Stake at Paletto. [Photo by Mike Peters/China Daily]

Next came beef short ribs, marvelously tender after being marinaded for 24 hours in red wine, then vacuum-packed and slow-cooked in a 75-degree oven for 12 hours. The cooking juices are reduced then added to a demi-glace sauce for added richness. On the side is celeriac puree, shallot confit and asparagus. The meaty plate is served with a perfectly matched Promis 2012, a Tuscan red that "combines the elegance and suppleness of merlot and syrah with the austerity of sangiovese". It's touted as having an aging potential of five to eight years, but happily for us it's a treat to drink right now.

I'm surprised to learn that the restaurant's extensive wine list is 85 percent Italian.

"We're an award-winning Italian restaurant," says Nicodemo, who has been running Paletto's kitchen at the Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen for nearly one year. "So it's important to have a wine selection that reflects our food and our heritage." He concedes that many Chinese fine-dining customers look to Bordeaux first, but he doesn't mind the opportunity to steer his guests to the best vintages Italy can offer.

His food-and-beverage team is always ready to pair Italian wines with his signature dishes, from the black-ink risotto with marinated calamari and sea urchin to pumpkin gnocchi, veal, and parmesan cream with mushroom. Our dessert, Nicodemo's popular Chocolate Sphere, which melts in front of our eyes as the chef pours hot vanilla sauce over the hollow ball to reveal the fruits and nuts hidden inside, comes with a light, not-too-sweet moscato that lets the various flavors shine through.

The elegant dining room is the culinary heart of the resort-style hotel, which is located near the city's convention center and attracts a steady clientele of business executives.

"We are very close to Hong Kong, of course, so our standard of food and service has to be very competitive," Nicodemo says with a grin.

If you go

Paletto

At the Ritz-Carlton Shenzhen, 116 Fuhua San Road, Futian district, 755-2222-2222.

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