262806 Mon Jun 09 14:00:31 -0700 2003 20 26 International 0 1388594 I'll be spending 2 weeks in Florence at the end of July and am looking for food recs. Since I'll be staying with friends, my food budget is pretty open. Specifically, I'm looking for: 1. a really nice restaurant to take my friend as a "thank you" for letting me stay with her. 2. can't miss places (anything - markets, bars, osterias, etc) 3. I'll also be taking some short trips outside of Florence and to Ravenna, so recs are welcome for outside the city. After reading past posts, I have Il Pennello and the White Boar on my list. Thanks! Mon Jun 09 14:00:31 -0700 2003 0 kate 1 1388596 Check out the past threads on this board for what I consider the best restaurant in Italy: Il Ritrovo at 4A Via de' Pucci, a block or so from the duomo. You can't go wrong. Mon Jun 09 16:12:17 -0700 2003 1388594 0 Dale 2 1388830 Can't wait to visit Il Ritrovo. Does any one know if it is open for lunch? Can't find opening times info anywhere... Tue Jun 24 10:30:06 -0700 2003 1388596 0 Kathy 3 1388844 I am not sure if they are open for lunch, but I have their phone number if you are interested in calling to find out: 055.281688 Good luck! My favorite dish from there was the tagliata di manzo con rucola -- a steak piled with fresh arugula and shavings of parmigiano reggiano. But everything was great. Tue Jun 24 14:43:05 -0700 2003 1388830 0 jen maiser 4 1388852 Il Ritrovo is open for lunch. Tue Jun 24 16:10:39 -0700 2003 1388844 0 Dale 1 1388620 Try Cibreo, and Sostanza. You'll be glad you did. Tue Jun 10 23:38:44 -0700 2003 1388594 0 Cristina 1 1388638 I stayed in Florence for two days at the end of May... Osteria Santo Spirito - good apps (loved their olives, sun dried tomatoes, wild boar sausage) & entrees, amazing pastas(baked gnocchi with truffle cheese sauce, rigatoni with pomodoro sauce and aged feta). Trattoria Sostanza - almost no decor(white tile, framed newspaper clippings & art), but the best steak i've had(IMO better than Peter Lugers), prociutto & melon app was very good, wild strawberries w. sugar & cream was great. Peasant soup was merely ok. Central Market - definitely worth a visit. Nerbone in the Central Market, good beef sandwich, but I've had better beef sandwiches though(Katz's Pastrami). Pasta & Salad was also good. Cantinetta del Verazzano - great crostini & open face sandwiches for lunch. Perche No! - very good sorbetto & gelatoes. have fun, ChowAlf Wed Jun 11 22:04:13 -0700 2003 1388594 0 ChowAlf 2 1388656 Alf, you're right about Sostanza. It is (remarkably) better than Luger's. It is also the best of all the places that eature bisteca fiorentina which can really vary from one restaurant to another (I must have had it in at least ten or more of them from Omero's to Taberna Del Branzino to Sabatini's to the "original" di Vinus (which was also outstanding). Another must is the pizzaria adjacent to Cibreo (a must in its own right if you don't mind a lot of other Americans) which is called Il Pizzaiola. This is a wood burning oven and easily the best in Florence. Badiani has the best gelato but is out of the central area. Alessi is the best wine shop and perhaps the best in all of Italy. It is also priced as such-meaning that some prices are actually HIGHER than the U. S. In Tuscany there is a great butcher shop in Panzano whose bisteca is prepared at Il Vescovino which is a serious rival to Sostanza. Vescovino's owner has a great wine shop where you should ask t see his cellar. His prices are 2/3 of Alessi and his stock is 75% which is remarkably good. Thu Jun 12 13:44:54 -0700 2003 1388638 0 Joe H. 1 1388647 Taverna Geggo Beppe, Via Santo Spirito 64-66, is a can't miss for lunch. Completely old fashioned, charming, cheap delicious taverna. Best trippa fiorentina, best carbonara, best ragu, lovely side insalata verde. And by cheap, I mean cheap. I was there pre-Euro, but I can't imagine any plate is more than 6 or 7. The owner is a lovely guy named Franco. If you see him, tell him that Anna and her mama Stefania the painter from New York say hi. Frankly, if you asked me what my idea of heaven is, it would be pretty close to Taverna Geggo Beppe. I have their business card framed on my desk. Thu Jun 12 10:26:26 -0700 2003 1388594 0 annab 2 1390753 sad to say, geggo beppo at via santo spirito 64-66 has changed to a new name and owner. rather upscale, didn't try it, since we were looking for something hearty. went instead to osteria santo spirito and were quite disappointed. flavors were adequate but nothing special, the service was spotty (mistakes on the pasta order and a half-hour delay on one of the secondi piatti--but it was a world-cup night, so prob. all