World Foodie Guide

7 Responses to “Bologna food stores”

1. on 21 Jan 2008 at 3:36 pm1Adrianne

   Hi, I’m new here. I must say, that looks like an amazing trip to the market. What beautiful tortellini, and that carved provolone is amazing. I can only hope that someday I’m able to travel and see and partake in such delights. It’s fabulous to be able to see it through your journal. Thank you.

2. on 21 Jan 2008 at 4:08 pm2foodieguide

   Hi Adrianne. Thanks for checking out my blog, I always love new visitors! I tried to take as many photos as possible when I was in Bologna. There are more on Flickr. If you click on any photo on World Foodie Guide, it will take you to my Flickr photos. I’ll be doing another trip to Italy in June, then the big one – Hong Kong and Beijing, in October! Thanks again…Helen Yuet Ling

3. on 21 Jan 2008 at 6:53 pm3supercharz

   Those tortellonis look PERFECT! Gosh, I remember when I went around Italy two years ago I was always overwhelmed by the food stores – I just wanted to buy EVERYTHING! In the end I ended up not getting much, just a few choice olive oils and obligatory pastas.. oh, and a chunk of supermarket vacuum-packed prosciutto, HAHA!

4. on 22 Jan 2008 at 11:11 am4foodieguide

   I know the feeling. I was running around, not sure what to buy either! In the end, I bought a large bag of porcini mushrooms. Delicious with pasta. And our pasta machine arrived yesterday, and we’ve already had home-made tagliatelle with yes, more mushrooms! YUM.

5. on 04 Feb 2008 at 10:34 pm5Vic

   We just returned from Bologna and went to many of the places you recommended! We ate at Rodrigo, San Domenico in Imola, and Hosteria Giusti in Modena. We also had several quick meals at smaller places, the names of which I did not take note off but were excellent for cheap meals.
   The definite highlight of the trip was lunch at Giusti’s were we were one of three tables, all couples, hosted that day. It appeared that one of the tables was a cancellation or a no-show. We had earlier bumped into a couple who tried to get reservations but were told that it was full for the week. I had a eggplant mille feuille with foie gras (divine!), tagliatelle with a prosciutto meat sauce, and braised veal. My wife had the salumi platter, tortellini in capon broth, and cotechino with a custard sauce. For dessert, I had a custard tart with candied orange peel and my wife had their version of a pot de creme with almonds and cocoa. We shared bites from each plate and everything was perfect, definitely worth the hype. In retrospect, it would definitely be a lot of help if one goes with someone who speaks Italian. Matteo, who was in charge of service that day, explained each ingredient in detail (as best as we can tell) to the other tables but did not do so with us perhaps knowing that we speak limited Italian. However, we still received excellent service and the family made us feel as though we were guests at their home. Surprisingly, our meal at Giusti’s cost us the least of those three restaurants (140 for two with a full bottle of Lambrusco) and definitely the best of the bunch. Giusti’s will be at the top of our must-return places to eat.
   San Domenico’s was very very good too but, at 95 per person without wine for lunch, a bit too expensive to be a regular destination. Nonetheless, I would return there for very special occasions or if someone else is treating.
   We also liked Rodrigo’s. For starters, I had an onion soup which was very good but the croutons had soaked up all the broth. Yet, the flavors were among the best I’ve had and perfect for that cold night. They did not have any truffles left but I had a very good primi plate of tagliatelle with loads of porcini. For my secondi, I had a steak with a bordelaise type sauce. The steak was very tender and perfectly cooked but the sauce was a little bit too rich for my taste. The kitchen did send out a plate of crescentines that were very very tasty.
   I would also recommend a visit to Simoni’s, a deli close to Tamburini’s for your salumi needs. Tamburini’s 36 month prosciutto was also delicious! The market in Modena also warrants a visit. I thought there were more produce varieties there than the markets in Bologna and the prices were a bit lower.
   We wished we could have stayed longer than our 8 days in the region, as there were many other places we’d would like to visit but could not or did not. We do hope to return, hopefully soon. BTW, January in Bologna is a great time to shop as most places had many items on sale. Great time to stock up on shoes!

6. on 05 Feb 2008 at 9:56 am6foodieguide

   Hi Vic! I was wondering how your trip was. Thanks for this report, it’s great! Guisti’s sounds amazing, I really will have to go there next time. That’s the type of restaurant I love.

   We were there just before the sales started in Bologna, so it was a bit frustrating. But I couldn’t resist a pair of boots. So you’re a shoe man?! My husband bought 5 pairs of boots before and after Christmas from various factory outlets in Northampton (his family is in the shoe business). We must be one of the only households where the man has more shoes than the woman…

   When and where’s your next foodie trip? I’m back off to Italy in June (have a reservation at Dal Pescatore in the middle of nowhere), then Hong Kong and Beijing in October.

   Happy Chinese New Year!

7. on 06 Feb 2008 at 12:03 am7Vic

   Yes, I hate to admit it but I do have more shoes than my wife. With all the boot selections in Bologna, how could one resist?
   We have no firm plans for our next foodie trip but we did discuss going to Bangkok , perhaps with the possibility of sneaking in some cooking classes there or elsewhere in Thailand. Your Hong Kong and Beijing trip sounds very exciting. Let me know if you have found the holy grail (to me, at least) of Chinese cooking- fluffy bao dough!