The other day I eagerly plunked myself down at the bar of Tutti Bene, Bozeman’s new Italian restaurant in the historic downtown 1918 Range building. As I waited for my companion to arrive, I examined the unusual décor and breathed in the distinct aroma of Italy’s cuisine. When Tutti Bene opened last fall, there was a mad rush to get a table, and weekend reservations were sometimes booked out for several months. Of all the restaurants I’ve witnessed opening in this town, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such hubbub surrounding a new eatery.

Now I understood why: the food I ate at Tutti Bene was flawless. From the parmesan-infused Carrot Brodo amuse-bouche to the veal and pork Meatballs atop focaccia to the rich Rigatoni Bolognese to the sweet Affogato… I barely had room to sample my friend’s Octopus Salad, Osso Bucco, and Tiramisu. We each ordered a Teeny Cocktail, a wonderful option on their menu for small versions of the traditional cocktails. Classy touches included the host bringing me a velvet ottoman specifically for my 75-pound purse, our delightful waiter Andy who crumbed our places after removing our plates, and what was certainly the freshest pasta in town.

I got to chat with Executive Chef and General Manager, Cesare Lanfraconi, and learn what makes the experience at Tutti Bene so singular. Chef Cesare hails from Lecco, Italy, and grew up with a restaurateur grandmother. He went on to complete his culinary studies at CFPA Casargo and has worked with some of the finest restaurants in Europe, including Hotel Splendido in Portofino, San Lorenzo in London, and Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan (Italy’s first three-star Michelin restaurant). He even opened his own restaurant, Tosca Ristorante Italiano, in Washington, D.C. The man knows what he’s doing. Yet for all his accomplishments, Mr. Lanfraconi is a wonderfully down-to-earth, friendly individual, and he told me more about the creation of Tutti Bene.

Katie Thomas: How was Tutti Bene conceptualized?

Cesare Lanfraconi: The original idea and inspiration came from Tim and Mary Barnard (owners of Barnard Construction Company, Inc., in Bozeman). Tim has Italian ancestry, so there is an attachment and a desire to recreate Italian style, with a little bit of nostalgia and class. One of the wonders of Italian culture is that nostalgia is attached to beauty, seasonality, and natural things. That is what we have tried to recreate in the naturally beautiful space of Bozeman. It wasn’t hard at all; it’s kind of a natural fit.

KT: What would you like people to experience when they walk through your doors?

CL: To experience the warmth of the Italian style and culture, the local embrace of a stylish, Italian-inspired environment. We want it to feel comfortable, for people to feel at home and welcomed. I think our fantastic staff really does this well. Everyone here is instrumental to the success of the restaurant.

KT: What would you say makes Tutti Bene unique in the Bozeman food scene?

CL: A couple things. We have a strong personality here. Again, we are trying to recreate contemporary Italian style, from the music we are playing to all of the materials that we are using. For example, we used Carrara marble for our bar counters. We have superior kitchen equipment, like our Josper oven and floating plancha. All the textiles and beautiful wood finishes and trims are designed to create our personality. You should feel good to dress up to come here. A strong personality for Tutti Bene.

Another thing that makes us unique is the appreciation of the single ingredient that Italian culture has. I strongly believe that Italian cuisine is like few others. There are just a handful of major styles, right? French, Italian, Chinese, Japanese – all of these are very strong culinary cultures, because there is a real appreciation of the single ingredient. Look at olive oil in Italian cuisine. The tomatoes, the lettuces. The best fruits and vegetables, fish, cheese, prosciuttos and salamis and sausages. These are very prevalent because each little corner in Italy is very rich with all of these elements.
KT: How do you describe the food offered at Tutti Bene?

CL: As contemporary Italian cuisine with a solid base of classic dishes, such as tiramisu or Rigatoni Bolognese. Our tomato sauce is the one my grandma was doing, and for the most part, we make our own fresh pasta. We include some dishes that are familiar to Americans, such as Caesar salad and clam chowder. We also like to introduce some new dishes, like our Crudo, which gives us a chance to play with some of the ways that we are plating our food. This dish is a little more of an elevated, modern type of presentation, even though it has always been part of Italian culture. It’s similar to a carpaccio, in that it’s raw, thin-sliced fish which is hit with a tiny bit of lemon oil, a maple glaze, capers, and a little bit of pistachio for a crunchy element. Cuisine is very much like fashion; it goes up and down. It is a cycle. So there is a combination of keeping it real along with keeping it with solid bases.

KT: What about local purveyors and ingredients?

CL: Yes, even though we are trying to introduce our personality as having an Italian accent, we want to use Montana production. Our meats are all from Montana. We get some produce from Chance Farms. Our mushrooms are from SporeAttic, and our coffee is from Ghost Town. We definitely want to be part of the local food community.

KT: What menu item do regulars keep coming back for?

CL: Our Tiramisu is one. It stems from early culinary battles between me and my mother, 40 years ago, when we were challenging each other about who was making the best tiramisu. And then there is our Carpaccio di Bisonte (thin-sliced bison, house mustard aioli, arugula, fresh herbs), another favorite. Also the Burrata, the Osso Buco, and Veal Marsala. Our grilled filets are very popular, as are the Ravioli del Plin (roasted guinea hen, spinach, and fresh herb filling with Toma cheese sauce and Nebbiolo wine essence). Our Rigatoni Bolognese cannot get off the menu, otherwise we would be in trouble.

KT: I had that and I loved it—it was incredibly rich and delicious.

CL: I’m so glad!

KT: Do you personally have a favorite menu item?

CL: I love risottos. I love especially risottos with mushrooms, very woody or very musty. My ultimate best would be a risotto with truffles.

KT: What’s something you enjoy about being part of the Bozeman community?

CL: I love the beauty of the environment. I grew up in a Lake District area in the northern part of Italy, which is the beginning of the Alps, so this sort of alpine geography is familiar to me. My mom is a ski instructor; I’ve been skiing since I was probably two years old. I feel very much at home in this environment. I also love the people. The population here has the academia of the university attached to it, as well as people who travel the world, so it’s a wonderful demographic.

KT: Do you have any special events coming up?

CL: We offer private parties; we will start brunch on Sundays and then see if there is interest for Saturdays.

KT: Anything else you’d like readers to know about Tutti Bene?

CL: Yes, we’d like the community to know that we realize we are the new kids on the block. And at the same time we want to become a part of that block. While we are a bit of a high-end restaurant, we want everyone to feel welcome. We are fancy in, hopefully, a good way—that on a Saturday night you say, ‘let’s put on a nice dress and go out to a nice place.’ We want to make sure that the public doesn’t look at us as considering ourselves above any other restaurant. I’ve certainly felt some of that already, even before we opened. But they are getting to know us, and we hope to be a part of this wonderful restaurant and food community.

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I’d say that Tutti Bene is getting there. It’s splashy, it’s fun, it’s different. I too have heard this restaurant referred to as too much for Bozeman, but Bozeman is no longer a town full of just steakhouses and diners. If we must grow, we may as well enjoy the fact that a side effect of this growth includes a wider variety of cuisine. That’s a good thing, people. For a long time, it’s been weirdly difficult to find eggplant parmigiana in Bozeman. Not anymore. Besides, it’s always diverting to peer skyward on one’s way back from the Barbie-pink restroom and glimpse the 9-to-5-looking office upstairs, complete with buzzing fluorescent troffers. It’s a slice of ’80s Bozeman alongside a current slice of Torta di Cioccolato.