When I asked to take away a copy of the menu, my request was greeted with a reflexive resistance that I’m tempted to call archetypally Scottish. My server called for the boss, Mary Contini, a friendly, energetic, opinionated woman—half mamma, half CEO—whose Italian ancestry and Scottish birth make her an advertisement for the new, Europeanized Edinburgh. As I sipped a superb cappuccino, she chatted about the Neapolitan girls in the kitchen, the mozzarella flown in that day from northern Italy, and modernizing the business: After decades of running a thriving but overstuffed, poorly lit delicatessen, her family finally let her convince them to bring Valvona & Crolla into the new millennium. Steeped in Italian food culture, Contini seemed amused by the the pretensions and occasional excesses of the new Scottish food boom. When I asked about one of the city’s best-known chefs, she flashed a sardonic smile:
“He does restaurant food,” she said simply, enunciating the words as a southern belle might say “Yankee.”
I never did get that menu.
edinburgh and the highlands
STAYING AND EATING THERE
Bunchrew House, Inverness (011-44-1463-234917; www.bunchrew-inverness.co.uk; from $284). Home to chef Walter Walker.
Crinan Hotel, Crinan (011-44-1546-830261; crinanhotel.com; from $500, with dinner). Fantastic views from the banks of Loch Crinan in Argyll. Chef Ben Tish serves the freshest (some say tastiest) seafood in Britain.
The Glasshouse, Edinburgh (011-44-131-525-8200; theetoncollection. com; from $240). Behind the limestone façade, this new boutique hotel at the edge of the Georgian New Town is totally mod inside.
Prestonfield House, Edinburgh (011-44-131-225-7800; www.prestonfield.com; from $278). A 17th-century mansion, 10 minutes by taxi from central Edinburgh, with a kilted staff and Highland cattle roaming the grounds—pure Harry Potter. Rhubarb, the hotel’s candlelit restaurant, has a fantastic setting and superb contemporary food.
The Scotsman, Edinburgh (011-44-131-622-2999; www.thescotsmanhotel.co.uk; from $332). A stylish, modern hotel in a landmark building that once housed the head office of The Scotsman newspaper.
The Tongue Hotel, Tongue (011-44-1847-611206; scottish-selection. co.uk/tongue; from $177). The Duke of Sutherland’s former hunting lodge in the remote northern Highlands.
The Witchery by the Castle, Edinburgh (011-44-131-225-5613; www.thewitchery.com; $461). A romantic restaurant and accompanying hotel with seven suites in restored historic buildings.
Amber, Edinburgh (Scotch Whisky Heritage Centre, 354 Castlehill; 0131-477-8477). Worth a visit for the range of 270 whiskies, plus the expert guidance of the staff, who can pair dishes with each.
Forth Floor, Edinburgh (Harvey Nichols, 30-34 St. Andrew Square; 0131-524-8350). The department store’s top-floor deli-brasserie-restaurant has fine views across the rooftops to the River Forth estuary.
I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger, Edinburgh‑(30A Victoria Street; 0131-226-6215). A vast collection of artisanal British cheeses.
Oloroso, Edinburgh (33 Castle Street; 0131-226-7614). One of Edinburgh’s best restaurants, for Highland cattle steaks and modern classics like smoked haddock over chive risotto.
Restaurant Martin Wishart, Edinburgh (54 The Shore; 0131-553-3557). Like London’s Docklands, the port of Leith has been restored to exuberant life, and this tiny restaurant (book weeks in advance) is on the neighborhood’s fanciest street—The Shore.
Valvona & Crolla, Edinburgh (19 Elm Row; 0131-556-6066). Londoners grudgingly concede that this is the best Italian deli in Britain.
PQ:
For many Scots and most foreigners, the “real” Scotland lies in the world of tartans, bagpipes, and battle cries—the whole Braveheart thing.
I’ve been in the Alps, along the hairpin curves of Big Sur, and across the blinding white Salt Flats, but I’ve never found any place quite as haunting.
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