"Tortellone Testarossa" Is What We Call It

Today we drove over to a neighboring city that, like Bologna, doesn't get enough attention from American travelers. That city is Modena, where Enzo Ferrari began making his classic sports cars in 1947. Like the market for private jets and oversized luxury vacation homes, the business of expensive cars is booming. And the branding alone makes Ferrari a legend of the market, not just the track.

We joined the legions scooping up die cast metal replicas of the great cars, and picked through the $40 hats and $35 tee shirts in the Ferrari store. Everything was the requisite racing red...from the buses in the lot to the shirts on the baristas at the cafe.

We met a man outside of the plant who works on the Ferrari's wiring systems. He said his favorite old one was the Enzo, which is no longer made...and when we asked him what he drove, he shook his head and sadly admitted to piloting a Fiat, (owner of Ferrari) not a Testarossa or the 599, his current fav.

That name came up again when we climbed a winding road up a mountain in our van to visit the lovely La Noce restaurant. Here Georgio Muzzarelli presides as cellar master of a balsamic vinegar empire. The meal was exquisite...I must say it surpassed even the three-star Michelin chef in Burgundy. That's because of the 60-year old balsamic that he doled out in eyedropper portions over the parmesan and the bread. Plus the simplicity and freshness.

Muzzarelli had a new menu item up his sleeve. His wife had made a large tortellone, almost like a 4" ravioli of fresh pasta, and it was served with a dollop of their sour cherry jam and was filled with parmesan and ricotta. He asked us for suggestions for names for this new creation on the menu.

We decided that 'Tortellone Testarossa' fit the bill. That's red head tortellone. We sipped the fizzy but dry Pignoletto Frizzante, a white, and helped ourselves to a few more drops of the 25-year-old balsamic on the table.

It's settled. Dining at La Noce with the simple menu of sliced pork, a sauce of aged balsamic and a crisp salad beats anything we've had so far or for me, even the famous French chefs. And we hope our name sticks too!