22-05-2013
HIGHER AND HIGHER. Giuseppe Palmieri, 38 years old, and Massimo Bottura, 50, respectively maître and sommelier and chef at Osteria Francescana in Modena, tel. +39.059.210118. Open in 1995, the restaurant received first one (2002), then two (2006) and finally three Michelin stars (2011) and the third place in the World's 50 Best (2013) (English translation by Slawka Scarso)
Modena’s colonnades, 186 thousand inhabitants and 3 restaurants with at least one Michelin star: Hostaria del Mare (1), Erba del Re (1) and Osteria Francescana (3 stars), our destination
Yellow and red tones prevail
The city still bears the signs of the May 2012 earthquake. On May 4th 2013, the day of our visit, a 3.8 magnitude earthquake was registered
By chance, Giuseppe Palmieri, maître and sommelier, appears from the grey door
Palmieri, 38, born in Matera. His first service in Francescana was on September 12th 2000
The old entrance to the restaurant, at number 24 in Via della Stella - as on the opening in 1995. It changed in September 2012: today you enter from number 22. Funnily enough, Google Maps is still set on the old entrance
The present entrance doors
Let’s start
After the latest renovations, the transit areas inside the Osteria appear as a contemporary art gallery
Mario Schifano’s world map
"Tourists", Maurizio Cattelan’s famous pigeons
Underneath the pigeons, Gavin Turk’s “Trashbag”
Three rooms, 12 tables, between 20 to 35 guests. 40% guests are Italian
Every table is illuminated by Davide Groppi’s Sampei lamp: if tables are moved, light follows
Francescana receives 150 reservations every day. But it also suffers from clients not showing up: on average, one table every week is booked but then guests don’t come
Right behind the kitchen, there’s the prêt-à-porter cellar
"In the central cellar, we only keep great vintages and larger bottles of what we consider to be great wines", Beppe Palmieri explains
1,600 wines are listed at Osteria Francescana, with a deep wine list which includes different vintages of the same wine
"A true celebration of wine "
The Ferrari coat, hanging in the cellar: Maranello is only 17 km away from Modena
Jean Todt, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso: Ferrari’s “prancing horse” is at home in Via Stella
Gabrio Bini’s wines, from Pantelleria, a real fetish for Palmieri
Hanging from the ceiling, a nice selection of cured meats from Emilia
Bread made with mother yeast, the premise to a journey which will alternate great classics with very contemporary dishes
Massimo Bottura. Fifty years old last September, he is chef since 1986, the year of Trattoria del Campazzo in Nonantola. His first masters: Lidia Cristoni and Georges Cogny
He’s glowing: a few days ago his restaurant climbed, for the first time, onto the podium of the World's 50Best, a prize that is acquiring an increasing weight and authority. "The thing that makes me the happiest", he says, "is not so much the third place, but the fact that we’ve been in the highest positions for a few years now". True: 13th in 2009, 6th in 2010, 4th in 2011, 5th in 2012, 3rd in 2013
The now famous grey New Balance 993, a real emblem for the chef, friend of Jason Weis, president of the company in Massachusetts. The insole, however, is local: "In Emilia the sector is state-of-the-art", he says
"Are we ready?"
