An Italian Restaurant You Won't Want to Miss

TURIN, Italy, Oct. 20, 2009 — -- The Piedmont region of Italy may not be as recognizable as Rome, Venice or Florence, and its principal city, Turin, is often passed over by tourists. But if you are a food and wine lover, then the Piedmont should be at the top of your list of destinations to visit here. As every Italian would agree, you will dine to your heart's content in the Piedmont.

The northern region is home to the great Italian vineyards that produce the deep red Barolo, Barbera and Dolcetto wines. The surrounding mountains host herds of cows and sheep to make the hundreds of varieties of sumptuous cheeses.

Throughout the region, in even the smallest of villages, you will find superb restaurants that use these and other local ingredients that make the Piedmont Italy's food leader.

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In Turin, or Torino, its name in Italian, you might want to seek out L' Birichin, a small restaurant that was awarded a Michelin star in 2006 for excellence. It is found in a rather nondescript neighborhood between the Porta Nuova train station and the Lingotto; the area where former Fiat factories have now been converted into an exhibition center.

Ring the bell to enter L' Birichin and you will be welcomed by the owner and chef, Nicola Batavia, most likely wearing his chef's smock because he pops from your table to the kitchen and back between each course.

Birichin, I was told, means "the naughty one or the troublemaker" in Italian. Batavia seems more serious and serene, but is also clearly proud of his accomplishments.

The brightly colored restaurant is adorned with more than a few images of him, the bathroom has magazines containing articles about him and, if patrons wonder about the two out-of-place television screens in the dining rooms, they soon realize that they repeat his television appearances over and over again. So there is little doubt you will get more than a glimpse of Batavia.

But proud he should be, because the food is outstanding.

He opened his restaurant in 1994 after travelling the world in his youth to discover the tastes and flavors from other countries. But he says his earliest inspirations are those scents that came from his mother's kitchen. She is still a great part of her son's life and business: She works alongside him preparing the variety of home-baked breads and breadsticks placed on each table.