Marchesa Italian Bistro joins Piper Street food court

Before a recent weekend trip to the Macedon Ranges, I hadn’t been to Kinneton in years. When I arrived at beautiful Piper Street, I immediately kicked myself for not going there. After all, this town of 7,500 people is only an hour’s drive north of the city, and I can’t think of another country street in the state with so many great places to eat and drink so close to each other (if I’m wrong, let me know and I’ll be happy to investigate).

Dating back to the 1850s, Piper Street cascades down from the town’s main thoroughfare, Morrison Street, to the Campaspe River, about a kilometre away. The street is lined with shops and restaurants, with bluestone sidewalks behind, a farmer’s market on the church green at weekends, and other buildings that mark the street’s history: a trendy motel, boardwalk inn and a few pubs. There’s a good selection of homewares here, but I’m picky about food.

I may sound like the Pied Piper of Piper Street, but I can’t think of another rural street in any state with so many great places to eat and drink.

Areas I have no comment on but could comment on include Tansy, Run by influential chef Tansy Good (who trained Karen Martini) and her partner John Evans, the restaurant offers confident, French menu of the day in a cozy living room. Good’s soufflés are like cheese suspended in clouds, impossibly beautiful; her salads are exquisitely perfect, each leaf arranged like an artist.

Fucheng is a fun, casual Asian restaurant located in a bar named after a Gold Rush-era detective (order the betel leaf shrimp). plant It’s an absinthe bar, and the balcony filled with potted plants is a great place to enjoy a martini. Piper Street Wine Company A gorgeous high-ceiling bar and restaurant that can serve as a retreat or destination. Midnight Starling Serving up fine French cuisine: Regulars are excited about the return of the duck in orange sauce.

Then there’s Marchesa, which I decided to review because it only opened in February and is a model of hospitality. Co-owner and chef Daniel Whelan has run the casual Spaghetti Bar in this modest storefront for five years, long enough for him to develop tennis elbow from his hand-cranked pasta machine. His business partner, Daniel Saligari, handles catering at Midnight Starling next door.

The two have known each other for 15 years, having first worked together for four years at Anne Smithers’ Tavern, which preceded its namesake owner (and national treasure) Transfer to nearby Trentham. The Danielses even run the tavern together when Smithers is on vacation and lets her employees do their own thing.

The period when the cats were gone was the heart of Marchesa. Spaghetti Bar closed in December, and two months later (with a lick of paint and some carpentry work), Marchesa opened in its place, a warm, lively, 26-seat Italian bistro that serves food that is peasant in nature but well-made.

The vitello tonnato was a great example of Whelan’s twist on a classic dish. His veal is grilled rather than poached as is traditional. Served with confit tuna mayonnaise and very crisp capers, it strikes the right balance between spicy and savory.

Who knew you’d be so obsessed with hare ravioli? The pasta is firm to the bite and then juicy, the fillings (hare, pork, liver) are spicy and rich, the cheese sauce is smooth, and the Chianti wine sauce is delicious.

The menu usually has pork, marinated with salt and honey. I ordered a cutlet with red wine-braised cabbage and apple sauce: the cutlet was pink, juicy and succulent.

The daily menu consists of two ($65) or three ($85) courses. Vegetables are extra ($14) but are recommended: cime di rapa and Swiss chard are sourced from local farm Northumberland Growers. You can taste the gentle winter sun and the artful generosity of the granite soil.

Whelan’s Tiramisu is the pinnacle of the Saligari wine range, with three spirits: coffee infused with Strega herbal liqueur, sabayon infused with Marsala and mascarpone infused with Galliano. It’s the perfect combination of cocktail, dessert and ultimate fun.

The small, busy restaurant can feel chaotic, but Marchesa moved in lockstep like a barbershop quartet, not only performing a well-rehearsed repertoire but also deftly incorporating the diners’ harmonies to fill the room with a unique sing-along energy.

I may sound like the Pied Piper of Piper Street, but I know that it’s not easy to run a restaurant these days, especially outside of the big cities. To me, Marchesa has all the ingredients: an experienced owner in a key role, a clear vision, and – crucially – food that I’m still thinking about two weeks after I’ve eaten it. Marchesa is a perfect slice of Piper Street.

This review was originally published on have a good weekend Magazine