Almond granita with capers, bergamot and coffee cream Bottura and Palmieri’s journey across Italy starts from the bottom. And sails off from the Sicilian inland, with a classic granita which in Modena crumbles Adria-style, the wall that divides sweet from savoury, using the picklock of bitterness: Pantelleria capers, wild oregano but also bergamot, a coffee concentrate and vanilla scented salt. To pair with the first part of the meal, Sorriso di Cielo malvasia dei colli piacentini
Mediterranean Macaroon Next to the granita, two peculiar macaroons: the first is made with minced anchovies and sardines, the second with oysters and seaweeds. This is a classic scheme in Bottura’scuisine: his ironic turning the order of the dishes, from starter to dessert, upside down, and using popular raw materials instead of ingredients that are emblematic of élite cuisine. «While feet are sinking in the ground, the head is free to move everywhere», is one of his most famous quotes
Tempura of freshwater aulla with carpione ice-cream Carpione ice-cream on a tempura of freshwater aulla – these fish are similar and slightly bigger than whitebait. The tempura is made by quickly placing the cold batter in boiling oil
Bread and croissants
Grissini
Baccalà Mare Nostrum We move up the Tyrrhenian sea to find this salted codfish cooked at low temperature and then seasoned with a touch of Naples and the Amalfi coast, that is to say with an emulsion made with hot oil with tomato vegetal liquid, olives, the zest of Sorrento’s super lemons and some anchovy colatura. These aromas crack with the scented bread on top
40 year old Denis Bretta explains the dishes as if from a book. Once at Restaurant Fini in Modena, for the past year and a half he’s been the manager responsible for the service in the restaurant. But don’t ask Palmieri to explain his role, as he’s abolished all hierarchies: "In our restaurant there are no commis or chef de rang. At a time when titles are so abused, I prefer for us to be all colleagues. All waiters."
How to burn sardines in three days Another journey, another horizon, the Adriatic Sea between Romagna and Ancona. A new camouflaged expression: these are not sardines (and they aren’t burnt either) but they are small sea-rock mullet, marinated for 3 days, then seared on one side on a grill, and filled like a sandwich with some (very sweet) scampi cream, and covered with vegetable ashes, aromatic herbs and lemon zest. “I wanted to make fun of the Marche-Romagna habit of grilling everything”, the chef says, “with lemon, garlic and parsley always added later to fix everything”
Rice, between fresh and sea water Recalling the Po estuary with freshwater and brackish sensations. The freshwater flavours cover the surface of the oyster which prevails on the river bed. And in the end, catfish, carp, vegetable chlorophyll and carpione win once again
A journey to Modena: Adriatic eel, polenta, Campanine apple jelly and saba Another fluvial odyssey, presented for the first time at Identità Milano in 2011. The Adriatic eel travels across Veneto (with the polenta cream), Mantua (the Campanine apple jelly), the countryside of Modena (with the Saba lacquering, that is to say the mother of Aceto Balsamico) and stops in the centre of Modena (blackened powdered onion, a mimesis of the town’s canals)
Normandy That is to say pre-salè lamb (hanging for 20 days) with an emulsion of oyster water, fresh seaweeds and caviar. On top, a green apple granita that recalls cider. “This is our tribute to Normandy”, Bretta says, “in Modena there are no enchanted beaches or breath-taking mountain tops. From Via Stella you can’t even see the Torre Ghirlandina. What guides us is the persistant strength of ideas, woven into the culture and into memories”
Giovanni Boroni’s Genziana from Trentino. A brilliant idea by Palmieri that acts as a bridge between the two dishes, Normandy (previous picture) and Think Green (next one). This distillate plays an immediate contrast with the sea-character of the first dish: "To me, harmony is what is left after a confrontation", B.P. says. And the confrontation is followed by the thought that spurs from the following match: water is added to the Genziana and the palate surprisingly longs to gulp it all. This is the perfect vehicle for the aromas of the genziana and "gives length" to the minerality of the wild herbs. "This serves to recall water, our true source of richness". Brilliant
Think Green Vegetal chlorophyll, asparagus tops, pea cream, mushrooms, truffle, flowers, aromatic herbs and Parmigiano Reggiano curd. The idea of this dish came after observing the biological cycle of grazing cows, 4 seasons that sum up all of life. “This is what the cow eats, and what it returns to us, thanks to an extraordinary milk”, Bottura adds
