アーリア ディ タクボ（Aria di Tacubo）  恵比寿・広尾/イタリアン（Ebisu-Hiroo/Italian）

少し口下手なシェフの心意気とセンスの良さ、そして気遣いを感じさせてくれるアーリア・ディ・タクボがあるのは、恵比寿公園から通りを隔てた場所にある洒落たビルの4階。座席数14の小さなレストランでも、窓の外には公園の緑が見え、狭さを感じる事はなし。その雰囲気はヨーロッパの主要都市にある洗練されたブティック・ホテルの中のダイニング・ラウンジといった感じ。

このレストランのオーナー・シェフは田窪大祐。自らの名を冠した店を恵比寿でオープンする前は、深夜でもリーズナブルな価格で美味しいイタリアンが食べられた超が付く人気店でシェフと共同経営者を務めた実績をもつ。敢えて、そんな人が羨むような地位を捨て、自らがオーナー・シェフとなって再出発した理由は、良い素材だけを選んで使い、その料理を評価してもらえるレストランをつくりたかったから。

そんな思いをもって田窪シェフが2010年4月に開いたアーリア・ディ・タクボは、シェフのつくる料理をコースで楽しむ為のレストラン。コースの最初、酸味が心地良く効いた前菜は食欲を刺激し、後に続く料理への期待感を高め、パスタは安心感を、そしてメインは確実に満足感を与えてくれる。

田窪シェフのつくる料理は『東京イタリアン』という言葉で語られる事が多いが、その言葉をシェフ自らが使う事はない。『イタリアの郷土料理は野暮ったく感じる』と語るシェフの料理には、確かに都会的で端正なイメージがありながらも、決して線が細いわけではない。それどころか自信をもって選んだ素材だけを使って作られる料理の数々、特に黒七味とゴルゴンゾーラの効いた『アーリア風タリアテッレ・大人のミートソース』や、田園調布の中勢以から仕入れる熟成肉を贅沢につかったメイン・ディッシュ等には、イタリアの郷土料理にも通じる力強さすら感じられる。

そして、その力強さの根源にあるのは経営者としての田窪の考え。それは良い素材を必要なだけ使って料理し、それを可能な限りリーズナブルな価格で提供するという太っ腹な性格でもある。

因みに、アーリアというのはイタリア語で『空気』を意味する単語。同時に『表情』もしくは『表現』といった意味ももっている。ここアーリア・ディ・タクボは、まさしく田窪シェフが表現する都会的な洗練と力強さを兼ね備えた東京の新しいイタリア料理を、少し贅沢に心地良く楽しめる空間である。 

Aria di Tacubo, located on the 4^th floor of a slim but deceptively deep and quite sophisticated building across from Ebisu Park, is only a brief few minutes by foot from Ebisu station. The 14 seats of this cozy Italian restaurant are arranged to give each guest a feeling of space without being crowded. The best description perhaps is that the atmosphere calls to mind a typical dining lounge in a boutique hotel such as is found in major cities in Europe and North America.      

Prior to opening his namesake restaurant in Ebisu, Daisuke Takubo was the chef and part owner of an extremely popular Italian restaurant in Hiroo highly acclaimed for its quality of food and reasonable pricing. The restaurant was also considered an ideal place to have late dinner as it stayed open later than many dining establishments to cater to the busy schedules of Tokyo’s business elite. 

However, he gave up that enviable position to open his own restaurant because he wanted to select and use the best ingredients available, instead of being required to select ingredients according to the constraints of a corporate budget. He also wanted to have a restaurant known most of all for the quality of food served, and not for merely serving a late night dinner.

So with much eagerness and passion, he opened Aria di Tacubo in April 2010. This is a restaurant where guests can enjoy chef Takubo’s cuisine through a choice of set course menus. His slightly sour appetizers will stimulate your appetite and curiosity for the dishes to follow. Next, his pasta will dishes give you a sense of comfort and delight. And, finally when the main dishes arrive, you become satiated, you will know without a doubt why you chose to dine with Chef Takubo. 

Chef Takubo’s cuisine is usually categorized as “Tokyo Style Italian” which usually implies adjectives like fine and thin. He admits that he thinks authentic Italian food can be rather unsophisticated. In fact, his dishes are more exquisite and urbane than those in restaurants serving authentic regional Italian food. However, Takubo’s dishes are not exactly subtle. Cooked with very select ingredients, a dish like “Lagane with Tajima Beef Stew” and his main dish with aged beef and port are very bold and ironically reminiscent of authentic Italian food.   

What’s behind his dishes are his attitude and mentality. As the owner of the restaurant, he generously insists that he selects the best ingredients available and uses them as much as necessary to cook the best dishes possible. And, he offers them at the prices that are as reasonable as possible. This was something he was not allowed to do at the previous restaurant.

By the way, “Aria” is an Italian word meaning air. And, this restaurant, Aria di Tacubo is definitely a place to savor the air of chef Takubo’s cuisine which is not only urbane and sophisticated but also bold and powerful.