euro for pasta courses, 28 euros for mains, desserts 15 euro.
