To stay at the tableenjoy a dinner in the company of your partner, friends, relatives, without cell phone on the table, without dishes to photograph and post on Instagram and without jingling notifications. A mirage in the desert. Yet there is a “tech free” oasis: it is the “Al Condominio” restaurant, opened last weekend in Verona. «We wanted to create a human centric restaurant, to rediscover the beauty of a dinner in company, looking into each other’s eyes and chatting – explains Angelo Lella, co-founder of «Al Condominio» together with Federico D’Erchia, Michele Zanichelli and Lorenzo Fraccaroli -. Sometimes you can see couples at the table busy taking photographs and posting the courses or to respond to messages and voice messages, but they no longer talk to each other. We we suggest putting the phone away in a personal letterbox and, in exchange, we pay homage to the couple or group of diners with a bottle of wine.” Consistent with this line of thought, the menus are paper-based, without any QR Code in sight and reviews can only be done with pen and paper, just like they used to do in the past.
Need to “switch off”: over 45s more reluctant
Nevertheless not everyone is willing to break away from your smartphone, even for just a couple of hours. «In these first days of opening, only a third of customers accepted the challenge of a dinner without external distractions – confesses Lella -. Mostly millennials did it, while those over 45 did they are results the most reluctant. Maybe they just need more time to get used to the separation.” Those who agree to remain disconnected do so mostly as a playful and unconventional gesture, rather than as a true detox conviction. «How many lives pass by us? – Angelo wonders – How many stories are contained in a train carriage? Or in a condominium? Already a registered trademark, the Veronese restaurant is a pilot project that aims to become a franchise and to also conquer other cities, starting with Rome and Milan. «We all need to slow downalways being reachable and operational leads to exasperation and can become a trap for human beings – he concludes -. Our proposal is to find time to talk about each other at the tablesharing a moment of relaxation, face-to-face and without interruptions.”
The formula in the kitchen
The cuisine of «Al Condominio» mixes flavors from North to South, with dishes that take their name from ironic stereotypes of some of the many figures found in every building: there are the starters «Quelli del Primo Piano», first courses such as «Il Giardiniere», «Le comari» and «I Morosetti », just to name a few, and second courses such as «La Spiona», «La Betonega» and «La Matta». The desserts are also themed, from the «La Siora» rose cake to the «La Vecia di Sotto» tiramisu. «In our communal kitchen — says Michele Zanichelli, co-founder and executive chef — we find a concept restaurant that blends tradition, imagination and international taste. We offer a mix of styles and personalities, reinterpreting iconic dishes and also giving space to international moods. In fact, the menu also includes the dish “Lo Straniero”, which will change every two weeks, to lead us to the discovery of ethnic flavors and tastes». As if it were a new neighbor on the landing to shake hands with.
