Eating Emotions at Osteria Francescana // Modena, Italy
When M and I first started thinking about going to Italy, my first thought—before which cities we should visit, how many dishes of pasta we’d have to try, or what sundresses to bring—was that we’d have to try to get a reservation at Osteria Francescana.
Voted the World’s best restaurant in 2016 and 2018, and featured on Chef’s Table’s opening episode (Volume 1 Episode 1), three-Michelin-starred Osteria Francescana has long been on my must-try-restaurants list. Massimo Bottura is such a culinary and imaginative genius, and his quote, “There are very few restaurants where you can eat emotions,” has long stuck with me.
Reservations for this renowned restaurant, however, open up 6 months in advance, and securing a table, while not quite as difficult as getting one at Eleven Madison Park (where reservations literally run out within minutes of listing), is an almost-miracle.
By the time we were looking to book for the few weeks that would make sense (we wanted a reservation while we were still in northern Italy), there was nothing available at his flagship restaurant. There was availability at Casa Maria Luigia, a 12-room guest house where Massimo also serves a world-class meal, but “tickets for this experience are pre-paid and non-refundable,” which didn’t work for us, as we were booking during Covid and afraid of last minute plan changes.
So, we resigned to waiting—I made a few reservations elsewhere, but nothing was as exciting to me as the chance to eat at Osteria Francescana.
Then, while we were still in Venice, I happened to look at the website again, and found an open seat for two the following week. I immediately made the reservation and proceeded to rework our travel plans so that we could make it to Modena in time to eat at the world’s number one restaurant.
Seven days later, we found ourselves at a bed and breakfast a stone’s throw from the entrance to the restaurant (less than 100 ft away). We watched the Chef’s Table episode in preparation for our meal, and I was hyped.
The entrance to Osteria Francescana is a discrete entrance in a pastel pink building. When you walk in, the baby blue walls are covered in bright, fun artwork, reflective of Bottura’s personality and approach to food.
After they seated us, they brought us warm breadsticks, and we began to study the menu. “With a Little Help From my Friends” is a 12-course, 18-item menu, inspired by and paying tribute to dishes created by fellow Italian chefs from 1960 to 2020.
Volevo Essere Fritto // I Wanted to be Fried
Il Wafer si Veste D’oro // The Wafer is Dressed in Gold
Minestra di Pane // Bread Soup (not pictured)
The first course immediately made me smile. How can a dish that says “Ciao” not? And this shrimp nugget exploded in such a beautiful way in my mouth. I was not prepared.
La Cipolla Fondente // The Dark Onion
Sfoglia di Parmigiano, cipolla // Sheet of Parmesan, onion
Following the hors d'oeuvre was this pastry, made of parmesan, onion, and, undoubtedly, butter. It was flaky and delicious, albeit a bit dry.
Insalata di Spaghetti al Caviale // Spaghetti Salad with Caviar
Verdure, pasta di seppia, caviale, miso di spaghetti // Vegetables, cuttlefish pasta, caviar, spaghetti miso
When I saw and ate this dish, I was shocked again by the genius and creativity. These varying vegetable noodles came together to provide different flavors, texture, and visual appeal to this dish. And it went so well with the caviar.
La Capesante Ripiene di Mortadella // Scallops Stuffed with Mortadella
Ravioli di capesante e mortadella, chowder di finocchio, mela marinata // Ravioli with scallops and mortadella, fennel chowder, marinated apple
The ravioli were also amazing. At this point in the meal, M and I were both very impressed. Few restaurants we’ve been to have served consistently above-average dishes throughout their tasting menu—usually by dish 4, at least one has been a miss. The level of execution here was very impressive.
Controfiletto del San Domenico // Sirloin of San Domenico
Melanzana, glassa fumée e salsa alla erbe // Eggplant, smoked glaze and herb sauce
This eggplant, while it doesn’t look very appealing, was delicious. And this is coming from two people who don’t really love eggplant. I believe it was intended to taste like meat, and it met that intention.
Savarin di Riso // Rice Savarin
Chawanmushi di Parmigiano, lingua, spugnole, taccole, asparagi e fondo di funghi // Parmesan chawanmushi, tongue, morels, snow peas, asparagus and mushroom base
If any dish of the tasting menu was a miss for M, it was this one. Too mushroom-y, and if I remember correctly, served cold.