Five ages of Parmigiano Reggiano A great classic from 1996, "when the textures in fact were 3", Palmieri points out. Today they are 5: 4 month ageing cream, 30 month demi-soufflè, 36 month mousse, 40 month crispy wafer, on top, “air” of 50 month Parmesan. (photo by Le Saucier)
A compression of pasta and beans Another great classic, this is a journey across Bottura’s experiences in the kitchen: Creme royal with pork rind, beans and foie gras (French tradition), rosemary air (the Spanish vanguard) and Parmesan crust (the Emilian essence) used instead of pasta. “This is a dish based on evolution, not revolution. I compressed my grandmother between Alain Ducasse and Ferran Adrià”
Snails under the grapevines Snails, aromatic chlorophyll on a bed of wild vegetables and herbs, with mushrooms, truffle and bulbs. After the cow’s life cycle, here comes that of the snail. "Once again, we’re chewing the territory: the best snails slither in the vineyards, among mineral, sapid and acid aromas"
A Frenchman’s dream of making pasta like an Italian Or, Ravioli with leeks, foie gras and truffle. We covered this in detail in Identità di Pasta issue number 27
Damijan Podversic’s Ribolla Gialla, a great wine by a wine producer from Gorizia inspired by Josko Gravner. It will support the following dish, without concealing it
A sharp knife is only served now. Another sign of the “allergy” to lengthy chewing that characterises most of contemporary high cuisine
Pigeon hunt And over to Bretta: "This is served in a balsamic sauce made with beetroots, which recalls blood. The salad is made with fake leaves, made by cutting out some tubers using some small stamps. These are then compressed in a vacuum with different types of vinegar. The horseradish is grated a few seconds before service, to give some velocity to the pigeon". Irony wins, since "pigeons are not hunted". The bird supplier is Franco Cazzamali from Cremona
Before the dessert, a trip to the restroom: vegetal notes prevail here too
A visit to the kitchen: capon stock
The chef watches over everything, even on the loud music wired wireless from the ceiling. When we get inside, Rod Stewart is screaming "Do you think I'm sexy?"
Meanwhile, the sauces are prepared for the evening service. There’s no break between lunch and dinner. "People sometimes leave at 5 pm because they come here to enjoy the experience of a lifetime", Palmieri reveals, "We work non-stop and every year is worse (or better, that is to say). Don’t ask me anything after midnight, though, because I can’t think straight"
Between dining room and kitchen, today 27 people work at Osteria Francescana. Many of them are interns: "Had I been offered an internship with Ducasse, at the time”, Bottura says, "I would have paid myself". In fact, he really took an internship at the Louis XV in Monte Carlo, in 1992
Leaves The journey takes us amidst the forests beds in Umbria: the real leaves change according to the season (black cabbage in winter, red and green basil in spring), they are caramelised and then worked with some chestnut and hazelnut paste, with a vin brulée reduction, chocolate and citrus fruits concentrate...
Magnum of Foie gras (before) A foie gras terrine, vacuum cooked, covered with powdered toasted hazelnuts and chopped toasted almonds, finished with some apple Balsamic Vinegar. This is possibly Massimo Bottura’s most famous (and copied) dish. Alessandra Meldolesi, in her book "Sei. Autirotratto della cucina italiana d'avanguardia" she writes: "It’s a trompe-l’oeil starter in which a mould unmistakably used in the food industry, encloses the secret of the most exclusive delicacies, foie gras and Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale. This is snack versus high cuisine, dessert versus starter, entremets versus carne: the triple antiphrasis manages to get a smile"
Magnum of Foie Gras (after) Ehm
Oops, a broken lemon tart A lemon tart with lemon zabaglione, lemongrass ice-cream, lemon confit, capers and bergamot (with the latter, we go back to where we had started from). This is the last dish of a masterly journey
Sous chef Here are the staff. We start with Yoji Tokuyoshi, 35, from Japan, for 8 years at Osteria Francescana. He’s just back from the Postrivoro for Slow Fish
Managing orders Takahiko Kondo, from Japan
Starters Davide Di Fabio, 27 from Abruzzo
First courses Michele Castelli, 28, Matera, in Modena since 5 years ago
Main courses Riccardo Forapani, 27, from Cavezzo (Modena) at Osteria Francescana for the past 5 years and a half
Pastry Making To the right, pastry-chef Alberto Buratti, 26 from Legnano (Milano), ex Antica Osteria del Ponte with Ezio Santin. With him, Matteo Conterio, from Como, 20 years old, Francescana since last month
Bread making Bernardo Paladini, 24, from Rome, bread and pasta
Stagista Klaus Pahl, 26, Brazilian from Sao Paolo, with a previous experience at D.O.M.
