While in Italy, I visited the Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, and its cheaper sister bistro from the same chef, Franceschetta58. Shaan Merchant I tried Michelin-star restaurant Osteria Francescana, & its cheaper sister bistro, Franceschetta58. The experiences were different despite both having a high price point and being under the same chef.
I’d go to the pricier Osteria Francescana again but I probably wouldn’t return to Franceschetta58. Modena, Italy, is famous for its food — especially that of chef Massimo Bottura. Chef Massimo Bottura is famous for a reason.
Getty Images/Dino PanatoItaly’s small, colorful town of Modena is known for many things, including its incredible food. And Massimo Bottura may have put Modena on the map more than any other chef. The legendary chef — and pilot-episode focus on Netflix’s “Chef’s Table” — turned the traditional Italian food world on its head when he opened his restaurant Osteria Francescana.
The restaurant has since garnered him three Michelin stars and was named the best restaurant in the world in 2016 and 2018. It now sits in the coveted best of the best restaurants in the world category, with just seven other institutions. Bottura opened Osteria Francescana in 1995.
In 2015, Bottura expanded his restaurant empire by opening Franceschetta58 in 2011 as a more casual, neighborhood-bistro offering. On a recent trip to Modena, I tried them both. Here’s how it went.
From the moment I entered Osteria Francescana, it was an unimaginably unique experience. Osteria Francescana had amazing service. Shaan MerchantAs soon as I walked into the iconic doors of Osteria Francescana, the service was impeccable.
I was greeted by several members of the staff and led through a maze of small rooms to my table where, in unison, they pulled out our party’s chairs and placed napkins on our laps. The restaurant is made up of several small rooms, each with just a few tables. Inside Osteria Francescana.
Shaan MerchantThe intimate setting almost forces you to whisper at your table and makes the food the focus. The black, floral carpet that might seem cheesy in any other setting felt elegant against beige accents and pale-blue walls. As I waited in anticipation for the 12-course tasting menu, our water glasses were constantly filled.
Even the breadsticks at our table were delicious. The meal felt like a performance. Osteria Francescana’s Panzanella salad caused me throw out my expectations.
Shaan MerchantWhen the food did arrive — of course, placed in front of everyone at the table simultaneously — waiters described each element of the creative dishes with verve. Botturo’s menu is meant to make you think. Each course was whimsical, playing with our expectations and flipping them on their heads.
The dishes definitely forced me to question how a food should look or what a flavor should feel like texturally. For example, the Panzanella salad — an Italian bread salad — was served as a rich broth that featured all the flavors I know to be true of the dish in a form I would never expect. The dishes continued to impress me.
Osteria Francescana’s panetonne course. Shaan MerchantPanettone, a sweet, bready dessert typical around Christmastime, was made into a summer appetizer, studded with morsels of candied pork. The “steak course” actually featured smashed beans and charred greens topped with a silky bone gravy that reproduced all those meaty flavors one might expect.
Bottura used his food to tell a story throughout the courses. Osteria Francescana’s eggplant risotto. Shaan MerchantTo represent his childhood favorite — the crispy corner piece of the eggplant Parmesan — Bottura served a perfectly cooked risotto topped with a crispy Parmesan cracker and sprinkled with tomato and charred eggplant powder.
Some of the dishes felt whimsical. Osteria Francescana’s Think Green dish. Shaan MerchantAnother dish, simply called Think Green, was an ode to the local cows with a bright, herby granita and pale foam to represent what the animals eat and a tart yogurt sauce to represent their product.
The final course was quite fun. The “oops” course at Osteria Francescana. Shaan MerchantFor the show-stopping finale, the waiters apologized and said they forgot the caprese-salad course.
They then presented us with Bottura’s iconic “Oops, I dropped the caprese. “The tomato was formed from white chocolate and filled with currant compote. A smoked-mozzarella cream and potent olive oil — flavors you’d expect from a caprese salad — balanced out the sweetness.
