About four months ago Sarah and I decided on a challenge. If we could go for one month with just two sweet things a week then we would reward ourselves. Keep in mind that this decision was made in the middle of a “research” trip around some of the finest eateries in France. The prize, attempting to secure a booking at Osteria Francescana in Modena. It seemed like a natural way to summarise our gastronomical tour of Italy. A visit to the finest establishment in Emilia-Romagna – the region at the forefront of Italian cuisine. Bookings open three months in advance and there are only 12 tables. The restaurant is rated number 2 in the world. After a bit of emailing back and forth I managed to secure us a booking for lunch on the 1st of December. The date was locked in and credit card details exchanged.
Don’t worry. We didn’t starve. There are plenty of delicious things to eat all over Italy. It’s compulsory to have pasta at least once a day there. So the 30th of November rolls around and its time to get excited. Iron the shirt. Check the train times. Apply deodorant. The next morning that is.
Anyhow, enough suspense.
We arrive on time. Unassuming entrance on the ground floor on a beautiful little street just off of the main square in Modena. Nice place, comfortable and unpretentious. I’m not going to explain everything that we ate. It would take forever and be quite repetitive. Words like Parmigiano Reggiano, incredible, flawless, delicious, uncomplicated, intricate, amazing etc. etc.
From the amuse of rabbit cacciatore macaron to the truffled petit fours everything was so so so good! The service. Flawless. Very attentive and not overbearing at all. The head of the dining room gave an interesting and quite humorous description of each dish as it was presented. All worked in perfect and easy synchronisation, no stress. They are just great at their jobs. No wine was spilt. Nothing was spilt.
The rest of the day was spent in a kind of content daze, helped along by great wine and the very best company. We were aware, that we had just experienced something very special. This is right up there with the best meal either of us have ever eaten and probably ever will.
If you’re after a bit more of this incredible establishment and the man behind it all – check out the first episode of Chef’s Table.
