To celebrate the last exam given, especially because I finished my university career with a good 30 cum laude and I deserved it, I decided to have lunch in my favorite restaurant, my absolute favorite in the whole world.
Ca' Cerfogli, this is its name, is a typical mountain restaurant in the mountains of Modena, to get there it takes just that hour and a half by car, but it's absolutely worth it; in addition to divinely eating, the context is also decidedly beautiful and relaxing; is located in a small medieval castle and inside you can really breathe a familiar and welcoming atmosphere, it has always been managed by one family (I believe it has been open for more than 30 years), and, despite being a customer, you are treated like one of the family, they are always attentive to your every need and offer you bitter spirits at the end.
The staff is really nice, although it is always full of people and by full I mean that you have to book months in advance, they always find time for each table, especially as regards the choice of wines from their immense cellar.
The cuisine is typical of the mountains; mushrooms and truffles in abundance, and the quality of the raw materials is really exceptional, because they all come from the neighboring areas and have been carefully selected by the cook; just think that, if the ricotta cheese they use for tortelli is not available (they are supplied only in a dairy in the area), they don't cook tortelli until ricotta cheese is available again. This I call professionalism and passion for own work.
To fully prepare myself for this culinary experience, aware that the portions in this restaurant are anything but meager, I fasted one day to have a completely free stomach! We opted for a trio of first courses that, despite the fast, I struggled to finish, a second a side dish and a bottle of wine.
The trio of first courses included: herb and ricotta stuffed tortelli with mushroom sauce, risotto with porcini mushrooms and egg tagliolini with a truffle cascade.
Although it is all very good, the tortelli of Ca Cerfogli deserve special mention: I have never eaten tortelli so good and soft, the dough is so thin that it melts in the mouth, not to mention the mushroom sauce which is a lust for the taste buds.
Risotto with porcini mushrooms is something indescribable; I don't know what they put in it, but I assure you that nowhere else have I tasted such a good risotto.
The egg tagliolini are homemade, in fact you can notice the irregular dimensions of the dough.
As a second I decided to stay light; steaked tartare of raw meat with truffle, and as you can see even here they did not skimp on the truffle, and this is an aspect that I really like about this restaurant. Although the black truffle is not as prized as the white one, I have been in many restaurants even in Umbria to eat truffles, and I must say that the quantities I saw at Ca Cerfogli have never seen them anywhere.
In conclusion, I really recommend this wonderful restaurant, for anyone passing by these parts or even for Tuscan people who don't mind drive a little, absolutely not regret it. Ca Cerfogli is a guarantee of quality and hospitality and is a gem that everyone should try at least once in their life.
Restaurant Information
Ca' Cerfogli
Via Monte Grappa, 6, 41025 Acquaria MO, Italy
This post participated in the Tasteem contest Local Dishes
