la dotta,
la grassa,
la rossa
These are the nicknames they give to the great city of Bologna.
“La Dotta” ("the wise one”) is due to the city’s scholastic presence - its university, founded in 1088, is the oldest in Europe. “La Grassa” ("the fat one") is because Bologna and its nearby lands feature the best tradition of hearty cuisine like pasta with ragù, cheese and hams. Lastly, “La Rossa” ("the red one”) refers to the red bricks that built Bologna’s magnificent towers and palaces, dated back to the Middle ages.
And since we are all about pasta at La Dotta, it’s only fitting that we name ourselves after the city we are so much in love with its pasta! Salute!
for the love of
pasta!
We make pasta fresh every morning. Some, like tagliatelle and tagliolini, are already familiar to many while some, like tortelloni and pappardelle, are meant for your great discovery.
What makes our fresh pasta so special? First, the flour and semolina that go into our dough must be 100% natural Italian flour. Then, we use only organic duck's egg for its rich yolk. Coupled these with abundance of passion, and you get fresh pasta that is both tasty and highly nutritious.
We also offer selection of dried pasta. After numerous tastings, we believe that there is no one producer that has the best pasta for all shapes. That's why we work with various pastifici for each particular pasta to cook in an authentic al dente way.
authenticity 'with a twist'
There's science and art in making a delicious plate of pasta. Specific pasta only fits a specific sauce for a reason - not only because of its ergonomics, but also because of the history of its birthplace. Essentially, in a country like Italy with her distinct regional characteristics, each pasta represents the culture where it is originally made. That's why we are also particular about using authentic Italian ingredients. And while simplicity in recipe is to be upheld, chef Francesco has put his personal creative touch to each dish. For example, we make braised-till-tender Wagyu beef Bolognese sauce to go with our fresh hand-cut Tagliatelle and our pasta alla Amatriciana uses tomato sauce that is slow-cooked for no less than 4 hours and serve with dry-cured pork cheeks Guanciale from Rome.