Gallo d'Oro

The current menu listed on TheFork runs to about 30 dishes:

• Starters: torta fritta, mixed salumi, a fassona beef tartare with Jerusalem artichoke, poached egg with Parmigiano and black truffle.
• Pasta: cappelletti in capon broth, tortelli di erbetta, a tris of tortelli (erbetta, potato, pumpkin), ravioli filled with liquid Parmigiano and black truffle, pappardelle with strolghino ragù.
• Mains: punta di vitello ripiena with roast potatoes, lamb cutlets, octopus, pesto di cavallo and vecchia di cavallo.
• Desserts: sbrisolona with zabaione mousse, lavender crème brûlée, chocolate bavarese.

The dish with the most local story is the risotto alla Giuseppe Verdi: mushrooms, asparagus and culatello. It nods to the composer, who was born near Busseto and farmed in the Bassa where culatello is cured. Order it if you want one plate that tastes of the province rather than the city. If you plan to see Verdi's country, the Busseto day trip covers it.

Without a published menu price, the only number available is TheFork's €35 average. That is a little above the €30 TheFork shows for Trattoria dei Corrieri and Osteria del 36. Truffle dishes and the lamb will push you above it; a pasta and the salumi will keep you below.

Italia.it's listing, which draws on the venue, describes the service as quick and efficient and highlights the torta fritta with culatello and a pear-and-chocolate cake. Neither source gives current prices, so ask for the day's price on anything with truffle.

Mixed groups do well here, because the menu is wider than a strict Parma trattoria. Vegetarians have the tortelli d'erbetta, the tris of tortelli, gnocchi filled with buffalo cheese, and marinated aubergine with stracciatella. Fish eaters get scallops wrapped in lardo, tagliatelle with prawn ragù and octopus with cannellini beans. Purists who want only the old dishes will find them too, but the room is aimed at visitors as much as locals, which is what 2,600 reviews usually means.

Book on TheFork or call +39 0521 208846. Because the restaurant does not state a closing day or a summer break online, use the booking calendar to see which days it takes tables, and check again for mid-August. For a central alternative that does publish everything, see Trattoria del Tribunale.