My enthusiasm for recaps is running low, and so for my last of our Italy posts I shall copy and paste directly from my notes.

Verdi in Garda
Antipasti d’Italia (assortment of meats with pickled vegetables)
Antipasti of the lake (so so good!)
Mixed salad
Grilled trout (our favorite)
Lavarello
39 euros

Gelateria Paradice
Ricotta Miele e Noci
Fragola
Skip the cone at this place. Not only was my wafer stale, the coconut on the outside was rancid!

La Vittoria
Caprese
Ham and mozzarella
Smoked trout on a bed of greens with pink peppercorns
Lavarello
Huge portions!
45 euros

On the last day of the trip, as we drove down from Lake Garda toward Bologna, we had one last stop. I had done some searching to find the best restaurants in Italy, and it turns out that one of the best in the world is located in Modena. Osteria Francescana was the perfect way to cap off a dream vacation for us. This place is tucked away, and has some of the best service we’ve ever had. It’s a tiny dining room with six tables, and at the beginning of our meal we almost felt like we should whisper because it was so quiet. Happily this wore off with time. The most interesting thing in the room was the young man dining all alone directly across from us. We enjoyed speculating about who he might be, and why he would be eating such an expensive and unique meal all by himself.

At first That Husband wasn’t very excited about me taking pictures, but then the people around us started photographing every course and so I felt it was appropriate to bring mine out for a few dishes.

If you want a really in-depth review of the meal, this New York Times article will tell you what you need to know. But I admit, I liked that we went into the experience not knowing much about what we were getting ourselves into. A few of the surprises that we had really delighted us. No matter what, you absolutely must have the five ages and five textures of Parmesan cheese. I think it is the most whimsical thing I’ve ever eaten.

Here are my notes:

Modern decor
Only 6 tables in the dining room
When you get up and leave your napkin, they retrieve it and take it away, and bring you a new one using tongs

Meat paste is a little strange texturally, but I appreciated the contrast with the salty bread.

Parmesan dish reigned supreme, the crunchiest was my favorite, with the creamy being the next best.

Soup was very complex, the flavors all finished one after another.

Cooked the ravioli pork until all the fat is gone, light butter sauce

The gelatinous covering on the dessert was interesting, and actually took away from the dish. Once I peeled that off it was much better.

The last course was the best!!!

Oh, and if you go, you must visit the bathroom! The doors are really cool.

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With our bellies full (and my heart aching to see the little one again!) we boarded a plane and headed back to Poland. This trip was everything I had been dreaming of.