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Three years ago I was in Florence and my boyfriend and
I found this restaurant that was a one woman show.
It's called "Maximillian" not far from the Duomo. The
owner is the waitress, busboy, chef, etc. The eating
experience is not a hurried one, but rather a show and
a very good one at that.
Highly recommended and if all the tables are occupied
when you get there, the owner will probably turn you
away. -
You have had some excellent selections for restaurants
in Florence and Venice. While in Florence consider
taking a short drive outside the city to go to La
Tenda Rosso in San Casciano in Val di Pesa. You'll
need a reservation here so ask the hotel to make one
for you. A must for excellent gelato is Vivoli in
Florence. If your budget will allow it, Enoteca
Pinchiorri is a real experience. This restaurant is
really big bucks so check the price range before you
go. The wine list here is a mind blower!
In Venice take lunch or a light snack at the veranda
of the Gritti Palace Hotel. Sitting there and enjoying
the activity and views of the Grand Canal should not
be missed. Food's good too but expensive. Harry's Bar,
while a touristy place, still has excellent food. Da
Fiori is usually a tough reservation so call well in
advance to make certain to enjoy this marvelous
restaurant. -
in florence dinner at cibreo, lunch at cambi. in venice hit da fiore, and al covo. the names are endless how long are you going to be in each city?
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re: Allison
try some of our favorites, we go to Italy almost every year for 2-3 weeks. florence along with cibreo, alle murate, la baraonda,,osteria benci, bibe just outside of town, for lunches belle donne, cambi(outstanding tripe), za za, da ruggero, cnatinetta verranzano, for ice cream we like badiani and carabe your concierge can make reservations for you. in venice da fiore and al covo are a must. the chef and wife team from al covo, we just here in nyc last month, did a wine and food tasting at the 4 seasons, it was great!! are you going anywhere else in italy??
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re: Allison
Alison,
Folks have steered you well (and know more than me)
re: Florence. In Venice, do try to go to La Furatola
if you like peasanty seafood/pasta dishes. No fowl or
red meat here, just perfectly fresh fish, beautifully
(and assertively seasoned), mostly with pasta. The
regulars there treat it like a Greek diner, and I only
wished *I* had a neighborhood restaurant this
brilliant and reliable. Cheap and charming (if you
like sardines, try the appetizer). -
re: Allison
I posted a rather long description
of the places we ate at in
Venice..scroll down or use the link
(if I can get it to work)... For
Florence, visit
www.terraditoscana.com
for a Florentine's insight on food.
Carlo, the web master, is very
friendly and spent a couple of
hours with us last fall, walking
through a residential area away
from the city center and showing
us the food he likes to eat. Drop
him an email from the site. -
re: Allison
In addition to all of the good recommendations already
provided on this string, I'll add just a few. Prior
to going to Florence, I got a lot of good information
from the Feb. 28, 1995 issue of Wine Spectator. One
of the best bits of information from this issue led me
to the Mercato Centrale (Central Market) at Piazza di
San Lorenzo. Within this market is Perini, an
absolutely wonderful place for sausages, cheeses, and
all sorts of prepared foods. The shopkeepers behind
the counter were warm, gracious, and friendly, and
provided me with generous "samples" of almost
everything in the place. "Here, here," they would
say, "try this, very delicious, you will like." An
inevitably, I did like. Wild boar salami; a long,
fat, soft sausage called briciolana casalinga; a white
truffle spread; explanations about the various types,
grades, and quality of prosciutto; and on and on. I
was in heaven!! My wife and I had many happy tastes
from our purchases here. On the way out of Mercato
Centrale I passed by a stand with a whole roasted pig,
from which was being cut thicks slabs of juicy meat,
served between pieces of country bread. Now how could
a chowhound pass this up?? It was just a wonderful as
it sounds. Another of my favorite experiences in
Florence was a lunch at Cantinetta Antinori, located
at Piazza degli Antinori, 3. Owned by the wine
family, all current and recent vintages of Antinori
wines are available here by the glass. This trattoria
also serves very well prepared traditional Tuscan
dishes. I can still taste the pappa al pomodoro--the
taste of the tomatoes was pure, intense, and
unbelievable. Aaahhhh, thank God for memory. The
addition of a glass of Solaia or Tignanello doesn't do
any harm either, even though the recent vintages they
serve need more age.
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re: stephen kaye
I posted several recommendations for Florence after I
went there last year; see the link below. I concur
with the recommendation for Cibreo, but unless you want
very elegant dining, make sure you go to the second
room, on the other side of the kitchen. Same food at
half the price. -
re: stephen kaye
My most delicious memories of Florence are of
meals at Alessi's eating club. Reportedly, Alessi
used to run a fancy restaurant. Now he serves great
food to Florentine chowhounds. You must pay a modest
membership fee to join, but then you are free to order
the most authentic Florentine food at amazingly low
prices, in the company of Florentines -- no easy trick
in this touristed small city heavily populated by
American students.
English is not strong here, and the menu is more
complicated to read than in most trattorie, because
Alessi includes so many details about the dishes, and
even their history. I have eaten most successfully
by asking Alessi to feed me as he sees fit ("Vorrei
mangiare mentre lo consigliate" is my rough Italian
for this request.)
Trattoria Alessi. Via di Mezzo 24R. Florence. (No sign
- just look for the frosted glass door, walk in and
join the club.) Arrive early to be sure of seating:
12:30 for lunch, 7:30 for dinner.
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