Alumni Magazine - Fall 2008 - (Page 45) llish About Fine Food By Van Jensen Bu HE BULL. T INEVITABLY, IT IS THE FIRST THING that comes up when talking about Riccardo Ullio’s latest restaurant, Cuerno. And for good reason — it’s the first thing you see when stepping inside the Midtown eatery. Pedro, as Ullio calls him (named in honor of Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar), dominates the intimate setting, standing about 6 feet at the shoulders, constructed of a kaleidoscope of scrap metal. A couple of years ago, when Ullio, CE 90, MS EnvE 93, first began looking into opening a Spanish restaurant, he knew he needed a bull. “It’s by Thomas Prochnow, who’s a local sculptor,” Ullio says. “I wanted to have a bull, because it’s a symbol of Spain, and the restaurant’s authentic Spanish. I saw his work over at the Mason Murer Fine Art gallery, and as soon as I saw his work I said, ‘This is the man to make my bull.’” That mix of European tradition and modernism is typical of Ullio, who has become one of Atlanta’s most successful restaurateurs through blending the old and new. He started with the Italian restaurant Sotto Sotto, which consistently has been one of the best-reviewed spots in the city, being called a “flavor haven” and the 2006 restaurant of the year by the Atlanta JournalConstitution. Ullio’s second success was Fritti, a pizzeria next door to Sotto Sotto in the Inman Park neighborhood, and it also saw immediate success. >>> Georgia Tech Alumni Magazine • Fall 2008 45
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