Bologna - Ristorante i Portici or Somewhere else
 

We are looking for a wonderful place to have dinner in Bologna. We have read different reviews about Ristorante i Portici, which is Michelin starred, but some of them are very mixed. We are looking to have a really nice meal but something not obscenely expensive. Has anyone been here? What was the total price of bill? Did they offer wine pairings? Was it worth it?

Is there somewhere else in Bologna that should not be a miss and is nice?

http://www.ristorante-diana.it

We had a fabulous meal here, very memorable. A Mario Batali favorite.

FIrst of all, Diana is NOT a Mario Batali favorite. He once mentioned in an interview it is a favorite of his father's.

I have eaten at I Portici and while it is hardly "obscenely" expensive, the food is neither particularly good nor is it particularly Bolognese. The chef is from Naples. If you want to eat the food of Michelin starred restaurants while in Italy, this is just another place to do it. But are you sure you want to do that?

I have also eaten at Diana's and to some extent it depends on what night you go and what you order, but basically it is now a tourist trap (partly because people think Mario Batali eats there.) You can eat much better in other places in Bologna -- but what do you want to eat? Lunch or dinner?

At what price tag is a meal no longer "worth it" to you? And what makes a meal not "worth it" to you?

I am ok with a dinner up to $400 including wine. We really love food and I wasn't saying that I Portici was crazy expensive but I was trying to say for recommendations nothing crazy. We dont need anything Michelin star but something classic Bolognese food that is fairly nice. We plan on doing a food walking tour all day and then a nice quieter dinner. We are open to all suggestions and have looked into Al Sangiovese for dinner also. Have you been there? Any recommendations under the total $400 dinner budget?

I posted on your Rome thread - you may want to check out chowhounds forums for lots of ideas. Their posts are only about food and restaurants.

Cpessangno - i suggest that you read ellenem's current thread - she visited what seem to have been some very good restaurants in Bologna, with very typical local cuisine, which is what I assume you are after.

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...rip-report.cfm

I doubt Al Sangiovese is even 40e per head with wine so you'll do fine there.

If you want classic Bolognese than go to Caminetto d'Oro or All'Osteria Bottega. You must reserve well in advance for these places. They will not cost you $400 per person unless you blow the roof on wine.

Also my apologies to Ralstonian. A google search reveals that Mario Batali did in fact say he likes t eat lunch at Diana. But things have changed since 2008.