Ristorante Cocchi, Parma, Italy

As you can guess, Jason and I are big fans of Batali's food. And if Batali recommends a place, it must be good, right? Ristorante Cocchi is another one of Batali's recommendations that we decided to follow up on. And it didn't hurt that this restaurant was described as Parma's best restaurant from sources like Food & Wine magazine.

We knew we had to try two things while in Parma. One was Parmagiano Reggiano and the other, prosciutto. We started with the Flute di Prosecco con Scaglie di Parmigiano (Italian Prosecco Flute with Shavings of Parmesan Cheese) and a Plate of Prosciutto di Parma.

Big chunks of amazing cheese were put in front of us with two glasses of crisp, refreshing prosecco.

The prosciutto was out of this world. The pieces of dough they served with it were equally out of this world. What are they? I loved them. I could've devoured a couple plates of them.


For our mains we shared the Savarin di Riso (Rice with Parmesan Cheese, Butter and Porcini Mushrooms Rolled in Slices of Cooked Ham) and the Punta al Forno Ripiena (Stuffed Breast of Veal, Parma Style). We also shared a side of Peperonata (Sweet Peppers, Onions and Tomatoes Stewed in a Pan).

The rice dishes are what Cocchi is known for. The one we ordered reminded me very much of a risotto. The saltiness of the ham and the richness and creaminess of the rice were awesome. You gotta love it when butter is listed to describe the dish.

The stuffed veal breast was a bit dry and even if it was cooked perfectly, I'm not sure if it's a dish I would recommend. There's not much to get excited about.


The stewed vegetables, however, were something to get extremely excited about. The sweetness of the vegetables really came through in this dish.

And even though we were stuffed, there's always room for dessert.

Since we were only there for half a day, I can't confirm that it's the best restaurant in Parma, but it's pretty darn good.


Ristorante Cocchi
16/A Via Gramsci
Parma, Italy
Tel. 39-0521-995-147

Gran Caffe Orientale

When we arrived in Parma, we were hungry. We roamed around and found a restaurant with outdoor seating where we could grab a bite to eat and people watch. Here is the view from where we're sitting..

And since it was morning and our first time in Parma, we decided to get breakfast with prosciutto and Parmagiano in it. Here is their Parma Crepe with prosciutto, mozzarella and parmagiano. The prosciutto was amazing, and the crepe was just okay.

I would still recommend this place as a great place to unwind. Maybe just relax with a cup of cappuccino and take in the scenery.


Gran Caffe Orientale
19 Piazza Garibaldi
Parma, 43013
Tel: +39 0521 28 5819

Ristorante Diana, Bologna, Italy

Ristorante Diana is another restaurant we picked based on Batali's recommendation in a 2008 Fodor's article. He said this was his favorite lunch spot in Bologna and we decided we'd give it a try.

This restaurant is more upscale than I had expected. There's a small pic of the restaurant in the article and what I thought was a steam table you'd see at a take-out or deli type place was actually a bollito misto cart. Granted, I didn't look very closely.

We ordered a Sangiovese that was bottled for the restuarant, listed as Sangiovese "Diana" on the menu. At 15 euros, it was a bargain. That's one of the things I loved about Italy. Great wine can be had at a cheap price. And this was one of them.

Jason and I shared two pastas. We ordered two traditional dishes of Bologna; the tagliatelle alla bolognese and the green lasagna alla bolognese.

I love mushrooms and loved that the sauce for the tagliatelle had mushrooms in it. The hearty flavors of the meat and mushrooms were perfectly mixed into the perfectly al dente tagliatelle.


The green lasagna was a no brainer after reading the Fodor's article. Batali describes it as something "that will bring you to tears." Sold! Not a single tear was shed between the two of us, but this lasagna is darn good. I had the highly praised Lasagna Verde alla Bolognese at Insieme back in NYC, a 1 starred Michelin restaurant, and it paled in comparison.


And to top off our meal, we had the Insalata Sedano-Rucola-Parmigiano-Tartufo. Great, refreshing salad, but was a bit surprised at the size when it was placed in front of us. The salad was listed as a secondi, cost more than the pastas and it looked more like an appetizer than a main. I wasn't complaining though.. not with the generously shaved portions of truffle and parmigiano.


I enjoyed our meal at Ristorante Diana. We were full at the end of the meal and for once we didn't over order. At 69 euros, this place is pretty reasonable.


Ristorante Diana
Via dell'Indipendenza, 24
40121 Bologna (Emilia Romagna), Italy
Tel. +39 051 231302

Bluone Cooking Tours, Bologna Italy

Jason and I thought it'd be neat to take a cooking class in Italy. And after some research decided to do the "One Day Bologna Food Market Visit and Hands-On Cooking Class at Local Italian Family Home" with Bluone.

The class started off with a tour of the market. Raffaella, the mother, and Francesca, the daughter were our guides. They were both very thorough and extremely knowledgeable about the food and history of the region. During the tour of the market, we stopped in stores to purchase the ingredients we'd be using for the dinner we'd be cooking later in the day. It was cool that they let us choose what we wanted to make and we basically came up with the menu right there at the market.

After the market, you're left alone for an hour or so for lunch. Jason and I headed over to Ristorante Diana and had a great meal. I'll blog about that later.

Now onto the post-lunch festivities..

