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2023 Author: Cody Thornton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 11:20
There is no thrill of the fleeting moment, of the now or never, of the one who wants to be happy to be … etc. Here we talk about waiting lists of famous restaurants, no pop-ups or impromptu stuff.
Not even do it yourself is involved, a true syndrome of our time. You don't go into places like Osteria Francescana, D'O, Villa Crespi, Cracco or The Pergola to place yourself in the kitchen to prepare your dish: the one, the only the inimitable because it is made by you.
If to find a place in some of the 30 restaurants listed by Corriere Cucina you have to resign yourself to grueling waiting, despite the difficult times, there are other reasons.
I hear you, you are saying that press offices are using waiting lists as a marketing strategy, extending them to art. We thought about it too, but Alessandra Del Monte del Corriere claims to have called if not personally visited most of the restaurants. There is no reason not to believe it.
Let's find out some of the longest waiting lists of Italian restaurants, and confirm them (or even not), since, to be more sure, we have also called most of the restaurants using fictitious names.
1. OF, Milan: Davide Oldani's Milanese cuisine in pop sauce represents the granite certainty of this list: reservations only online, seats available from April.
Confirmation: it's all online we can only confirm.
2. Berton, Milan: a table, in the realm of chef Andrea Berton, can be obtained within two weeks (two weeks ?!)
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 3 February.
3. From the Fisherman (Canneto sull’Oglio, Mantua): the restaurant led by Nadia Santini, three Michelin stars, has a table available within ten days. But, the Corriere warns, the test must be taken with a grain of salt: he has just returned from the winter break.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available in a week.
4. Piazza Duomo, Alba: it takes over two weeks to sit in the temple of the three-star Michelin restaurant Enrico Crippa: table booked on January 26, available on February 13.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on February 12th.
5. Combal.zero (Castello di Rivoli, Turin): will it be Davide Scabin's downgrade from two to one Michelin star, but is the table requested on Tuesday already available on Saturday?
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 3 February
6. Villa Crespi (Orta San Giulio, Novara): the culinary temple of the national Antonino is sold out until next summer. The first Saturday available is in July, with priority for those staying in the hotel. Do you fancy a lunch? It can also be done in June.
Confirmation: although it is incredible the ways and waiting times to sit at a table in Villa Crespi are those indicated by the Courier.
7. The Calandre, Padua: listen, listen, ten days would be enough to dine at three-star Michelin, headed by a tireless Max Alajmo. Dal Corriere claims to have found a last table for February 6, slightly longer waits for the Sarmeola di Rubrano venue: three weeks.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available in 15 days, on February 12th.
8. The Perbellini House, Verona: in romantic Verona, in one of the most innovative restaurants in Italy, you can even celebrate an early Valentine's Day. Chef Giancarlo Perbellini has a table available on February 6th.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 10 February.
9. Orsone, Cividale del Friuli, Udine: the kingdom of Joe Bastianich & mother Lidia is welcoming; about ten days of waiting (table available on February 6th) and you can dine among the Friulian vineyards.
Confirmation: we called today, waiting times confirmed.
10. Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence: the very famous wine shop, orphan of its chef Italo Bassi, has the now classic ten days of waiting, and a table available on February 6th.
Confirmation: even by calling today, the waiting days remain 6.
11. Osteria Francescana, Modena. Reservations are closed, Massimo's sex-gastronomic alcove is sold out for at least three months. Reservations for the month of May, the first profit of the year, will reopen at ten on February 1st. Ready for the compulsive click?
Confirmation: if you haven't been there for a while, this information could make you suspicious. On the contrary, and despite the fact that prices have increased given the status of the restaurant (for a complete meal accompanied by wines, 400 euros can easily be reached, but it is also possible to order a single dish), the situation is exactly that described by the Corriere.
12. Cracco, Milan: back to Milan, from the third judge of Masterchef in order of appearance on this list. His expected expectation is around the month, March 5th to be exact.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 2 March.
13. Casa Vissani, Terni: Gianfranco Vissani has temporarily closed his shop for works, with reopening on the 4th of February. While waiting to see the restyling, there are eighteen days of waiting (February 13) for a table.
Confirmation: even when calling today, the waiting times are the same.
18. The Tino, Lido di Ostia: Daniele Usai's restaurant, a member of the prestigious Jeunes Restaurateurs d’Europe association and Michelin starred, seems to have no problem reserving a table for next Saturday.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 3 February.
19. The Pergola, Rome: 38 days of waiting are needed to taste Heinz Beck's dishes in the restaurant that is rightfully one of the most luxurious in the capital. In the meantime, closed until February 2nd.
Confirmation: it was not possible to verify the waiting times.
20. Torre del Saracino, Vico Equense (Naples): easy play for Corriere in the presence of Gennaro Esposito. Table within three days. Try to book for August, and then you tell me.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Wednesday 3 February
21. From Vittorio, Brusaporto (Bergamo): immersed in a bucolic atmosphere of yesteryear, three Michelin stars, Enrico Cerea could pamper us in three days. Intoxicating.
Confirmation: we called today, first table available on Tuesday 2 February
2 THINGS TO CONSIDER
And for you, brave ones, who have come this far, a couple of things to consider.
The selected period: notoriously January / February are not months of great gastronomic emphasis. The pocket cries for many. Thin reservations and available tables seem minimal.
We do not have seats available in every restaurant. It is known that a starred venue tends to have 50/60 seats, to better manage each table personally. Divided into tables of four are a maximum of fifteen tables. If you think according to this criterion, the sold-out is guaranteed. If, on the other hand, we consider restaurants with 200 seats, the situation changes.