South of Florence near Tavarnelle Val di Pesa now....

[elasticwaistband]

We are here enjoying the wonderful hot Tuscan countryside with kids. We have made dinner in our apartment twice and enjoyed pizza one night at a cute place near our apartment. We are looking for a great bistecca alla fiorentine somewhere close by . For more reference as to our location we are close to Barberino Val dElsa a little drive from Castelinna in Chianti. Any help would be great. Either for lunch or dinner. We were in Rome earlier and I will do a full report when I get home. The standout meal there was La Gensola.

[jen kalb]

Have you tried La Gramole yet? its a slowfood place in Tavernelle Val di Pesa, and it reportedly offers bistecca.

[elasticwaistband]

Thanks Jen. We checked out the menu at La Gramola and it looked good for a couple but not as appealing for the kids. We ended up here:
http://www.osteriadicasachianti.it/cm...

and it was excellent.

[jen kalb]

good you found a place. what did you eat and what did you like?

[elasticwaistband]

My husband and I shared the bistecca alla fiorentina - 1 kg of beef, cooked very rare. I don't know if it is typical but it was barely spiced. It was a nice treat because up until then we had been eating mainly fish, some veal dishes and pastas when we were in Rome. We started with a cheese plate which had an assortment of sheep cheese (about 6 different kinds - one more delicious than the next) from a nearby place called Fattoria Corzano e Paterno. We had wanted to visit that very farm but ran out of time. My son had a beef tenderloin cooked in a creamy balsamic sauce which he thought looked weird (we never have beef with creamy sauces at home - well - maybe bearnaise) but he declared that it was delicious and finished the entire plate. My daughter had her usual - some stuffed pasta. Can't remember which one but I think it may have been a ravioli filled with ricotta and spinach. The meal was lovely. We sat on the patio. The service was terrific as well. I would highly recommend this place. On the road that links Fiano to Certaldo and very close to Tavarnelle Val di Pesa.