A Life Worth Eating

Listed in all the food guidebooks, this place sounded quite promising, and the unanimous verdict among the staff at Salumeria Garibaldi (my daily hangout while in Parma) was that it is the best restaurant in the city. One of the guys even had a good friend at the restaurant, so he called and made a reservation for me that evening. And by that, I mean he somehow got them to set aside a table for me (in what was a fully booked restaurant) for the whole evening. No time was set. “Just go whenever you feel like it,” I was told. Ah, small towns. Everybody knows everybody. Gotta love it.

I walked in, was greeted warmly and shown to my spacious table, already set for one. I took all of two seconds to look at the menu, and decided on the Menu degustazione di Terra, the six-course meat-based tasting menu priced at €55. Seconds later, two types of grissini, the crispy thin breadsticks, were brought out, along with four or five types of bread and crackers.

The amuse-bouche was zuppa di zucchine con crema di parmigiano, a vibrant green zucchini soup topped with a dollop of parmigiano-flavored savory whipped cream. What a wonderful way to say hello. This was nothing less than outstanding, and a very good sign of things to come.

The first proper course was Composizione di manzo crudo agli oli essenziali e piccolo hamburger (all. Paolo Parisi), composition of raw beef with essential oils and a tiny hamburger. The raw beef came in two forms: three small cubes of raw beef, with sauces of basil, cenere (slow-cooked, large onions), and orange, respectively; and a small mound of tartare infused with the traditional condiments. The piccolo hamburger was, indeed, just that. A minature bun not much bigger than a golf ball, with a (cooked) ground beef patty, lettuce, and tomato. To wash the burger down, they provided a shot glass full of birra Italiana. I don’t think I need to translate that. All were tasty, if not quite memorable, aside maybe from the outstanding basil-sauced one.

Next up was Fiori di zucca ripieni di zucchini e parmigiano cotti a vapore con salsa al tartufo nero, zucchini blossoms stuffed with finely minced zucchini and parmigiano, and dressed with black truffle. This was wonderful, with the less assertive summer truffles providing just the right level of earthiness to boost the delicate flavor of the squash blossoms without overwhelming them. Well done.

Now it was pasta time, and soon a plate of Cappellacci di anatra e borragine con salsa al vino rosso e porto al tartufo nero arrived. A stuffed pasta shape typical of the region, with a perhaps non-traditional (but incredibly flavorful) filling of duck and borrage, in a red wine, port, and truffle reduction. Man, oh man. So good. One of the best pasta dishes on the trip, undoubtedly. This was the point that I’d asked for the wine to arrive, as I thought the previous courses too delicate to compete with a glass of red wine. I chose a glass of Refosco from the Friuli region. Quite enjoyable, and I found that it went wonderfully with the pasta, and the remainder of the meal. Sure, it doesn’t have the complexity of, say, Barolo, but it doesn’t need it. It’s very, very drinkable, working with the food rather than competing with it.

Next up was Agnello rosolato al timo con tortino di melanzane al parmigiano e salsa alle spezie, a rosy-pink roasted lamb loin bathed in the fragrant perfume of fresh thyme and served alongside a little cylinder of grilled eggplant slices and creamy eggplant puree. Propped up against all this was a paper-thin slice of eggplant that had been baked, yielding an almost cracker-like crispiness. This was a nice textural counterpart to the rest of the dish, and a tasty presentation overall.

Then came the Assaggio di parmigiano di diversa stagionatura, tasting of three different ages of parmigiano-reggiano (Jan 2005/Apr 2005/Feb 2006) along with the tiniest dots of intense 25- and 35-year balsamic vinegars. “To be eaten strictly with the hands,” I was instructed. All were quite tasty, but my favorite was the youngest cheese and the older vinegar.

Pre-dessert (don’t you just love that concept?) was fior di latte gelato con fragole e aceto balsamico, a very tasty and very simple combination of creamy gelato, summery-sweet strawberries, and complex sweet-tart balsamic vinegar.

Dessert proper was Cuore di fragola e lamponi al frutto della passione, a passion-fruit mousse, whose liquid core was made of sweet strawberries and raspberries. This was outstanding; the texture of the mousse was wonderful, and the presence of the raspberry brought a nice tartness into the sweet mix.

I was not in the mood for caffé that evening, but they indulged me by bring out the piccola pasticceria, the tiny sweets that accompany the coffee, anyway. There were maybe 10 kinds of mini treats, cookies, cakes, meringue, pâté de fruit, etc. A nice touch at the end of any meal, I’d say.

This place was the first of several I would come to visit that are part of Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe, an association of top European chefs under the age of 35. In addition, the restaurant has earned the distinction of being listed in Le Soste, and participates in the Buon Ricordo program, which I think is a neat idea. Marco Parizzi, the chef here, and his wife Cristina, who runs the front of the house, were both very kind, and very helpful in recommending other restaurants all over Italy to try out. Cristina even went as far as photo-copying the Bologna pages from their Michelin guide for me, and giving me copies of the guide books Le Soste, Buon Ricordo, and Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe. Their suggestions led to some very enjoyable meals in the following weeks.

This meal struck a nice balance between tradition and innovation. It was true to its roots in Parma, but at the same time trying to expand and define what that culinary identity means today. I enjoyed chatting with Chef Marco, Cristina, and the entire staff throughout the meal. The service, which started out awkwardly stiff, quickly relaxed and was very nice overall. Certainly among the better meals I had during this vacation. Next time: Menu degustazione di Mare.