She poured them both a drink then sat down as he brought over the two bowls of creamy rice.

The riso venere (creamy black rice) with crab, salmon eggs and peas pleases all the senses, and pasta dishes, such as a squid ink ravioli, are far from timid.

At our second meal, the wild-mushroom risotto, a special, was the star of the evening, the creamy rice bursting with the flavor of the morels.

"Pumpkin ri sotto is very beautiful with the dark orange against the creamy rice."

A dish that sounded relatively simple was absolutely delicious: thick slices of garlic-basted turkey breast with small florets of caramelized cauliflower, fresh sage leaves and a creamy savory rice pudding.

And a special seafood risotto brought superbly creamy rice studded with scallops and shrimp.

It was a wonderful meld of creamy rice, juicy chicken chunks, flavor-packed sausage, sun-dried tomatoes and roasted shallots.

Desserts include creamy black rice with coconut milk.

The rice pudding is also impressive, a circle of creamy, citrus-scented rice topped with a poached apricot and surrounded by a trio of fresh berry compotes.

His risotto always comes with a contrasting dish: one night the creamy rice was slicked with white truffle oil and served with a tiny casserole of sliced salsify and black truffles.