260799 Mon Jan 14 20:33:00 -0800 2002 11 26 International 0 1378150 But for one thread from November on Bologna (which looks very helpful), i haven't been able to find anything on the board with reports/suggestions for eating in Emilia-Romagna. I have Plotnik and Willinger and I will ultimately pierce the slow food web site (it has been giving me error messages all day today), but I would love good chowhoundish observations on good eats in the region -- from Michelin 3 star to 4 table tratorie. thanks Mon Jan 14 20:33:00 -0800 2002 0 Kirk Wallace 1 1378169 You can also research Emilia-Romagna at www.gamberorosso.it. The site has an English language alternative and has recent articles on Bologna & Ferrara hotels, restaurants, etc. Tue Jan 15 13:17:31 -0800 2002 1378150 0 DavidT 1 1378171 Depending on how far you are willing to drive two of the best meals I have ever had in my life were in this general area: Dal Pescatore, the Michelin three star near Mantova and Le Calandre, a Michelin two star in Rubano which is near Padua. My guess is that Le Calandre will receive its third star this year-it is extraordinary and, frankly, rather daring in it's imaginative interpretation of traditional food. In Bologna the one star Bitone is excellent but what puts it over the top is the exhuberant personality of its chef/owner. Tue Jan 15 15:44:09 -0800 2002 1378150 0 Joe 2 1378218 thanks for that; had a simply beautiful lunch at le calendre 3 yrs ago; it is definitely on our list for this trip; looking forward to dal pescatore as well; bitone also sounds like a winner. we are hoping to mix up very excellent traditional, small non-fancy local places with "fancier" places (like le calendre -- although admittedly i suspect there are very few places truly like le calendre) Thu Jan 17 13:01:29 -0800 2002 1378171 0 kirk wallace 3 1378259 Dal Pescatore will be an experience. When you park in their small lot (depending on the weather) there will probably be chicken feathers floating around. She is obsessive down to even growing her own saffron. Esquire's John Mariani called this "The Greatest Restaurant In The World" in a lengthy article two years ago. I probably like El Raco de Can Fabes in Spain slightly more but this, Le Calendre and Gambero Rosso (which is absolutely worth going out of your way for!!!) have provided me with some of the best meals of my life. The one star Battibecco just off the square in Bologna is also very, very good. Some of the best experiences though are just stumbling in somewhere at the end of the day-because you have a "feeling" about the way the restaurant looks (just something about it) and finding an unexpected outstanding meal and friendly, welcoming experience. In this spirit one of the best meals that I've had in Italy was in a small neighborhood restaurant just off the river in Florence. It was recommended to us by the concierge as the Excelsior (we had arrived late in the day on a Sunday and didn't even know if anyplace decent would be open). We went expecting little more than nothing. Di Vinus was extraordinary, bisteca ala fiorentina better than Taverna del Bronzino or Sabatino's, the equal of anything I have had in the Tuscan countryside. Simple dishes like minestrone (chunks of vegetables in a "sauce" that was so thick it actually "stood up" on the plate) and a wine list that included reserves of Castello di Ama at a small markup. Truly deserving of at least a one star. I should also note that at 9:00PM there was a line out the door waiting to get in and they must have been all locals. You'll understand this last statement if you go-it's on a side street that most tourists would never go near it. By the way, the two star Il Desco in Verona for me is a complete waste of time. Other than an extraordinary $30.00 dessert sampler intended for one I thought it was undistinguished. If you are into visiting wineries Castello di Ama can be quite welcoming in Tuscany in the off season. Arguably their chianti and chianti reserves are the finest in Italy aloong with a cult Super Tuscan in L'Apparita. Their olive oil is exquisite. If this interests you send them a fax requesting a visit first. Sat Jan 19 15:43:29 -0800 2002 1378218 0 Joe 1 1378172 In Roncoli Verdi, a dusty little farming and industrial village near Bussetto where Verdi lived, I had one of the best meals I've had in Emilia-Romagna about 10 years ago. I couldn't remember the name the place which starts with a C, but since there is no sign it a name wouldn't really help. A lot of the best places on the backroads of Italy just have a standard neon BAR sign, and mamma in the kitchen. I emailed a friend who lives in the area to get the name and she wrote back about a recent meal there: "Everyone around here calls it the 'trattoria di Madonna dei Prati'. We went there for our anniversary this year. It was a Tuesday night when they serve their speciality, torta fritta and mixed salumi, including spalla cotta from S. Secondo. As good as ever!' For the pasta course make sure you ask for samples of several. Of course they are all hand made and each one has it's own sauce. Don't look for a lot of green vegetables because this is Emilia Romagna, and mamma feels she already ate too many vegetables during the war. This place is the real thing, without and of the flash and glitter of a place that Michelin would even know about. I'd just do to the village and ask someone. Link: http://www.curmudgeon.com Tue Jan 15 16:08:02 -0800 2002 1378150 0 Curmudgeon 2 1378217 beautiful; thank you; now i have to deal with the interveneing 3 months stuck in cloudy new york dreaming about this place. Thu Jan 17 12:44:36 -0800 2002 1378172 0 kirk wallace 1 1378174 Emilia-Romagna is one of the regions most over-looked by tourists in northern Italy. The Tamburini food shop in Bologna and the Guisti food shop in Modena are shrines not to be missed. I ate at Trattoria Boni (via Saraguzza in Bologna) several years ago. It was quite good. The 10/10/01 issue of the N.Y. Times had a great article by R.W. Apple about Hosteria da Ivan in the town of Fontanelle, which is about 15 miles outside of Parma. If you have a chance, be sure to visit Cremona. Tue Jan 15 18:41:44 -0800 2002 1378150 0 DavidT 2 1378180 One more suggestion- be sure to try the culatello! Tue Jan 15 21:54:02 -0800 2002 1378174 0 DavidT 1 1378225 You might consider picking up in Italy (or ordering a copy from the slow food website) Slow Food's Osterie d'Italia directory of restaurants. It's divided into regions. We used it for a trip to Piemonte/Liguria last spring. I've never studied Italian but managed to make out the essential info in the entries. Restaurants are labeled as trattoria, bar-enoteca, cafetteria, osteria/osteria tradizionale, ristorante, agriturismo, etc. There's the location, tel no., days closed, hours, credit cards (if any)accepted, etc. Little symbols next to the restaurant name might indicate that the place is known for regional specialties, or local cheese, or a nice wine list. Within the text of the entry special dishes are noted in red. Then at the bottom of many entries there is another little tidbit of information ... a particularly wonderful gelateria or pastry shop or salumi shop nearby. We found this guide useful for when we were on the road; we prefer local, casual places and weren't disappointed. Thu Jan 17 15:33:59 -0800 2002 1378150 0 foodfirst 2 1378226 Wonder if you got to Tre Limone in Mondovi. We walked around Mondovi and the menu looked the best, walked in and had a wonderful lunch. Later we heard from a cousin who lives in a nearby village that it is indeed the best place in Mondovi. Link: http://www.curmudgeon.com Thu Jan 17 17:23:33 -0800 2002 1378225 0 Curmudgeon 2 1378229 I believe you can access the Slow Food Osterias of Italy guide on-line at their website: www.slowfood.com. If you register (which is free), you can log into the Osterias database (in English) and look at various listings by province. Thu Jan 17 23:28:56 -0800 2002 1378225 0 DavidT