Raffaella made us some zucchini flowers to nibble on before dinner. And you see her below on the left whisking the batter that the zucchini flowers are going to be dredged in.



Francesca, pictured above on the right, is the pasta expert and we learned how to make two.. a tortelloni and a strozzapreti. In the pic, she's showing us how big the squares of pasta should be cut for the tortelloni.

And, voila! Tortelloni! The pretty ones are made by me. :)


The strozzapreti, "priest choker", pasta is local to the Emilia Romagna region. It's one of the easiest shapes to make. Just cut the pasta into strips a little wider than fettucine, hold one end between your two hands and move each hand in opposite directions to twist the pasta. Rip off the twisted piece and continue.


We also made two sauces.. One was a tomato and shallot sauce, the other was a pizzaiola sauce.


For our main entree, we made veal and a side of roasted leeks with prosciutto and parmesan.



After all the hard work was done, we went out to the dining room and found a plate of meats waiting for us at the table.



Everything came together well. Francesca and Raffaella took turns bringing in one dish after another and this is how our finished meal looked..


Tortelloni in Sage and Brown Butter Sauce


Strozzapreti in Tomato and Shallots Sauce


Veal with Pizzaiola Sauce


Pannacotta


I highly recommend this class to anyone. It's intimate and completely hands on. There's no more than 4 to a class and you get to eat the fruits of your labor with the entire family. 180 euros per person and worth every bit of it.

Mercato di Mezzo, Bologna, Italy

The food market in Bologna is a sight to be seen. Jason and I took part in a one day cooking course that included a morning walk through the market. The tour lasted roughly 2.5 hours and it was extensive. Raffaella and Francesca, a mother and daughter team, were our guides and took us from store to store explaining the history of foods local to the Emilia Romagna region.

Here are some photos I took during the tour...



Pasta! Pasta!




Prosciutto and other glorious meats!








Here's something for the vegetarians.




And back to the carnivores.. This is the one of the local horse butchers. You don't get to see that in NY!


Everything you see here is horse meat.


And we had to try some horse before we left so we chose horse salami. It was well seasoned like most salami is. But, to me, it had a horrible after taste. Jason didn't think so though.

Ristorante Al Cambio, Bologna, Italy

Jason made reservations to Ristorante Al Cambio after reading the Fodor's interview with Batali. This restaurant was recommended by him as a place he would go to to splurge on a fancy meal. We splurged, but unfortunately none of the dishes we ordered I would describe as "absolutely killer."

I started with the Soup of Fennel and Orange's Salad, Roasted Scampi. If I had to pick one dish out of the entire meal, this one would come closest to being "absolutely killer." It was really good. And, I'd probably travel for this dish, but I wouldn't travel for just an appetizer.

Jason started with the Flan of Green Onion, Ice Cream of Foies Gras.

For our pasta course, I had the Tortellini in Traditional Broth.

I wanted to try this since it's a dish local to Bologna. And also because I have an affinity for pasta in broth. I liked it although it didn't seem like there was much to this dish. You don't get any bold flavors, but I sort of expected that to begin with.

Jason had the Passatelli Cooked in the Oven with White Ragu, Spinach and Parmesan. It was basically a fancy version of mac and cheese. I've had better, cheaper versions of mac and cheese.

For our secondis, I had the Roasted Sea Bass with Cabbage, Fasolari's Ragu. I really enjoyed this dish. Fish was cooked really well. And I love sea bass.

Jason had the Caramelized "Anguilla" with Balsamic Vinegar, Hamburger with Chard and Peppers.

I seemed to have made better choices than Jason had. All of my courses tasted better than his. Coincidentally all his dishes had balsamic vinegar in it. He realized this near the end of the meal. All three of his dishes had that black line running across the plate.

We finished off the meal with the Gianduia Ice Cream, White Chocolate with Rhum.

And some freebies.

Depending on what you order, you can have a pretty good meal at Ristorante Al Cambio. But, I wouldn't recommend that you take your chances especially since you'll probably need a cab to get there.


Ristorante Al Cambio
Via Stalingrado 150 Bologna
Tel: 051.328118

Missed Nerbone but Found Heaven, Florence, Italy

It was a nice day to walk around the markets. We walked past stand after stand of leather goods and I wanted to spend some money. But first, our stomachs were grumbling and we needed to take care of that stat.

I had my list of things to try in Florence and Nerbone was one of them. We were in the neighborhood so we went on a hunt to find this place. It's in the Mercato Centrale. I thought the whole street market was Mercato Centrale, but later realized it's an indoor market.

When I spotted a cart on the street, I thought that was it. It had to be. It was the only food cart around. And there were local men just standing around eating away at their sandwiches.

Jason and I walked up and ordered 2 of the same thing. The sandwich that we had to try before leaving Florence, the panino con bollito (boiled beef sandwich). Nothing fancy, but utterly delicious.

We watched the lady in the cart shred up the meat with very little effort. It was so tender and juicy. She then topped it with two amazing sauces. The green, a pesto and the red, a hot sauce. And then dipped the top half of the bun in a container filled with meat juice.. soaking up the beefy goodness.

It wasn't Nerbone, but I can't imagine a sandwich being any better. The sandwich was heaven and it set us back less than 3 euros each. Plenty of money left over for a heavenly leather jacket.