5 great Michelin starred restaurants near Bologna (that are not Osteria Francescana)
If I say Michelin starred restaurant near Bologna your first thought will go to Massimo Bottura's Osteria Francescana.
And I can say you're right because #1 restaurant in the world is a worth-a-plane place.
But it's not the only Michelin star that you should check out if you are in Bologna.
It took me some time (and money) but here are 5 very different places that have more than a star in common.
Amerigo's egg with asparagus
Savigno is a small town inside Val Samoggia, about 25min from Bologna, surrounded by woods and hills full of vineyards.
Since 1934, Amerigo offers the best products of his land in a family trattoria opened by Alberto Bettini's grandparents.
You won't find any fois gras or caviar there, but only the best local and seasonal products like mushrooms and truffles (black and white), river fish like salmerino del Corno alle Scale or deer in a cuisine that celebrates the tradition in combination with innovation.
The location is very warm and cozy and it is inspired by a vintage style with old coffee machines and liquor posters on the walls. A jump back to the ‘30s!
At the entrance there's a small shop to buy some products, I recommend their liquors (China China or Marasca) or Saba (cooked grape must).
Prices
50€ à la carte, 60€ fixed-price menu
I suggest you
On the first Sunday of the month, Savigno hosts the antique market. Go for a walk and take home some vintage souvenirs
One dish not to miss
Amerigo's egg. A sort of soufflé, soft as a cloud usually served with truffle when available, I ate it with asparagus.
Via Guglielmo Marconi, 14-16, 40060 Savigno (BO)
Tel. +39 051 670 8326
Email: [email protected]
www.amerigo1934.it
'Like spaghetti with clams'
Agostino Iacobucci is a Neapolitan chef who moved to Bologna in 2008 to bring the only Michelin star of Bologna city centre.
The setting of this elegant restaurant is the eighteenth century's caffè chantant, called Teatro Eden, renovated for the occasion.
In Iacobucci's cuisine you can find his origins by the usage of top-notch quality ingredients, like spaghetti of Gragnano or buffalo cheese. The chef looks far from Bologna's cuisine, creating an original fusion between the two regions.
His savory babà is a pleasant surprise and 'Naples meets Emilia' (tortelli stuffed with Neapolitan ragù, Parmesan mousse, Piennolo's tomato coulis) is a dish who talks by itself.
Everything dish is a surprise at I Portici and even if 2017 just started, I can tell that I will remember this place for my top year ranking.
Prices
84€ (meat menu), 90€ (fish menu), 110€ (tasting menu).
I suggest you
Ask to eat inside the old ice cave used by the pope. A wonderful and intimate location to eat by candlelight.
One dish not to miss
Buffalo milk ice cream, peppers and raspberries with caper powder.
Via dell'Indipendenza, 69, 40121 Bologna
Tel. +39 051 4218562
Email: [email protected]
www.iporticihotel.com/ristorante-i-portici
UPDATE 2018:
From March 1st, 2018 Iacobucci is no longer the chef of I Portici. Gianluca Renzi took his place. One more reason to visit it again soon.
Ravioli with ricotta cheese, almonds and sea urchins
It's not easy to find a woman chef with a Michelin star.
Along with his brother Massimo (whose service will offer you the best Pignoletto I ever had), Aurora Mazzucchelli is the only starred woman chef in Emilia Romagna and she keeps her star from 2008 with firmness.
The restaurant, renovated in 2016, has now a modern and elegant style, but you will feel at ease.
The combination of local ingredients and excellent products creates dishes like their famous Macaroni al torchio, smoked eel, raw oysters and spinach or the turnip ravioli, goat cheese and balsamic bubbles.
In this way, Aurora shows her bravery and her skills.
Prices
Menu 65€ (5 courses) 85€ (8 courses).
I suggest you
After lunch visit Rocchetta Mattei, an astonishing castle not far from there
One dish not to miss
Parmesan cheese tortelli with lavender, nutmeg and almonds.
Via Porrettana n.291, 40037 Sasso Marconi (BO)
Tel. +39 051 846216
E-mail: [email protected]
www.ristorantemarconi.it
Guinea-fowl covered by culatello and cooked in clay
Ok, it's about 1,5h far from Bologna, but I promise it does worth the efforts.
We're in the bassa, the flat humid area near Po' river where you go to follow one myth: culatello. A heavenly cured meat, caressed by the fog raising from Emilia land.
Massimo Spigaroli gets the best from it, like for its guinea-fowl covered by culatello and cooked in clay.
Or just try it pure, just to taste how the aging changes its flavors.
If you haven't had enough culatello at our Parma food tour, that's the address you should write on Google Maps.
Prices
90€ (Tasting menu)
I suggest you
Try also the Hosteria del maiale, for a cheaper experience dedicated to the pig.
One dish not to miss
Podium of Culatelli from “White Pig” aged over 18, 27 and 37 months.
Strada Palazzo due Torri, 3, 43010 Polesine Parmense PR
+39 0524 936539
www.acpallavicina.com
Uovo in raviolo
People used to call him 'the king of chefs, the chef of the kings' for his noble background.
Flowers, abat-jours, leather sofas and baroque music create the warm atmosphere of a time when eating out was a luxury habit. Those times have gone, but 40 years later the 2 Michelin stars are still shining.
A pristine classic cuisine that picks up local ingredients like red potatoes, pigeon and asparagus and elevates them with the skills and precision that only study, repetition and experience can build.
The dish to wait for?
Uovo in raviolo with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and white truffle. When Anthony Bourdain was in Bologna he went there to watch the full process. Not hard to say why.
Prices
Menu from 160€
I suggest you
Go on Wednesday if you're born after 1970. They make the same menu for a cheaper price.
One dish not to miss
The pigeon.
Via Sacchi, 1, 40026 Imola BO
Tel. +39 0542 29000
www.sandomenico.it
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