four tables

There's a tiny, four-table restaurant hiding behind a salumeria/gastronomia in Modena. You wouldn't know it's there without insider info or the right restaurant guide pointing a thumbs-up in its direction. In fact, one of the couples who dined with us had only just found out about the place - and they were 40-somethings who had lived in Modena their entire lives.

Hosteria Giusti only serves lunch and this lunch service is book-ended by the normal coming's and going's of the gastronomia out front. With this set-up, a Saturday lunch reservation is not easy to come by. In fact, Stefano called the restaurant in June and the first available Saturday lunch was on September 29. Nearly a four month wait.



Modena is a fine town with what we've heard is a remarkable Duomo. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the façade of the Duomo as it was covered by scaffolding. This was hardly a shock as in our experience, at any given time, one third of Italy is hidden behind scaffolding. The best part is that a project timeline is usually affixed to the scaffolding and the "Completion Date" of the project is generally a healthy six months past...at minimum. Ah, Italy - such unrelenting dedication to improvement and advancement.



But back to the restaurant that brought us to Modena. Getting to the dining room was an Alice in Wonderland voyage through a very small door in the back of the gastronomia. We followed incredible scents through a passageway that deposited us in a very small dining room. And yes, there were literally four tables.

If you've had the luxury of dining in Italy before, this place is not the be-all-end-all of Italian cuisine. Although, the "Millefoglie di melanzane fritte, lardo e fois gras d'oie" antipasto comes pretty darn close. Consisting of lightly fried eggplant layered with fois gras and lardo, it was a screamer. The kind of food where you can't stop making noise as you chew, taste, and devour it. So amazing, and so difficult to start with because everything else will inevitably pale by comparison. That said, I think I would make the 1.5 hour journey to Modena just to have another.



As I was saying the food is good - definitely good - but the atmosphere is stellar. You feel as if you've been invited to dine in someone's private home. It's this intimacy that flavors the meal and gives it a solid lead above the rest.

The balsamic vinegar is also an eye-opener. For dessert we had syrupy balsamic vinegar drizzled over fior di latte gelato. That combination did a lot to explain in a single spoonful what the glories of a good 40-year old balsamic can do. It is sweet and savory and surprisingly thick. But good Balsamic is a luxury for most of us, unless tiny 50 euro bottles of vinegar often find their way onto your shopping list.



We had a chance to talk with one of the women who runs the restaurant along with her brother and mother. Her father had started the place, but when he passed away several years ago they forged on ahead. And to hear her tell it, this restaurant is more well-known in the US than in Italy. She told us that there is a cult following of American foodies who plan entire vacations by first making a reservation at the restaurant and then filling in the rest of their itinerary from there.

At our lunch we were the only Americans although everyone there had one thing in common - a celebration. The large group that filled two of the four tables was celebrating a birthday. The Modenese couple who had only recently found out that the restaurant exists was there to celebrate their wedding anniversary. That happened to be our celebration as well.



Another enjoyable element beyond the eating was the private shopping post-lunch. We made our way back through Alice's passage and into the quiet shop, which was closed for the lunch break. The prosciutti were hanging, the balsamics were lined up, and we had the small pungent place to ourselves. It was a heady experience - to quickly scour the shelves for which gastronomic delights would accompany us home. Our bag was not light when we left and grew heavier when the woman threw in a fizzy Lambrusco as an anniversary gift.



As reasons to visit a town go, who's to say that a restaurant is a less legitimate draw than a castle or a church? For us, eating is the kind of tourism that we come to naturally, and that we enjoy the most. So go to Modena just for lunch.

Just remember to book ahead. Because while you can count on finding scaffolding in any Italian city, an empty seat in a four table restaurant is a little harder to come by.

(You can find Hosteria Giusti at Vicolo Squallore 46, behind Salumeria Giuseppe Giusti. Phone: 059.222533)