Société Lutece is a french bistrot/bar in central Torino. This place was suggested to me by friend Memfi, an always reliable source for the Piedmont region. Located in central Turin, the restaurant was nearly empty thanks to most Torinese still being on their August vacations. Another reason I made a point to visit Société Lutece was for Walter Gosso, a famous name in the cocktail industry. Even if I was mainly interested in sampling a cocktail, we decided to eat dinner there.
If you are there for an aperitivo or dinner, I encourage you to take a seat on their beautiful patio in the tranquil Piazza Carlo Emanuele II, one of the nicest squares in Torino. The ambiance is very hip at Société Lutece, with cool electronic music playing in the background. The cute hipster-ish waitress was very friendly and made us feel completely at ease as we enjoyed our meal on the patio.
I ordered an entrecôte steak (rare or "al sangue" in italian). Being a French locale, there were no italian options for wine but I didn't mind since the glass of Syrah the waitress suggested was excellent. The steak was absolutely delicious: the tender steak was was cooked perfectly rare as I prefer. Walter Gosso has clearly sourced his meat from an excellent butcher. Since we had a big lunch, my girlfriend opted for a light roast beef dish, which didn't disappoint.
Before asking for the bill, I walked inside to check if Gosso was behind the bar. Thankfully he was, and I told him Memfi sent me to try a cocktail. I asked him to make me an after-drink based on whiskey (what a surprise!). He made me his rendition of a Rob Roy, which was a delight to drink. I would have ordered another drink, but I didn't want to overdo it before my trip to Smile Tree, a famous cocktail bar in Turin. I will be back to Société on my next trip to Turin.
