7 Archi

On our most recent visit to Bologna, we discovered that Trattoria Da Ercole had closed. Da Gianni which I had been trying to go to for several years happened to be closed for the evening as well. Since it was a Monday, Ristorante Monte Grappa Da Nello and Ristorante Diana were also closed. We were running out of options. It seemed like a great opportunity to try 7 Archi, the restaurant that had replaced Da Carlo a few years ago. The friends we were dining with hadn't tried it yet, so I crossed my fingers and we asked for a table.

First order of business, the bread, a nice variety of bread slices and rolls, good textures, and ample amounts. Things were looking up. I also enjoyed the lovely linens on the tables. I missed the fried crescentini from Da Carlo, but learned some good news about the former restaurant. The owners decided that they wanted a smaller venue just outside Bologna, so they are still in business.

Prosciutto makes a good test for quality at any restaurant in Italy. This antipasti item passed muster and was served with a small salad on the side, elevating it from the norm. It was pleasing to see a new presentation rather than the familiar melon or fig that usually accompanies this cured ham.

Steamed seafood was good in terms of the variety on the plate. It included mussels, shrimp, clams and a whole scampi . Like the cherry that tops a sundae, the scampi was the perfect topper for this dish. Speaking of dishes, this is not a lopsided photo. The serving dish actually stands that way, another nod to the modernity of this restaurant.

What can I say about this wonderful seafood carpaccio? Plenty. I think this is the best seafood appetizer I have ordered to date and I selected it from the "Fantasia" section of the 7 Archi menu. They offer traditional renditions of classic cuisine, but let their culinary imaginations and schooling shine with their own interpretations of the classics. After eating this, I was very pleased to have ordered my pasta and secondo from the same side of the menu. Speaking of menus, the waiter offered to copy their menu for me when he saw me taking notes. Black rice was an unexpected addition to the paper thin tuna, octopus and sea bass. It really enhanced the variety of color on the plate.

The beef carpaccio was another treat as it was made from Chianina beef. If you have never tried this breed of cattle, transformed into steak on a platter, buy your ticket for Tuscany right now. The flavor cannot be adequately described, but you will immediately note a distinction from other beef, much the way there is a difference between grain fed and grass fed cattle in the U.S.A.

Paglia e Fieno or Straw and Hay pasta is also another classic with a twist from 7 Archi. The pasta was dressed in a light cream sauce that was riddled with sauteed prosciutto and sprinkled with walnut pieces. Although you can really not detect much difference between the spinach and egg pasta, because they are chosen for color more than for taste, the dish was wonderfully rich and delicious.



What would a trip to Bologna be without Tagliatelle Bolognese? If you asked my husband, the answer would most certainly be "bleak and dismal", since he has yet to go there without ordering a plate of this sumptuous pasta. I'd love to wax poetic about how well this restaurant makes this particular dish, but we have yet to find a bad rendition of this Bolognese classic anywhere in this city, they have all been exceptional. So in all honesty, it was "average" for restaurants Bologna, yet all the while, still mouth watering.

The gnocchi is where I start waxing poetic! Our entire table was in agreement that this was the star of the evening. We would call these quenelles because of their shape, but since they are made from potato the Italians call them gnocchi. Their likeness to dumplings cannot go unmentioned, but whatever you choose to call them, they were outstanding in flavor and extremely memorable. I had never seen a filled gnocco before, so it was a surprise to bite into one.





Not the best photo, but it's all I have. The filling was made with Bresaola, truffle oil, and Parmigiano. It was an outstanding combination of flavors and the gnocchi dough added a nice contrast in texture and helped to blend it into a lush offering. The richness was heightened with a butter sauce, but the gnocchi dough softened the filling richness and took it down a notch, so you could eat more than just one. I could have eaten more than the four on my plate and hope it is still on the menu on our next trip. A special thanks to our friend Lina for suggesting to place the red napkin under the plate. If not for that idea, the photos of this dish would have looked washed out and the gnocchi would have looked much less appealing.


The Filet Mignon in green peppercorn sauce seemed out of place on an Italian menu, but this is no ordinary Italian restaurant. The Chianina filet was cooked to a perfect medium rare and the sauce was as good as any I have eaten in France. I suspect the balsamic is just for decorative purposes, it seemed to appear on most of our plates. Potatoes were roasted in a fruity olive oil and made this a dish perfect for the meat and potato lover.





Another of the Fantasia offerings, this seafood main course was flavorful and needed neither the black rice nor the small salad to hold its own on the plate, although I did enjoy the rice mixed with the buttery pistachio seafood sauce. I wasn't certain how the pistachios would work on the plate, but their texture was a nice contrast to the softness of the fish filet. My only complaint was that they hid that beautiful scampi. I'm very happy to report that 7 Archi is my new favorite restaurant in Bologna.



http://www.ristorante7archi.it/
This website is in Italian and English The English translations on the menu are not very good in capturing the spectacular food.

Via Marchesana, 6
40124 Bologna
email: info@ristorante7archi.it