Oh why are you so good?

The perfect meal. I'm not sure such a thing really does exist, since perfection when it comes to food is such a fleeting concept, dependent on cravings and temptations at any given moment. But that being said, every so often we are lucky enough to savor a meal in which given the opportunity, we would not change a single thing about it. How lucky am I that my favorite restaurant serving up dishes just of that caliber is right down the street?

The first time I went to Trattoria Campanini was right about the time P and I started dating. He, a longtime fan, kept saying how he wanted to take me there, but was quick to squash any lovey-dovey ideas that were swimming through my head. "Jenn," he would say, "it is the least romantic place ever." Fine. And he was right, with its harsh overhead lighting, yellow walls and matching, rather dated, tablecloths. But this is the type of place where you come to eat, and eat we did, and do since moving out to the country, and becoming neighbors with said sacred place.

The cuisine, as one would expect, is strictly Emiliana, so lots of pork, stuffed pastas and long cooked meats. Every time we go, we have such genuine intentions of ordering one or two dishes and leaving comfortably satisfied, and yet we always end up indulging well beyond what is necessary.

Brother, sister and Mom with their famous cured meats

Let me just give you a quick rundown on what you will eat when you come to visit us.

Antipasto

This region of Italy is known for its cured meats and the family who owns Campanini is proud producers of some of the best. Thus it's only fitting that you would choose a mixed serving of the meats (and honestly that is the only option on the menu) - prosciutto, Culatello di Zibello (a handmade, specialty cured ham produced in only 8 villages here along the Po River), salami, and one of my favorites spalla cotta, or cooked ham. As if the meats weren't stellar on their own, some genius upped the ante by deciding they needed to be enjoyed with torta fritta - essentially a savory beignet - and cold rings of butter. I'll let you process that for a moment.

Primi

No spaghetti, risotto or lasagna here, the seven or so pasta options are all gorgeous stuffed pastas, filled to the seams with sweet pumpkin, or goat cheese in a leek sauce, ground walnuts, radicchio or pureed potatoes, covered in porcini mushrooms. Intense and so happily gluttonous.

Secondi

Now to be honest with you, very rarely do we manage to get through the first two courses and actually order a meat course (excluding the antipasto obviously), but in the rare occasions when we do, we almost always opt for the guanciale cooked in creamy rosemary sauce. Don't freak out, the beef jowls are one of the most tender, flavorful cuts of meat out there and I really do not understand why they haven't taken off back in the US. I also love the tripe.

Dolci

The dessert we get at Campanini is the rare exception to everything I have ever said about Italian desserts. The zabaione ranks up there with one of the best. Anywhere. The simple Italian dessert is made with just eggs, sugar and Marsala wine, but what you get here is head and shoulders above most, and I don't really know what they are doing back there in the kitchen, beyond the balsamic you pick up in the flavor. It is amazing and served with large chunks of Parmigiano cheese to be heavy-handily dipped in.

And at this point, after draining the bottle of wine and downing our espresso in hopes that it really does aid in digestion, we pull ourselves to our feet and say, "Next time, let's just order one or two things."

Right.


Trattoria Campanini
Madonna Dei Prati (outside of Busseto, Province of Parma)
0524 92569