Osteria Francescana (*), Modena

Following up on my review of Casa Maria Luigia, we went to the original Osteria Francescana the very next day for lunch. Our reservation was at 12:30, and despite having had a huge dinner the night before and quite a substantial breakfast that morning, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself a little hungry by the time we arrived.

We were seated in the restaurant’s infamous windowless room, which did feel a little crammed, especially compared to the open dining space at Casa Maria.

We were presented with menus and given the choice between a la carte or the set menus. We went with a set, which felt like the right decision. Interestingly, the table next to us, who also dined at Casa Maria the night before, opted for a la carte since they were still full, and ironically, they ended up getting even more food than we did, as the à la carte portions looked absolutely huge.

As I'm alregic to seafood, 2 dishes were substituted for me. Here’s what we had, in order:

Pane e Acqua: A dish made of breadcrumbs served with tomato water (the original version used some kind of fish broth). Unfortunately, neither my girlfriend nor I were particularly impressed with this, as both the taste and the texture weren’t as interesting as they sounded.

Bordo in Bloom (Porcino, Pizza Fritta, In the Forest): A trio of small bites: one fried pizza, one mushroom preparation, and “In the Forest.” Unfortunately, I don’t remember the exact ingredients of “In the Forest,” but it was my favorite and featured some herbs.

La Contadina: This was by far the most disappointing dish of the meal. Not in the sense of being bad, but more in the sense of being the kind of forgettable dish you might look back on in photos a year later and think: “Oh, right, there was something like that”

Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano in Different Textures and Temperatures: The original dish here was Mare Nostrum, a seafood course featuring edible plastic, and one of my girlfriend’s favorites of the whole meal. I received an equally impressive substitute – the famous Five Ages of Parmigiano Reggiano. When serving the dish, the waiter said I was very lucky, as they don’t generally include it in the tasting menu anymore. He looked so proud and genuinely excited when explaining it that I just couldn’t bring myself to tell him I had already had it the day before at Casa Maria. Interestingly enough, I enjoyed it more at Osteria, maybe because the portion size wasn’t as large, or maybe because I could focus more on the dish itself.

Where Is This Pasta e Fagioli Going?: A reinterpretation of the old pasta and beans soup dish that was once food for the poor but is now popular with everyone. If my memory serves me right, this dish used orzo-like pasta made with bean flour and had several layers of soup. Despite its unassuming look, it was probably one of the most complex and interesting dishes in terms of flavor. Easily one of the highlights of the meal for me.

La Genovese: Another reinterpretation of a classic pasta dish. This one reminded me of the “crunchy part of the lasagna” in the sense that it still carried the classic flavors but with a modern touch and, of course, an extra crispy texture on top. Absolutely fantastic and delicious.

Jazz Duck: Improvisation: A classic duck course featuring some fresh fruits with yogurt (I think), crispy duck skin bits with duck katsuobushi on top, and duck broth. I’ve tried many duck dishes over the years, and this might be one of the best, if not the best. Very well balanced, with sides that complemented it beautifully.

Jazz Duck: Improvisation (Part 2 – Duck Panettone): Oh boy, where do I start with this one. Just as I thought it was time for dessert, they brought out this dish: a panettone made with duck broth, featuring pieces of duck meat and skin inside, and served with rich duck jus on the side. Despite its unassuming look, this was the best dish of the whole meal by a very large margin, and maybe one of the top five dishes I’ve ever had at any restaurant. Very light and chewy in texture, yet packed with flavor. If I could, I would have had two more of these. If the pasta dishes and the main duck course were 10/10, this little fella was a 12/10. At the table next to us were two older gentlemen, and when they had the first bite of it, their faces were brimming with happiness and excitement, looking like little kids trying chocolate for the first time.

Fast Bees, Slow Honey: Unfortunately, I was so excited after the panettone that I forgot to take a picture of it. This was a semifreddo-like dessert featuring locally produced honey. It had a surprising number of different flavors and textures coming together.

Under the Sicilian Sun: “One bite and you’re in Sicily”, as our waiter said when serving it. It was an orange mousse covered with a thin crunchy chocolate layer and accompanied by several sauces, including balsamic vinegar from the Acetaia. It felt like a mix between the Banana dessert and the Damien Hirst-inspired beef I had the day before at Casa Maria. All of the sauces had very familiar tastes that came together nicely.

Gelati: A quartet of gelati to finish the meal. When serving the dish, the waiter hinted that the last one had some duck in it, so I was bracing myself for another slab of foie gras like at Casa Maria. Thankfully, it ended up being much lighter, the amount of foie gras was small, and the waffle cone added some extra texture and flavor. Surprisingly, it was my favorite of the bunch.

Surprise, Surprise!: This was a bit of a head-scratcher. After the meal, we were given boxes with a final sweet treat to go. I thought it might have been cookies or something along those lines. However, to my surprise, it was a maritozzo – a sweet pastry filled with cream. The problem was that it was nearly 35°C outside, and within five minutes it had started to get soggy and leak through the bottom of the box. We had to eat them as soon as we got to the station. They were okay at best, as they’d gotten soggy, and we were also far too full to enjoy another dessert. Overall, a pretty bizarre choice of parting gift.

Overall, despite a somewhat unimpressive start, the meal recovered nicely and kept going strong until the very end (not counting the parting gift).

Despite sharing the same DNA, the two restaurants felt like very different experiences. While the service at Osteria Francescana was polite and professional, it leaned toward being impersonal, almost transactional at times, and lacked the warm hospitality we felt at Casa Maria. On the other hand, I found the food itself to be better at the original restaurant, perhaps because, with just the two of us at the table, I was able to focus more on the flavors. In the end, I think both are worth experiencing if you have the chance. But if you had to choose only one, I’d say go to Osteria Francescana for the food, and to Casa Maria Luigia for the more unique and fun dining experience. For me personally, Casa Maria was the more memorable of the two.