An Italian-American restaurateur Joe Bastianich once famously said, “Milan is so fashion obsessed that people don’t pay that much attention to the food.”
Although fashion conscious, I think as an Italian city that loves to play, drink, and eat out, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
As part of our Milan tour on the first evening of arrival, we decided to check out the trendy spot du-jour of Milan at STK. If you want to spot Italian celebrities and local socialites, this is the place to be and to be seen. With its sleek decor, glamorous people, beautiful food, this is exactly the sort of place you would expect in fashionable Milan.
Being an international and bustling metropolis, Milanese don’t eat until after 9-10pm, or so as I’m told. For these diners, aperitivo is a must before attending to their stomachs. But a multiple-course meal is part of the tradition, so just make sure to bring your appetite!
Arrive between 7-8:30pm to take advantage of the 3 course secret menu, offering amazing value (35 euros, drinks not included) and a fantastic way to sample some of the kitchen’s eclectic mix of creations on offer.
When I saw mini wagyu beef sliders infused with truffle oil on the menu, I just had to get my hands on these! They were mini burgers of delight as each bite was perfection. What these burgers lacked in size, they more than made up by the magnitude of their flavour.
I normally don’t talk about the bread served to the table to keep the diners hungers at bay before the main dishes arrive. But this little pannetone bread made its way to our table with a side of chives infused olive oil. It was easy to break off a piece and just absorb in as much of this green delicious mixture. The texture was light and exhilaratingly soft. At the risk of being full before our steaks were served, I had to hold back Mr. New Yorker and I devouring the entire board in 5 minutes.
A lighter, trendier option came in the form of a burrata salad, served with heirloom tomatoes, basil crumbs, turnips and almonds. This fresh creamy cow cheese was luxurious to the taste buds and the rainbow coloured tomatoes were a new revelation to me with each bite. Who knew so much flavour would come out of just a few tomatoes on a plate?
Moving on to the star of the show, the 250 grams of New York strip sirloin sat glisteningly in their place with triple cooked potato chips, and again, served with a glug of truffle flavour and Parmesan cheese. The steak was excellently chargrilled with the medium rare that I ordered. But oh my, these chips! For a truffle lover such as myself, I just couldn’t get enough. Shh, just don’t tell the personal trainer!
On the day we visited, the restaurant was offering a “puzzle Pannacotta”. Yep, my thoughts exactly, what is that? Given that the menu was in Italian, the waiter lovingly translated everything for us. More theater than actual taste, I would have been happier with a softer creamier Pannacotta the traditional way.
As the dinner came to an end, we watched a very hipster looking DJ spinning the chillout lounge tunes as the post 10pm crowds started to arrive. The night was still young and play was pretty much on our and their agenda. It was our cue to hit the rooftop bar.
Where did we go next? Stay tuned for the next episode of the New Yorker adventures in Milan!
Thanks to STK Milan for collaborating with us on this post. Opinions are my own as always.
STK Milan
Piazza della Repubblica, 13
20124 Milano MI, Italy