I was at Modena at Saturday night having traveled with a plane from Milan. I stayed with my family in a charming and clean hotel in the middle of the old city, 50 m. away from the cathedral which unfortunately was under maintenance and I didn’t manage to see it. Sunday the program had a visit to the restaurant Dal Pescatore, for which I’ll talk about in another article, and Monday was the day we visited Osteria Franccescana. During the morning we visited the Ferrari museum in Maranello and in the noon we went to Osteria Francescana. The restaurant is behind a picturesque road of the historical center of Modena 5 minutes from the main square on foot. A door, which unlocked itself before we ring any bell, led us to the waiting room. Without any delay we were accompanied to our table and the chef came out to greet us. The decoration was simple, with the colour white being dominant. Modern choices in the lanterns and the panels entertain the choice of the all white decoration. Sand-blasted glass windows on the side of the road, allowing in natural light and the shadows of passers come in the room.
Decoration that makes you feel comfortable. Isn’t this the after all the thing that a restaurant of high expectations needs? Comfort.
The menu they gave us has huge in size (with no reason for me) and it did not include some of the dishes of the menu de degustation. The waiters kind, distinctive but always there when you needed them. A difference in a restaurant of such class and another simpler is that the waiters always look at you in the eyes instead of avoiding them. The sommelier was very good at his job and was not afraid of proposing other drinks instead of wine to accompany your dishes. proposals originals which show that other drinks will have a place in high gastronomy.
Until now I have visited 9 restaurants of 2 and 3 stars and each and every one has something special to offer me. Osteria Francescana however, was a more complete experience. Massimo Bottura sows not to follow the forms and he is playing with the tastes and the feelings. Dishes in which cold and hot co-exist, transformed mortadella and also humble materials beautifully matched.
The welcoming began with the green olive oil from the area of Emillia Romana. It was a great oil but as a Greek I have to admit I have tasted better ones.
I ordered the menu “sensations”, which is the menu de degustation or the menu of experiments of Massimo Bottura which as he informed me changes almost every day. We began with the “hazelnut water ice”. A dish that its taste changed with every bite I took. Not only with the bite but even in my mouth I felt the taste alternating. Combination of coffee crème, hazelnut, fennel, oil, capers. Unique tastes which matched.
Next up was the dish “sandtubes with their friends”. Sandtubes were you ate since it was made out of seaweed stuffed with sandtube, squid, scallops and fresh seaweed.
I would like a little bit more “sea” in that dish (iodine). And then the flagship of flavors followed, the dish “Baccala Mare Nostrum”. Salted cod with oil and vinegar sauce, tomato broth and tomato pesto and roasted almond coated bread. What to say about this dish, It will stay unforgettable. Perfectly balanced combinations. Continuing with the pasta boiled into squid broth finirismena with mashed oyster Claire, mackerel fat, oil and smoked caviar. The next dish was sea bass made with the vide sous method in order to stay juicy (and I must say that he nailed it) crusty skin with cacciatore and crab sauce. Next up is “homage to Normandy” or else oyster that isn’t oyster but row fillet of lamb with herbs, oyster broth, aromatic herbs and caviar. “Think Green” with cabbage, asparagus, truffle, mushroom, cauliflower and parmesan crème. Moving on with mushroom morxeles stuffed with sausage cotechino in morxeles broth. And for end “roasted guinea fowl but not roasted”. Meat made from sous vide and sprayed with grilled bone accompanied by potato crème and black truffle. The only dish that didn’t excite me. This dish should be named “juicy guinea fowl but not juicy. However, the guinea fowl chocolate that followed made you forget the previous “foul”. Next up the dish “from Genoa to the bay of Napoli” basil pesto mildly cold, sweet and refreshing.
As a dessert came “Ode to Mont Blanc” meringue with pepper, chestnut cream and herbs. A sweet but not sweet, nevertheless it was perfect.
What’s the final conclusion? It’s the experience that a restaurant leaves me with and the duration of my memory of the food that are the judges to rate each restaurant and not the rarity of the materials used or the integrity of the execution of recipies.
Here Massimo Bottura nailed it. The space made me feel comfortable, the waiters new their job very well, the sommelier gave me excellent choices for the comination of dishes and drinks and he also proposed me different drinks then wine like beer, apostagma and water, yes water, which was scented with residue from the aromatic grappa which accompanied the previous dish. The flow of the dishes was good (I would prefer it to be a little bit faster in order not to eat all the breadsticks, which were excellent). I remember, I remember the pasta, I remember the cod, I remember the sorbet and the memories are intense. He did an excellent job.
