An influential food guide in Italy has crowned Massimo Bottura the best chef in the country for the second time.
Guida Espresso 2013 gave the Modena chef a score of 19.75 out of 20 for his artful, contemporary cuisine at the recently renovated Osteria Francescana, also holder of three Michelin stars.
This year, the address was also ranked the fifth best in the world in Restaurant magazine’s World’s 50 Best Restaurant Awards, which applauded the chef for striking a balance between the demands of tradition and modernity. Bottura is known for playing with themes of deconstruction.
Not far behind is La Pergola, the only eatery in Rome to boast all three Michelin stars. The hotel restaurant for the Rome Cavalieri at the Waldorf Astoria, the fine dining destination boasts a wine cellar with 53,000 bottles and a water menu with 29 choices.
Le Calandre in Rubano, which highlights regional dishes with a contemporary flair, was also named one of the top restaurants in the country.
Meanwhile, the top-scoring performer in the restaurant guide was not a chef but a wine, the Brunello di Montalcino Riserva Poggio di Sotto which was given a perfect score of 20 out of 20