ITALY!!!! Three star restaurants

I can't talk about my trip to Italy without talking about my trip to Osteria Francescana, recently named #3 on the San Pellegrino Best Restaurants of the World list (an important accolade but what does that really mean, and what or who is San Pellegrino if not sparkling water?). The restaurant also has three stars and that indicates fine dining that is well worth the trip. So off I hoped to go!

It is not easy to get a reservation for one of the 12 tables in the osteria, which is located in Modena. Such a feat requires persistence and exact timing, and I am very good at both. So off I went one morning by train from Bologna (an excellent and serious food city). I was excited.

Everything was a big surprise on the multi-course menu.

These dishes were, from top to bottom: a delicious pigeon dish with beets; a dessert called "a thousand layers of leaves" with sugar-coated greens, chocolate, strawberries, eggplant, pumpkin; and finally, "OOPS!! I dropped the lemon tart" which was, well, a spectacular spectacular lemon tart.

The menu, called il menu sensazioni, was a journey throughout the different regions of Italy. One of the starters was "think green":

a purée of fresh peas, broccoli, herbs and flowers and a parmesan cream.

There was also a risotto "where the river meets the sea" which was a delicious seafood rice dabbed with chlorophyll.

I enjoyed the wine pairings--approximately five different kinds of wine for the 12-course luncheon.

Osteria Francescana is a very pleasant and beautiful restaurant--not at all fancy--where the effort is aimed at pleasing the guest and creating a serene atmosphere in which to enjoy the dishes, which are works of art. The chef came to my table twice to commiserate about the sad state of affairs in Italy (post-Berlusconi) and to say that he and his friends wished to give something good back to the country. I believe he is doing a wonderful job.

Two days later, I was back on the train to go to Canneto sull-Olio. It is quite a trek from Bologna, requiring changing trains in Parma to end up in Piadena (which even the ticket saleswoman had never heard of) and from there, a private taxi to the restaurant: dal Pescatore.

The Santini family has been running this lovely classic restaurant for years. Everyone in the family takes part with the mother and her son in the kitchen, and the husband as director. The sommelier is another son and his wife is in charge of the diningroom. The menu has a photo of the whole family signed by each family member.

This is a seafood restaurant and is outstanding from start to finish. I chose the tasting menu and started with a wonderful lobster terrine with oscietra caviar,

followed by guinea-hen ravioli with porcini mushrooms in an eggplant and black summer truffle sauce.

Next followed potato gnocchi with a tender white fish (galinella) garnished with teeny cherry tomatoes.

The first of the main courses was ombrina, a flavorful thick filet of fish served with seasonal greens and flavorful Tuscan olive oil.

But I fell in love with the duck breast served with some velvety mashed potatoes and served with Mostarda, preserved fruits subtley flavored with sharp mustard. This was an astute combination.

Mostarda also came with the Gorgonzola and resulted in a beautiful pairing.

Look at dessert:

which was two "penguins" filled with a delicious fruit-thyme mousse in dark chocolate cups. Ice cream after a big meal, always feels like a light touch.

I left the wine choice to the sommelier and he did a beautiful job, presenting me with a variety of wines from Friuli and Tuscany.

dal Pescatore is a country restaurant in a small, remote town. Again, it has three Michelin stars and is definitely worth the trip. The lovely diningroom looks out on a verdant garden and inside, the diners bathe in the warmth of the family that loves its fine art.