He hated brunch and loved Negroni.
Visited 120 countries and ate in best and worst places on the planet.
He was a TV star, but he always said his truth about food.

Anthony Bourdain visited Bologna and Emilia Romagna in 2012 for his show No reservations.
He won’t come again but he left us a great document about the food of our land.

Let’s track down the places he visited.

Bourdain chose a special host to guide him around Emilia Romagna’s food. 
His Virgilio is Michael White, a chef from Wisconsin who trained at Ristorante San Domenico in Imola.

The show begins inside the kitchen of this Michelin Starred restaurant, opened in 1970. Gianluigi Morini and Nino Bergese, known as “the king’s chef”, for his past work with royal Savoia family, were the founders. 

They got 2 Michelin stars in 1977 and never let them fade away. 
Michael began his career in San Domenico’s kitchen, before flying back to the USA.
He shows to Bourdain the preparation of one of their most popular dish: uovo in raviolo.

They come back at the end of the show for a full dinner.
Bourdain looks enthusiast about the duck press tool. And of the 1914 cognac they share with Mr Morini.

Info
Ristorante San Domenico
Via Sacchi, 1, 40026 Imola BO
Tel.0542 29000
www.sandomenico.it

Massimo Spigaroli introduces Micheal and Anthony to the most valuable cured meat of Emilia Romagna: culatello.

A 700 years old court near Po river hosts the cellar of magic.
The air enters from an open window to cultivate sweet mold, raised by the moisture of the river.
White and Bourdain hang a culatello just near the one of Alain Ducasse and Prince Albert of Monaco to cure for 2 years.

I do hope they had the chance to come again to take it out of the wall and have it with a bowl of wine.

Info
Antica Corte Pallavicina
Strada Palazzo due Torri, 43010 Polesine Parmense PR
Tel. 0524 936539
​www.anticacortepallavicinarelais.it

It’s no surprise that Bourdain loves Balsamic vinegar of Modena.
A man who respects real food. A food made by men of passion, far from marketing slogans and healthy trends that last a season. 

Bourdain arrives at Acetaia Pedroni on “Sparky”, his red Ferrari, but the charm of luxury cars is blown away by the batteria of wood-made barrels of Giuseppe. 
Each Balsamic takes its name from the wide Pedroni’s family tree, starting in 800′s century after a lucky bet on lottery numbers.

I’m 100% sure that Bourdain respects and knows how to use Balsamic vinegar. But after the visit of the acetaia, he stops at Osteria di Rubbiara to taste Balsamic on Modena traditional dishes. 

This Osteria is not a place for #foodgasm (a term hated by Bourdain). 
The old owner confiscates your phone as soon as you enter. There is no written menu and you’re not supposed to leave leftovers on your dish.

Those rules may seem unpleasant and out of time, but they are a flashback in an area were food was work and efforts before pleasure. Things that Bourdain well knows.

Info
Acetaia Pedroni
Via Risaia, 2, 41015 Nonantola MO
Tel. 059 549019
www.acetaiapedroni.it

Despite some footage of market life at Quadrilatero, Bourdain spends only a few scenes in Bologna.
Sit on the tables of Il Calice in Via Clavature, he has a Negroni with Michael, sharing opinions about Italian style and filling “hot pancakes” (they’re called tigelle Michael!!!) with mortadella. 

They joke about Italian self confidence in wearing red trousers and fanny packs, without caring about age and dress code.
It’s a funny scene, but that’s the only contact with Bologna. 

And my biggest regret.

No leftover dishes like passatelli, no old Osterie who only sell wine on tap, no poor and tasty meat made with pork ears, tongue and heart (yes, we have it, and I put in on the table during our Classic Bologna tour).

But Bourdain and Michael still have their authentic local lunch. 
In Borgo Tossignano, near Imola, they have a real Romagnolo feast. 
Vegetarians can skip this part.

Just 40min from Bologna, the cuisine of Osteria Fita already seeks to Florence. Starting with ficattola, a local fried bread with DOP cheese squacquerone the main attraction is fiorentina steak.