The price tag is high, but it felt worth it. Osteria Francescana’s dessert course. Shaan MerchantWhen the check arrived, the €320 menu (currently around $320 USD — it’s a good time to spend in Europe) was not as easy to swallow as the food was.
This was the most I’ve ever individually spent on a meal — and it didn’t even include alcohol. But, to me, it did not feel unwarranted for the one-of-a-kind experience. But the price felt fair since this experience was way more than a meal.
It felt more akin to seeing a superstar perform a concert up close or watching my favorite actor in an intimate show. Bite after bite, I was left speechless or laughing at the ingenuity of the meal. On the other hand, dining at Franceschetta58 is meant to be a totally different experience.
Franceschetta58 looks quite casual from the outside. Shaan MerchantWith dreams of my previous meal still dancing in my head, I visited Bottura’s Franceschetta58 the following evening. Sitting just outside of the cobblestone streets of Modena’s town center, Franceschetta58 is the star chef’s neighborhood-bistro offering.
The decor was charming, but casual. Franceschetta58’s interior reminded me of Ikea. Shaan MerchantThe space seemed like someone was trying really hard after a trip from Ikea, with mismatched colorful chairs around the black tables and vintage plates hanging on the walls.
About 20 minutes after being seated, we were able to flag down a waiter to get some water. Leisurely service is certainly a Southern European cultural norm, but it was a far cry from the hyper-attentiveness at the Osteria. At Franceschetta58, I opted for the five-course meal.
I wasn’t surprised that the food was great. Shaan MerchantFranceschetta58 offered an a la carte menu, a five-course tasting menu for $55, and a seven-course menu for $74. With my tummy bulging and my wallet shrinking after the meal at Osteria Francescana, I opted for the five-course menu.
The food was, unsurprisingly, delicious. First, I was served pancetta. Franceschetta58’s pancetta.
Shaan MerchantFirst, an aged pancetta, mostly made up of lustrous pork fat, arrived on a plate with a dollop of spicy apple mustard. Each course was playful, though not ingenious. I appreciated how the dish was served.
Shaan MerchantThe mini burger — playfully served in a clamshell container — was smothered with a herby pesto. One course consisted of a slice of pork sausage and dollop of mashed potatoes. Cotechino is an Italian pork sausage.
Shaan MerchantNext, a small serving of perfectly toothsome pasta came in a silky cacciatore sauce. Then, the Emilian favorite cochetino sausage was served skillfully wrapped in flaky puff pastry alongside the smoothest of pureed potatoes. The wines and dessert were less inspiring.
For dessert, Franceschetta58 served a trifle. Shaan MerchantDessert was a sweet and potently soaked Zuppa Ingles, Italy’s response to the English trifle. It was an elegant-looking dessert layered with custard and sponge cake.
For an extra $30, I had each course served with an expertly paired Italian wine. Each wine certainly got the job done but none ever wowed me. Ultimately, the pricier meal was more worth it for me.
Osteria Francescana was incredible. Shaan MerchantAt Franceschetta58, I paid just under $100 total for food with my added wine pairings. The American in me recognizes I’d be hard-pressed to find a place in the states where I could have five courses with wine pairings at that price, but this felt extravagant compared to the cost of my other meals in Modena.
The food at Franceschetta58 was certainly expertly made, but the price felt high because the service and setting were that of the more casual neighborhood hangout it was trying to emulate. (Plus, the need for a reservation months ahead of time ruined the illusion of a casual neighborhood favorite). In comparison, receiving the much higher bill at Osteria Francescana was certainly sobering, but I never questioned the value of that meal.
The inaccessibility of luxurious food experiences is an important conversation to have, but in the meantime, I’ll be saving up for another visit to Osteria Francescana. And I might skip Franceschetta58 next time I visit the lovely city of opera, Ferrari, and great food. Read the original article on Insider.
From: insider
URL: https://www.insider.com/visiting-3-star-michelin-restaurant-osteria-francescana-and-cheaper-bistro-italy-2022