Stagista Franco Liberali, 19, Pescara, second courses
Stagista Lorenzo Menegatti, 19, from Torino, first courses
Antipasti Francesco Vincenzi, 21, from Formiglia (Modena)
30 year old twins, Andrea and Luca Garelli, have been working in Francescana for 5 years (I only realised in the end that the guys where two, not one)
In sala Monica Giordano, 31 years old, from Bologna
Pino Cesario, from Torre del Greco (Naples), arrived at Francescana two weeks ago ("Today even finding a job on the Amalfi Coast is difficult ")
Antonia Guerra, kitchen hand
Back to the table for the petits fours
And a great coffee signed by Leonardo Lelli
Average prices: starters 45, first courses 45, main courses 60, desserts 25 euros. Tasting menu: 110 euros (Traditions), 150 euros (Classics), 180 euros (Sensations, seasonal plates from the experimental kitchen). The complete menu in pdf
Before returning to see the stars...
...ask Palmieri, aka GlocalOnTour, for his advice: on his blog, there’s a detailed – food and non-food – map of what’s best in Modena
Osteria Francescana is closed on Saturdays at lunchtime and on Sundays the whole day. For reservations, call +39.059.210118, or book online
It’s a known thing: for the first time, an Italian restaurant is in the World’s 50 Best’s top 3. And this must be something important if a few days ago Joan Roca, now comfortably at the top with brothers Josep and Jordi, confessed that «in the 24 hours following the voting, our website received 2 million unique visits». Two million. Who knows how many ended up clicking on Osteria Francescana’s website. What’s sure is that, on average, 150 people try to reserve each day, in Modena, though the staff can only seat 35 guests at a time. The establishment in Via Stella was first discovered in 1995 by chef Massimo Bottura, who was joined, 5 years later, by maître and sommelier Giuseppe Palmieri from Matera. Over these 17 years the job of patron has evolved so as to have a shape of its own. And this is, perhaps, Bottura’s biggest merit, like those of all the great chefs who – paraphrasing Gualtiero Marchesi’s famous words – should they copy, they take care to conceal the source with the strength of the great creative impulse, which reduces the initial model into a distant spot.
Of course, the tortellini pasta is still handled by the invisible hand of rezdora Lidia Cristoni. In the grammar and in the process of a fondo bruno sauce there’s Georges Cogny’s orthodox rigour. The selection of faultless ingredients respects Alain Ducasse’s recommendation. In the frequent crumbling of the wall separating sweet and savoury, as well as in the impulse to cooperate with innovators from other fields, there’s Ferran Adrià’s example.
Snails under the grapevines, a dish that is a perfect summary of the origins and the destiny of Bottura’s cuisine
These are unique and true schemes, such as those traced by Giuseppe Palmieri’s steps, the Don Quixote of the dining room, who’s fighting as few others do to give back some dignity to a universe that is still too unpopular. After all, as Bottura himself declared on the stage of Identità «if we continue to ignore the job of waiters, in a few years time we will have an army of unemployed chefs in front of us». At the end of the photo-gallery below, you will notice that all the staff are smiling. This is because the two leaders know how to motivate and attract them. This is the secret of the most successful teams.
Gabriele Zanatta’s opinion: on establishments, chefs and trends in Italy and the world
by
born in Milan, 1973, freelance journalist, coordinator of Identità Golose World restaurant guidebook since 2007, he is a contributor for several magazines and teaches History of gastronomy and Culinary global trends into universities and institutes. twitter @gabrielezanatt instagram @gabrielezanatt
