303561 Wed Jun 21 16:34:44 -0700 2006 10 26 International 0 1706311 Hi fellow hounders, I'm going on a 3 week trek through Italy and London, I've been before but was more focused on the sightseeing aspect than eating. This time I want to stuff myself. I'm looking for some of your favorites places so I can try them out. In Italy I will be: 4 days in Rome 2 days in Chianti in Tuscany 2 days in Florence 3 days in Venice Let me know all the places that I can't miss. I wouldn't mind blowing 150-200 euros on dinner for two for one or two dinners while I'm there as long as the food is out of this world. Then I'll be in London for 10 days. Here I'm looking for good, inexpensive places. I'd like to keep it around 10 pounds for lunches and 15-25 pounds for dinners. Thanks in advance for any of your help. Wed Jun 21 16:34:44 -0700 2006 0 Matt 1 1706321 The places you will be visiting have been commented upon quite frequently over the past 6-24 months. Be sure to do searches for Tuscany, Florence, Venice, Rome, London etc. on the chowhound.com homepage. You should be able to access many of the dozens of prior posts made here that should be quite useful and informative. Wed Jun 21 23:19:30 -0700 2006 1706311 0 DavidT 2 1707901 We were in Rome in January and ate a place called Ditirambo near Campo di Fiore, it was amazing and reasonably priced. Not a lot of tourists. We also really liked La Rosetta (I think near the Pantheon) for seafood, but it was very expensive. Also went to Convivo Troiano, definitely not worth the money. Thu Jun 22 13:18:56 -0700 2006 1706321 0 electra 3 1707903 Forgot to mention, if you do decide to try Ditirambo, you will need to book a few days in advance at least. It's not a big place. Thu Jun 22 13:23:22 -0700 2006 1707901 0 electra 4 1707912 Ok, I'll check out the search function, hadn't even noticed it before. Thanks. By the way, my Uncle recommended Trattoria Da Fiore in Venice. Anyone been there? Thu Jun 22 16:36:19 -0700 2006 1707903 0 Matt 5 1709267 Da Fiore is mega-expensive. It was fabulous a few years back but I think there may have been some slippage if I recall some posts here correctly. Or maybe it's just that people have different opinions -- but to me personally you can sure eat very well for less $$$. You can do a control F search on this page and earlier pages of International threads, as well as the homepage search. Very worthwhile to invest the time. Fri Jun 23 10:07:24 -0700 2006 1707912 0 GretchenS 5 1709270 btw there are two Da Fiore's in Venice - one is the mega pricy michelin starred fish place in Santa Croce, the other is over by San Marco - some people here have written positive things about the latter, so your uncle may be talking about that. Personally (as Ive written before) I dont think the ballyhoed one is worth the $ tho its food is very good. On a first trip to Venice Id go elsewhere. there are many reccs by me and others on down the Board for good eating in Venice. Fri Jun 23 11:07:13 -0700 2006 1707912 0 jen kalb 1 1707887 I could go on and on but time is scarce.. I'm a bride today. :-) Do take a daytrip to Montepulciano and Pienza while you're in Tuscany. The food at La Chiusa in Montefollonico is wonderful. A good search here, as suggested, will be very helpful. London has so many good restaurants now that it's hard to choose and as you know £20 is a low figure these days. There are lots of £10 lunch possibilities.. ethnic places off of Shaftsbury (Satsuma etc.). Belgo Centraal for moules...search away. Have a wonderful trip. Thu Jun 22 01:57:38 -0700 2006 1706311 0 zuriga 1 1707892 Here's a lunch suggestion in London - great for tourists because it's near Oxford St, but also fantastic in that it's terribly authentic and not too expensive. Newman Arms Pie Room (as in traditional meat pies) http://www.newmanarms.co.uk/ My husband is English and we love to have lunch here. Unfortunately, food in London is very expensive. I can also recommend the Wagamama chain for lunch and the pre-prepared foods in almost any supermarket, esp. Marks & Spencer. Much better than prepared foods in the US. English people seem to live on the stuff.... Thu Jun 22 09:27:11 -0700 2006 1706311 0 Sharon 1 1708260 Whereabouts are you staying? There's been a burst of gastropubbage in London of late, and lots of locales have really very acceptable ten quid lunches in otherwise unremarkable backstreet pubs. I live in Holloway, north London, which looks from the outside like it floats on a sea of fast food - fried chicken, pizza and kebabs-a-go-go. Get off the main drag, though, and you'll find places like the Swimmer at the Grafton Arms and the Landseer. Or if you want that genuine London kebab experience, the Crystal Charcoal Rooms do the finest Turkish tucker for ten miles. You can't miss it - just look for the place with the 24 hour queue... R Fri Jun 23 09:42:42 -0700 2006 1706311 10440 Rupert 1 1709269 Some personal favorites: Rome: Orso 80 for their amazing house special mixed antipasto, which is so huge and varied and delicious it’s unlikely you’ll want anything else. (Via Orso, near Umberto Bridge, closed Mondays.) Da Giggetto (next to Portico D’Ottavia in the old Jewish ghetto, also closed Mondays) for Jewish-style fried artichokes and stuffed zucchini blossoms. Or Piperno, also in the old ghetto, for much more upscale Jewish-style specialties. Florence: Taverna del Bronzino for a very special meal (closed Sundays). Trattoria Marione for crowded, inexpensive but delicious meal, especially pasta (best pasta with meat sauce I’ve ever had). Also Nerone at the Mercato Centrale for cheap and delicious. Coffees at the stand-up bar in the Mercato Centrale are the cheapest we found in town. Venice: Osteria Giorgione (Canneregio, calle dei Proverbi) a very small, simple establishment with excellent food, especially bronzino (Mediterranean sea bass). Harry S Dolci, across in Giudecca for amazing cannelloni. Vini da Gigio (Canneregio, near Ca’ D’Oro). Ai Gondolieri (behind the Peggy Guggenheim) an elegant establishment serving amazing meat dishes (unusual for Venice). Reservations recommended for all of these. Have a great trip and please post a report when you return – it adds greatly to the general knowledge! Fri Jun 23 10:30:23 -0700 2006 1706311 0 GretchenS