In his most famous article on the New Yorker Don’t eat before reading this, Bourdain explains why never order well-done meat in a restaurant. Fortunately, fiorentina can definitely be eaten.

Info
Trattoria Fita
Via Roma, 3, 40021 Borgo Tossignano (BO)
Tel. 0542 91183
www.fitaborgo.com

At Tre Monti vineyard Bourdain talks about happiness.
After admiring a sfoglina making tagliatelle, Anthony and Micheal sit in a vineyard on the hill with wine producer Vittorio and his father.

They eat pasta and cheer together with a glass of Sangiovese red wine called Thea, in memory of Vittorio’s mother.   

​After lunch, Bourdain says:

Reading those words today can lead to different thoughts. 
It’s impossible to distinguish where fiction ends and starts the reality.

I spent most of my teenage summers up on those hills, and I know how unique and beautiful they are.
​
My only wish is that in that vineyard, drinking wine and talking about food, he had some moments of peace. 

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Yes, it happened. I finally had dinner at Osteria Francescana in Modena. I took a photo with Massimo Bottura, I ate his most famous tortellini with cream of Parmigiano Reggiano and met the fake national guard at the entrance.
​Did it worth it? Was it the best dinner of my life? Let’s start from the beginning.

How I got in
For those who don’t know it, Osteria Francescana is 2017′s #2 restaurant in the world (former #1), 3 Michelin’s stars, and the most famous restaurant in Italy so far. Finding a table at Massimo Bottura’s is not a simple game: with only 12 tables and a 3 months in advance reservation policy, you should feel lucky to at least sit in there.
​
But like in standard restaurants, sometimes people cancel and that’s what happened when Monique wrote me. She’s a passionate foodie, owner of a food tour company based in Melbourne, who spent a few time in Bologna to learn Italian.
She had to fill a table for 4 and I ended up with her and 2 other classmates. I didn’t expect my first time at Francescana with 3 strangers, but I had such an amazing time and fun.  

I also was the only Italian customer in the restaurant, which made me think a bit, but what I care most is: 

The food
I didn’t entered Osteria Francescana with the thrill of coming into a sacred place and I felt no pressure to have the best meal of my life. ​Maybe because I don’t have TV, I don’t blindly trust rankings and basically because it’s just a dinner, what I care the most is the food.

We chose together the cheaper Festina Lente menu of 9 dishes (220€), paired with the wine tasting (130€). 
At least 4 of my 9 dishes were just perfect: “Tempura of aula with carpione sorbet”, “Suckling pig tender and crunchy”,  “Ceasar salad in bloom” and “Yellow is bello” are a great combination of skills, prime ingredients and fantasy. You don’t get 3 Michelin stars by chance and in these dishes I could taste the idea of Bottura’s cuisine. 
Also the wine pairing (mostly French, a couple of Italian Trebbiano and Nebbiolo) was a good choice. 

Why to go
The reason “to say to friends I’ve been #2 restaurant in the world” is not enough for me. Osteria Francescana worth your efforts if you’d like to taste the flavors of Emilia Romagna on a different perspective. Like Modena’s borlenghi on the finger food entreè; polenta with eel and saba (a cooked must syrup you should know if you took our Modena food tour), a typical poor dish of Ferrara; or the aula on tempura, a river fish hard to find in restaurants but common amongst the farmers of Pianura Padana. 

Why not go
One simple reason: the price. If you can afford a 360€ dinner monthly, don’t think about it: reserve. But if for you (like for me) that’s a huge amount of money you have to save for, well in this case think about the alternatives. A few ideas? You can visit at least other 2/3 Michelin Starred restaurant around Bologna, take a fly to Lecce and eat at Bros or eat fish and drink Porto wine for 10 days in Portugal.
So if you envy your friend who, after years of waiting, finally got in, please don’t. You can be happy in lots of other foodies ways.

Info
Osteria Francescana
Via Stella, 22, 41121 Modena 
Tel. 059 223912
www.osteriafrancescana.it

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