A night out
A casual group photo and a tasting menu. Who knew this type of dining experience existed in Skopje? More to come…
The final dinner
What would’ve been an excellent dinner was marred by my dining companions, one of whom kept calling me RJ, and never bothered to fix it when I told her the name is YJ. And she was another obnoxious American just yabbing on at the table. Another wow oh wow moment.
Further, rest of the companions decided to create a WhatsApp chat group so that they can share the photos they took. While I appreciate the culture of sharing, I was annoyed that my phone was blowing up with random photos of the food.
In the end, Massimo was delightful and his food, excellent. However I would never go back to cCasa Maria on my own. I wanted to reflect and self-medicate. Instead, I was forced to do small talk all night long.
The next morning
I never had a tasting menu for breakfast, and it was worth every penny.
Fun fact: If you come to Casa Luigia alone, they give you the same amount of food as if you are there as two people. Meaning you get more bang for the buck if you dine alone. Case in point, they gave me the same amount for breakfast as they did for a couple. The couple beside me complained that I was lucky because I didn't have to share the food.
Indeed. That was my game plan.
Back to food
My second day at Modena was…uneventful. A small town, not much to see. I was forced to visit the Ferrari museum, however. It was alright. I was not impressed.
Wiggle wiggle update
For those who have been following, I’m sure you recall the first “Wiggle Wiggle” post back in Dec 11, 2022.
Here we are, Jan 23, 2023 with a new update.
“Plop”
Not sure why, but I can’t upload to this platform, the video of the “plop” - as I like to eloquently describe the plating at Massimo’s
So here is the link: https://youtube.com/shorts/FoRg03vyzGA?feature=share
Art. Or is it?
I didn’t quite grasp the concept. Maybe I’m too simple. The whole presentation and creativity that went behind the course felt rather…pretentious at first. Splattering sauces on the plate was ridiculous for instance. People crowding to see the plating was chaotic. I would’ve rather seen how they cooked the meal vice presentation.
But having stayed at his house, the way he decorated the house and his love for music and all forms of art, made me realize that he truly is an artist and he holds a knife instead of a brush. Massimo is indeed brilliant - I don’t think there are any other chefs in the world who can translate art/music into food. A true pioneer.
Food was fantastic. Companions, not so much. But more on that later.
