Trippa

Trippa The Poetry of Diego Rossi Some restaurants remind me why I fell in love with food in the first place. Trippa is one of them. It's loud, informal, full of life, and serves the kind of cooking I would happily travel across Italy to eat. Trippa opened in Milan in 2015, created by chef Diego Rossi and Pietro Caroli. The idea was to bring back the spirit of the traditional Italian trattoria, with honest ingredients, generous cooking and none of the unnecessary ceremony that sometimes gets between us and a good meal. But Diego has taken that idea somewhere entirely his own. He cooks with extraordinary respect for Italian culinary traditions, especially the less fashionable parts of the animal, while giving himself the freedom to interpret those traditions in unexpected ways. His cooking has intelligence, humor and a wonderful absence of pretension. Nothing feels designed to impress, although the results very often do.

Diego Rossi, in his kitchen. Diego's menu travels across Italy, from Palermo's pane con la milza to Mantua's pumpkin tortelli and Rome's tripe with tomato and mentuccia. He brings his own background in the Veneto into the cooking, too, using ingredients and seasonings that carry memories of his part of Italy. But this isn't simply a collection of regional recipes. It's Diego's interpretation of what a modern Italian trattoria can be, where old traditions are treated with enormous respect without becoming untouchable. And what a wonderful dinner he prepared for our Hungry Tourists!

Trippa Fritta | Fried Tripe with Rosemary and Black Pepper

One of Trippa's most iconic dishes, and totally narcotic. Diego takes tripe, which in Italy is traditionally stewed, and fries it until the outside becomes wonderfully crisp while the inside remains tender. He seasons the fried tripe with black pepper and rosemary, which is itself an unusual approach to a fried preparation. The result is so addictive that it's almost impossible to stop reaching for another piece. For me, this dish captures the genius of Trippa in a single bite.

Pane con la Milza | Palermo-Style Spleen Sandwich, Maritata

Diego's interpretation of a Palermo classic. Spleen and lungs are slowly cooked in pork lard, then served on toasted bread with lemon and caciocavallo cheese. The addition of cheese makes it maritata, or married, in the language of Palermo's street-food tradition. What began as humble food becomes something wonderfully rich and satisfying in Diego's hands.

Porri di Cervere con Animelle | Cervere Leeks, Veal Sweetbreads and Drunken Pecorino

Diego considers the leeks from Cervere among the finest in Italy. He roasts them in a pan and serves them with a fondue of pecorino aged in grape pomace, giving the sauce a distinctive wine-like character. Then come fried veal heart sweetbreads, seasoned with tamaro, a spice mixture from the Vicenza area traditionally used with pork. The dish is finished with oil made from leek greens charred over embers and a touch of green bergamot. This is the kind of cooking that makes Trippa unlike anywhere else.

Cavolo Cappuccio Tonnato | Chargrilled Cabbage with Tonnato Sauce

Diego's vegetable interpretation of the classic vitello tonnato. Instead of veal, he uses pointed cabbage, grilled over embers and served with tonnato sauce, capers and a little meat jus. It has all the familiar associations of the original dish, but the cabbage brings an entirely different character. An apparently simple idea, executed with extraordinary intelligence. One of those ultra-delicious dishes that, for me, you can only find at Trippa.

Lumache con Finferli | Snails with Chanterelles and Cream

Snails gently stewed with chanterelle mushrooms and cream. Diego describes this as a classic combination connecting the cooking traditions of the mountains and the plains. The mushrooms and snails meet in a creamy sauce, with the different textures becoming part of the pleasure. It's deeply traditional cooking, but not the kind of dish you encounter every day. Another reason I love this place so much.

Tartare di Vacca | Grass-Fed Beef Tartare

This is what happens when you start with extraordinary beef and have the confidence not to interfere with it. Diego uses meat from a grass-fed Islander cow raised in the Bergamo area. The tartare arrives without unnecessary decoration, allowing the meat itself to remain the center of attention. So honest and unapologetic. One of the best tartares I've ever eaten.

