I address a few questions to Matteo, who has been running it since it opened about a year ago.How is your establishment organized, how many of you are there and with what roles?
First of all, thank you in the interest in Blu and the opportunity to answer questions that give us the chance to better explain what we try to do. There are about ten of us, with roles that try to cover all the needs of a bar/restaurant.
The Blue invokes the spirit of a bistro, but I know you don't like that word, because you rightly state that the bistro-type establishment is not part of our culture, however, I don't think the Blue can be defined simply as a restaurant or trattoria. Can you explain more about the overall concept of the restaurant?
We believe we are the evolution, with all the conveniences and technologies that progress has brought, of a bar-trattoria. I don't understand the need for a French model when we have in our history a beautiful example of how to combine human contact, attention to quality, simplicity in the offer, informal atmosphere, as were the places where my grandfather used to take me, even if only to play cards and be with friends. Here, at our place, the only difference perhaps is that you don't play cards.
On thetables there are some small signs, details that make the difference: the wine list made from a deck of cards, the menu handwritten on a little book, the bread served in paper bags with your logo, etc... Who among you is the creative person who thinks about the image of the restaurant?
Customers, too, have sometimes been the cue or even authors of some of the Blue's stuff.
The menu is full of pleasant surprises, and certainly a high note concerns the quality of the meat, how do you source?
We search we search, we try we try we try. And everything that can fit into the high standards we seek we do everything to get it. Be it even as today to go to sleep at 2 and wake up at 5, to wait for the butcher.
Who decides the dishes, the menus ? Does the chef take care of that, are those decisions you make together?
We talk a lot. However, we decided upstream on a line and goals to achieve and an image to convey, taking into account not only a person's tastes, but many factors: the area, the locale, the products and producers,...
It's a place that seems well organized to accommodate various types of clientele and clientele of various schedules. What are your strengths and highlights of the day ? What types of clientele usually frequent the Blue?
Everything we do we try to do to the best of our ability, without favoring or feeling stronger only at one stage of the day that would imply our weakness at others. If we decided to stay open in one band it is because we felt we could cover it well. People from the neighborhood and young people who would otherwise work at home come to visit us with their computers during the day. Lovers of cocktails, tattoos and wine, as well as food, come over in the evening. In addition to everyone who appreciates our transparency and traceability of the products we use.
If you were a journalist or food and wine critic, what aspect would you positively emphasize about your establishment, how do you really think you could say that Blu stands out from other establishments?
In the pursuit of a personal and direct relationship with those who give us the opportunity to work with the fruits of their labor. The chance to talk to us directly, to feel their moods, their labors, their joys and successes-everything that underlies what we then put on the table.
Do you have plans for the future? Any other innovations to be included ? Do you have any dreams in the drawer to pursue?
So manyand that we have yet to partly focus on. Outside is full of products and special people that we would like to be part of our team and our table.
For those blog-goers who would like to contact you, are you present on social networks, do you have a site, a blog, in short, how do you find out more ?
From our site there are links to the social networks that we follow daily: www.blumilano.net
Interview by Monica Palla
See also in the news Coffee "suspended" also in Milan (ed.)
