Trattoria Zucchero – Düsseldorf, Germany

My father being from Sicily, I take my Italian food quite seriously.  The number one rule in my book: real Parmesan cheese.  One of the worst things that a person can do is brag about their home-made tomato sauce (which usually starts from a can of tomato paste anyway, *clears throat*) and then bring out the Kraft pre-grated Parmesan to accompany it.

I don’t often go out for Italian food, mostly because it’s the easiest food for me to cook at home.  When I do go out I usually stick to the basics that you almost can’t go wrong with.  Trattoria Zucchero however, being an Italian restaurant in Germany, provided some new options for my taste-buds compared to the American-Italian menu I am used to at home.

To start I had the Vitello Tonato (veal in tuna sauce), which I have never seen in America.  This was an interesting dish, as it had the texture of the meat (which was very thinly sliced) but the flavor of the tuna…like tuna flavored meat(?).  Okay, sounds a bit strange I know, but I promise, it is definitely yummy.  For dinner I had one of the best pasta dishes ever, Bavette alla Zucchero.  Bavette is a flat long pasta, which in this dish is combined with fresh tomato, garlic, olive oil, fresh basil, arugula, and shaved parmesan cheese (my fave).  So simple, yet so so good (It’s actually making my mouth water just thinking about it).

Located in the northern part of Düsseldorf, Trattoria Zucchero is owned by Mr & Mrs Cefalu.  Their establishment has a comfortable vibe, amazing fresh food, great service, and has been visited by a number of well known to famous people.  Some members of the Harley Davidson Club of Palermo (Sicily) even met with the Harley Club of Düsseldorf at the restaurant while I was there.  It was a very cool sight, and fun to watch them pull out all together.

We stayed in Düsseldorf for only 2 nights, and ate at Trattoria Zucchero both days that we were there.  Through his restaurant, Zucchero, Mr Cefalu (a native of Sicily) has brought the home-made flavors of Italy here to Düsseldorf.  Apparently, when my cousin Fabio was visiting, he wanted to eat at the restaurant (and only there) every day.  So if you’re in the area, try it.  Because, yeah, it’s that good.

Trattoria Zucchero is located at:

Heinrichstr 155
40239 Düsseldorf, Germany

Tram: Heinrichstraße

Phone: +49 0211 612757

website: http://www.trattoria-zucchero.de/