East meets West: Trattoria del Tribunale, Parma

lundi, octobre 27, 2008

Trattoria del Tribunale, Parma

"As a capital city it had to have a river. As a little capital it received a stream, which is often dry". - Attilio Bertolucci.

Dry stream

So it is that Parma is divided into 2 parts with the stream (dry during our visit) in between. And it's famous if you like Parma Ham and Parmesan Cheese. Though of course you may not make the connection at the beginning. Anyway I've never been there before last Sunday and though it's only an hour away from Modena, never found the courage to do so alone because of my fear of not finding parking in strange cities.

There is a Verdi Festival going on in the city when we arrived and you can hear his operas piping in the piazza Garibaldi and see his picture almost everywhere in the city. It's a lovely city (though not as beautiful as Verona) and is known for its architecture, old university and of course food.

Pzza Garibaldi

Hub reserved a table in the Trattoria del Tribunale mentioned in the Michelin Guide. We entered Winter Time on Sunday morning but of course didn't know that. So we arrived early and had to wait a little before being served. It is a simple restaurant with a simple menu though prices are not exactly low.

The rest of the family started out with a plate of Parma Ham (what else - cured for 30 months) and another one of salami. I dislike cured ham, so had potato-filled raviolis to start. Hub ordered the Tagliolini with Truffles (very strong taste) followed by Breast of Duck with (too much) crushed almonds and a Balsamic Vinegar and Honey Sauce. The Babies shared some grilled sausages and Eldest Son had a rare filet of Angus Beef to himself. We had to threaten him with NO gelato before he would share.

Grilled Sausages with Baked Potatoes

The food was good though not exceptional. Hub had a bottle of red wine almost to himself and it was a surprisingly good one at a reasonable price (12 euros).