EPIC Italy Food trip... Venice, Florence, CT, & Rome Food report

[berfahEATS]

Thank you all chowhounders who helped us out on our Italy trip. I've provided my quick trip report alongside for ratings 1-5. We hit some duds (like a bad cafeteria near the Vatican just because we were so hungry!)

VENICE:
Alle Testiere $$ 5 Excellent and simple seafood at it's best. I had the Razor clams for an appetizer that was roasted to perfection. They were sweet and succulent and tenderly roasted with olive oil. For an entree I had the Langoustines in a sweet and sour sauce. I half expected Panda Express, but was pleasantly surprised by the combination. Dessert was the "frozen" nougat which was equivalent to a frozen panna cotta with hazelnut. The husband had their raviolis which he devoured.

Al Covo $$ 3 we both had fish as an entree and it was nothing comparable to Alle Testiere. I did like my crudo appetizer of langoustine and sea bream.

Cafe Fiore $$$ 3.5 you pay for the location, still worth it since the rooms are so historic. I had a salmon quiche and the husband had a charcuterie plate. There was someone filming a t.v. show in one of the salons

FLORENCE:
Borgo Antico $ 3.75 great local neighborhood where we had the seafood appetizer and it was HUMONGOUS. Clams, mussells and shrimp all steamed to perfection. We were so full that I barely could eat my zucchini risotto which was delicious, but slightly undercooked.

Teatro De Sale $$ 4 This place is a must see since it's so unique in itself. The chef Fabbiano (?) is equivalent to the Soup Nazi where he yells out the course in italian and everyone runs up to the window to get their share. No seconds unless he says so! I thought that the meatballs and the clams were the best dishes. All very tasty and solid. Afterwards his wife usually does a show, but it was kids night so they played a kid's movie.

Cibreo Cafe $$ 3.5 owned by Teatro chef Fabbiano, I had the oven wrapped Mackeral in a garlic/parsley sauce. Simple yet good. The husband had an ox-tail which was fabulous.

Borgo San Jacopo $$$ 3.5 The best thing here was the wine!! From the Friuli region it was fruity yet complex with a mix of nutty flavors. The frito misto looked excellent, I opted for a pork chop and I would say it was solid, but nothing overly exciting.

CT:
Bar Miky $$ 3 The anchovy appetizer was fabulous, but my mussells and shrimp entree was surprisingly unfresh.

La Lanterna $$ 3 Aside from a grumpy owner and poor service (asked 3 times for lemons that I never got), my frito misto was perfectly cooked and my husband's pasta was fabulous.

Gamberro Rosso $$$ 3.25 I had Langoustines (again!) and they were solidly delicious and the anchovies platter was pretty amazing

ROME
Il Pagliacco $$$$ 4.5 2 (?) michelin stars, can't go wrong! Excellent and well prepared food and a nice blend of italian and asian fusion. I will do a full post on this restaurant alone. My only disappointment was the tea service. I chose a green tea and the sommelier "washed" my cup with the hot water but reused that water for my tea therefore cooling the tea and giving it enough flavor.

Sant’Eustachio Il Caffé $ 4 coffee is the best in Rome!

Cul de Sac $ 4 excellent charcuterie selection. The pate was all homemade, our favorite was the rabbit one.

Checchino dal 1887 $$$ 3 underwhelmed by my egg drop soup, lacked in true beef flavor and felt like chicken stock was out of a can. The Saltimbocca was overly salty, I could hardly finish it. The husband's pasta was however quite good.

[OCAnn]

Borgo Antico was one of our great, pleasant surprises. Though we didn't try the two Cibreo spots you went to (we went to the Trattoria which we adored), it sounds like they're great all around. Nice report. =)

[lougray]

OCAnn, We are off to Rome. Can you share some more thoughts on Borga Antico please?

Thank you!

[OCAnn]

Borgo Antico didn't/doesn't get a whole lot of mention here on CH, probably b/c there are just SO many restaurants that dot the city. I didn't bring my CH list and was only armed w/Rick Steve's guidebook and I was surprised how well it served me on this particular spot. The bonus was that it wasn't overly expensive (our meals averaged over 100E for two, except here).

Here' s my review w/pics on Borgo Antico & Florence:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/698856
Review: Sostanza, Grom, Borgo Antico, Gilli, Cibreo Trattoria, Golden View | Florence

Have fun in Rome!

[PBSF]

Thank you for the detail report. As for Cafe Fiore in Venice, do you mean Caffe Florian on Piazza San Marco?

[berfahEATS]

yes! Thanks for the correction! All the names were starting to meld together and sound the same.