On a gloomy weekday night, under the less than romantic market stalls and bus stops of central Parma, is Osteria dei Servi. A strange location, and greeting with a rather large grill (that I knew The Husband would love), this restaurant quickly became a favorite of the weeklong tasting of the Emilia-Romagna region.

We were luckily seated in a corner window, just across from this massive grill with its generous cuts of beef and enthusiastic chef. It was, a literal chef’s table. Pots of herbs in Mutti containers and passports of beef extended the casually, charming greeting.

The cover included a rustically charming olivewood board with freshly baked bread wrapped in paper and a salami, a fun departure from the basket of stale bread at many osteria past.

We tasted the oldest Parmesan we could find and in this case it was 100 months old and accompanied by balsamic pearls and sweet green grapes.

My favorite nibble of the meal was the tranche of of fried polenta, topped with a wild boar ragu, and fried artichokes. Incredible combination of flavors and textures, and a real treat as it’s not something I’d ever make at home, though The Husband thought we absolutely could.

For mains, The Husband had the roasted wild boar, served with chestnuts and a few roasted veg. The generous bite he shared with me was also incredible, shreddy meat literally falling off of the bone. Seems I might be wild for wild boar!

I opted for Parmesan ravioli topped with asparagus and a truffle-laden sauce. While enjoyable, one or two as a starter would have been plenty.

What’s a big, celebratory meal without dessert? The Husband opted for alcohol laden cherries which were absolutely horrendously unpleasant- to which he agreed and immediately tried to steal my Duchesa dessert which was a thick version of tiramisu.

…Now this I would definitely make at home! Incredible! (And of course, I shared). 😉