bets were off service-wise) and the coniglio was made with canned olives. in italy? hunh? any other takes on this place? think it's off my list... Mon Jun 12 16:17:44 -0700 2006 1388647 0 judy 1 1388659 My reliables in Florence are I Latini, Le Mossacce, Acqua al Due and Vivoli (for ice-cream). Some may say they're over rated but I can't complain about anything I've ever had there. Sorry I don't have any addresses but they can easily be found. Thu Jun 12 16:22:26 -0700 2003 1388594 0 mg 2 1388670 There are so many wonderful places in Florence... but, I agree with the poster above, re: Il Latini... I know there has been much controversy.... but we dined there again, last year, and had a WONDERFUL meal, and it was the same high quality, and fun experience that it has been for some 20 years (for us), making it one of our favorites. We took some friends there, who had heard about it, and they loved it, as well!!(it's on Via Palchetti!) Also, of course, Cibreo. Do take care to make reservations, since several of the restaurants close for the month of August. On the same street as Cingiale Bianco is Mama Gina's, whcih is a terrific place. Do reserve in the rear... since the front is usually filled with tourists off the street & we think the service & sometimes, food, is different in the back. We still enjoy Acqua al Due.... do order the pasta sampler. Then there is Angiolino's..... Camillo..... and, a new one for us last year,,, a wonderful experience was Pandemonio. Do give it a shot.... Run by a mother & her son..... family members wait on tables.... a warm, delicious experience. (The Fiorentine biftec there is beautiful & enough for two!!!). On the same block as Sat Jun 14 09:18:38 -0700 2003 1388659 0 Moyn 3 1388672 fyi these are all the tourist places. you will feel like yr in Milwaukee lol Sat Jun 14 11:05:22 -0700 2003 1388670 0 doc 4 1388677 This is true. Il Latini has throngs of Americans lining up for mediocre food that is served in large portions (you'll probably be paired with other Americans with the Italians segregated out of this; this may be fun but don't expect really good food) while Vivoli is decent but not in league with Badiani. Cibreo is excellent and priced appropriately. Sat Jun 14 23:50:37 -0700 2003 1388672 0 Joe H. 5 1388896 It probably helps that I'm Italian and speak the language fluently. I've never noticed the throngs of Americans you speak of. Thu Jun 26 10:13:13 -0700 2003 1388677 0 mg 1 1388660 Check out the recent report of our Tuscany trip linked below. In Florence: I agree with the accolades to Il Ritrovo. I wouldn't bother with Il Pizzaiuolo (near Cibreo). Great lunch sandwiches at Cantinetta Dei Verrazzano. Centanni is overrated unless you can get a terrace window seat during daylight hours. Vivoli is a must for gelato. If you have a car make the 20-minute drive to Villa La Palagina (in Figline Valdarno). Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/262560#1387377 Thu Jun 12 17:34:06 -0700 2003 1388594 0 Samovar 1 1388681 We had a wonderful meal at Pandemonio -- one of the best while in Italy. The shrimp risotto was amazing, as were some of the side dishes -- I remember a simple but excellent one of beans dressed in olive oil. We did not order the bistecca but after seeing it at the adjacent table, we wished we had -- it looked amazing. Happy travels, Michael Mon Jun 16 05:26:21 -0700 2003 1388594 0 Michael Lerner 1 1388683 Cafe Concerto -- on the outskirts -- the best meal that we had in Florence. Mon Jun 16 08:50:33 -0700 2003 1388594 0 The Big Man 1 1388693 Thanks for all the suggestions! I'm looking forward to my trip even more (if that's possible). I'll report back at the end of July. Mon Jun 16 19:01:53 -0700 2003 1388594 0 kate 2 1388699 Report back? Won't you take us with you? Be *SURE* to see the San Marcos Museum while you're there. The Fra Angelico frescos are...well, I'm still speechless, a year later. Tue Jun 17 00:55:01 -0700 2003 1388693 0 Cristina 1 1388778 Someone suggested Cibreo. Cibreo is good if you can get past some of the interesting items that are brought out, like veal tripe. I know someone who was just there and absolutely loved it, though. He raved about how he was sure that after eating the Cibreo cheesecake, he knew what heaven was like. For a little hole in the wall, Fiaschetteria Mario is great. Located near the Mercato di San Lorenzo. You can see them cooking pasta in these giant vats in the kitchen. Not really a touristy spot either, so it's kind of fun. I had very good steaks at Garga and Otello, though I remember at Garga they put all of the American and British tourists in one room. Hope that helps. Sat Jun 21 00:28:03 -0700 2003 1388594 0 Mark Todrys