Faraona alla Creta & Risotto alla Bergese // Crete-style guinea fowl & Bergese-style risotto
Faroana ripiena di pane e frattaglie con fondo bruno filtrwato infuso con riso tostato // Guinea fowl stuffed with bread and offal with filtered brown bottom infused with toasted rice
This dish was phenomenal. Each of the spreads to the right changed the way the guinea fowl tasted, and it was such a delight to try and try again.
Germano Ripieno di Anguilla // Mallard Stuffed with Eel
Anguilla, pelle croccante, spinaci, rafano, marasche e aceto balsamico Villa Manodori // Eel, crunchy skin, spinach, horseradish, morello cherries and Villa Manodori balsamic vinegar
Easily one of my favorite dishes, I found this dish very creative. M wasn’t as much of a fan.
Budino di Cipolla // Onion pudding
Crème caramel di foie gras e lapsang souchong, cipolle caramellate, chantily di zenzero, meringa // Crème caramel of foie gras and lapsang souchong, caramelized onions, ginger chantily, meringue
Taste-wise, I think this dish was my favorite. I expected it to be sweet, as it was an ode to Bottura’s famous “Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart,” but it was somewhere between sweet and savory, with foie gras as the base. I would never, in a million years, thought to turn foie gras into dessert. But it was delicious, and as the compliment goes, not too sweet.
Zuppa fredda di Carbonara // Cold Carbonara Soup
Crema inglese al pepe, guanciale, banana, gelato di pecorino, caviale // English pepper cream, bacon, banana, pecorino ice cream, caviar
As this dish was coming out, Massimo Bottura came into the dining room, and my heart literally stopped. Then he came over and my heart was literally in my mouth, I was so excited.
The server was in the process of grinding the pepper over my dish, when Bottura corrected his form, adjusted the grind, then handed the grinder back to him. In other words, Bottura made my meal. All puns intended.
He then proceeded to tell us the story of this dish, the carbonara ice cream. When he was in Brazil, he was helping cook for a charitable event, and the kitchen ran out of bacon because the other chefs had used it all. So, to maintain the flavor and texture of a traditional carbonara, he improvised, smoking banana peels to masquerade as bacon. And it worked—the banana peels tasted like and had the consistency of chunks of bacon.
Then, when you broke the cone of the savory dessert, caviar oozed out. He turned a savory dish, historically reserved for pasta, into a dessert. This was the dish I really understood what it meant to eat one’s emotions.
I really wish I had asked Bottura for a photo earlier, when we still had our Carbonara dishes. But we got one after we finished that course, and I literally told him, “You’re so cool. I want to be your friend.” And he responded, “Perfect! We’re friends!”
You can see how excited his response made me in the first photo. I’ve never fangirled so hard.
Tortelli di Zucca // Pumpkin tortelli
Patata dolce al forno a legna, mostarda, limone, vaniglia, burro, profumo di caffè // Wood-fired sweet potato, mustard, lemon, vanilla, butter, coffee scent
We had told the staff that it was our 2-year wedding anniversary, and they came out with plates to wish us a happy anniversary. It was very sweet of them.
Riso Oro e Zafferano // Gold Rice and Saffron
Cannolo // Cannolo
Babà // Baba
Camouflage // Camouflage
When I first saw Bottura’s original Camouflage dish, I was blown away. I didn’t know chefs could create food that looked like that. So for him to recreate it here as a truffle—one of my all-time favorite foods—what a treat. It was the perfect end to the best meal I have ever had.
By the end of the 4-hour dining experience, we were elated, and absolutely stuffed. This was my only gripe—I really want(ed) to try Bottura’s most well-known dishes, “Oops I Dropped the Lemon Tart,” and “The Five Ages Of Parmesan,” but there was no way to make space for it, even though I could have ordered it a la carte. And we didn’t even order the wine pairing because we knew this would be an issue.
On our way out, the waiters gave us a 100ml bottle of Bottura’s Modena balsamic vinegar as a gift. I will cherish that little bottle forever.
Even though our car was towed and we had to get it the next day (a story for another day), I would highly recommend a visit to this unique and irreplicable restaurant.
For those that find the price of a meal at Osteria Francescana (or Casa Maria Luigia) meal difficult to stomach, Bottura also has several other restaurants around the world:
Franceschetta 58 in Modena
Ristorante Cavallino (his partnership with Ferrari) in Maranello, next to the Ferrari Museum
Gucci Osteria (his partnership with Gucci) in Florence, Beverly Hills, and Tokyo
Now I get why people will fly into Modena for a single day, just to eat at Osteria Francescana. Where else can you eat Massimo Bottura’s emotions?
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Outfit details: Banana Republic dress (XS), Cole Haan sandals, Adornia earrings