While famed designer Giorgio Armani stays lean by sticking to an alcohol-free, veggie-based diet, he does allow himself to indulge when he drops by his NYC eatery, Armani Ristorante. “The risotto alla milanese, it’s my go-to. In the New York restaurant, it’s also called ‘Armani Milano,’” he tells Threads.
The fashion-icon and restaurateur says the success of his culinary hot spot — now celebrating its 10th anniversary — was surprising. “Soon thereafter a global trend was born,” he says, pointing to the batch of designer bites (like Ralph Lauren’s Polo Bar and Restoration Hardware’s rooftop restaurant) that followed in his footsteps. “It was a rather unexpected development, but quite logical to be honest.”
But despite its fashion-forward, beautiful-people clientele, Armani makes sure his restaurant serves dishes that evoke his home and childhood. “The casoncelli — with ricotta, sauteed spinach, butter and sage — is able to do that: It reminds me of my mother’s tortelli alla piacentina, the dish I would eat every Christmas with my family in Piacenza.” Because nothing is more fashionable than the taste of home.