Pappardelle al Ragù di Montone | Pappardelle with Mutton Ragù

This was absolutely brilliant. Diego makes the ragù from an older male sheep, rather than the young lamb more commonly found on restaurant menus, and finishes the pasta simply with Pecorino Romano. The broad pappardelle carry a deeply savory sauce, with the unmistakable character of mature sheep. It reminded me of Joe's immortal line: "Lamb is for food, sheep is for sex." 😂 Whatever Joe meant, this pasta was magnificent.

Tortelli di Zucca alla Mantovana | Pumpkin Tortelli with Apple Mostarda, Amaretti, Butter and Sage

There is something deeply poetic about the way Diego treats a traditional recipe. These Mantuan tortelli bring together pumpkin, apple mostarda and amaretti inside delicate golden egg pasta, creating a filling with a distinctly sweet character. Butter and sage complete the preparation, allowing those old, familiar flavors to speak for themselves. Watching Diego finish the plate reminded me that great cooking doesn't always mean inventing something new. Sometimes it means understanding something old so deeply that you can make it sing again.

Trippa alla Romana | Roman-Style Stewed Tripe

We finished the savory part of our dinner by returning to the ingredient that gives the restaurant its name. Diego prepares his Roman-style tripe with tomato, olive oil, garlic and mentuccia or mint, finishing it with Pecorino Romano and plenty of black pepper. But he adds one little detail that I particularly love: a piece of cinnamon, something he learned from the team at Piatto Romano in Rome. A small gesture that shows how culinary traditions continue to travel from one kitchen to another.

Panna Cotta con Fichi e Nocciole | Panna Cotta with Fig Reduction and Hazelnuts

A smooth, delicate panna cotta surrounded by a dark fig reduction and finished with hazelnuts. A beautiful contrast between the soft cream, the concentrated sweetness of the fruit and the crunch of the nuts. Simple, generous and exactly what I want from a good trattoria dessert.

Sugolo di Uva Fragola | Grape Must, Pecorino di Fossa and Sheep's Milk Ricotta

A fascinating combination of sugolo, the traditional grape preparation made here with uva fragola, and wine must, served with pecorino di fossa and sheep's milk ricotta. The sweet, dark character of the grapes meets the richness and savory intensity of the cheeses. It is an unexpected way to move between dessert and cheese, and a wonderful expression of Diego's curiosity.

Torta di Nocciole delle Langhe | Langhe Hazelnut Cake with Marsala Zabaione

A generous slice of hazelnut cake inspired by the traditions of the Langhe, served with a spoonful of golden Marsala zabaione. The cake brings the deep flavor of hazelnuts, while the zabaione adds its characteristic richness and warmth. Two beautiful Italian traditions together on one plate.

Tiramisù

And, of course, tiramisu. A generous bowl of cream and cocoa, made for sharing and for taking just one more spoonful after you've promised yourself you're finished. The best in town? Quite possibly. And yes, we had all four desserts. Naturally.

Our sommelier, Radi Razaghi, introduced the 2022 Trebbiano d'Abruzzo from Valentini as "one of the most important Italian white wines." He described it as a free-spirited wine that nevertheless remains deeply classical. Although 2022 was the latest released vintage at the time of our dinner, Radi emphasized its considerable potential to develop over many years. A beautiful choice for the beginning of our meal.

For our red wine, Radi chose the 2020 Barolo Gallina from Crissante Alessandria, served from a magnum. He described it as a Barolo with considerable body but beautifully elegant tannins, qualities he felt would work particularly well with Diego's cooking. From the vineyards of La Morra to our table in Milan, a lovely expression of Nebbiolo alongside a very Italian feast.

What I love most about Trippa is that Diego never seems interested in making food more complicated than it needs to be. He takes ingredients with deep roots in Italian cooking and gives them the attention, intelligence and respect they deserve. Offal, cabbage, snails, old sheep, handmade pasta. Nothing is too humble or too familiar to become extraordinary in his hands. And when he decides to change a traditional preparation, there is always a reason. There's something deeply reassuring about a restaurant that knows exactly what it wants to be. Trippa has the warmth and energy of the old Italian trattoria, but the cooking belongs unmistakably to Diego Rossi. And I can't imagine a better way to spend an evening in Milan with my Hungry Tourists. Thank you, Diego, for the food, the generosity and the poetry.

Dudi and Diego Rossi, in the kitchen at Trippa. I AM A HUNGRY TOURIST.