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I'm assisting a restaurant owner (friend of son's) in a search for/...
- Thread starter elaine
- Start date
shaun-in-to
Well-known member
Rome
These are the three we always go back to when we're in Rome:
Sora Margherita: In the Ghetto. Traditional Jewish Roman cooking, menu changes daily. A busy, bustling place. Amazing house-made pastas and desserts. I've never been unhappy.
Da Gildo: In Trastevere. Less traditional but still traditional (actually, most restaurants ARE). Good-quality cooking.
Felice a Testaccio: In Testaccio. One of the best trattorias in town. Again, traditional, but modern decor. Excellent cooking, great prices. Suddenly filled with Americans after it was written up in the New York Times this spring.
It's actually hard to eat poorly in Italy. Unlike in North America, where we have tons of places to eat but most of them aren't that great, you can walk into just about any cafe or trattoria in Italy and eat well.
These are the three we always go back to when we're in Rome:
Sora Margherita: In the Ghetto. Traditional Jewish Roman cooking, menu changes daily. A busy, bustling place. Amazing house-made pastas and desserts. I've never been unhappy.
Da Gildo: In Trastevere. Less traditional but still traditional (actually, most restaurants ARE). Good-quality cooking.
Felice a Testaccio: In Testaccio. One of the best trattorias in town. Again, traditional, but modern decor. Excellent cooking, great prices. Suddenly filled with Americans after it was written up in the New York Times this spring.
It's actually hard to eat poorly in Italy. Unlike in North America, where we have tons of places to eat but most of them aren't that great, you can walk into just about any cafe or trattoria in Italy and eat well.
shaun-in-to
Well-known member
Where in Tuscany? It's a big place.
My friend Pamela owns is a cookbook author who owns B&B in Tuscany,
She can probably offer some suggestions (My guess is because she has the B&B she probably has a typed list ready to go...)
http://www.foodartisans.com/
She can probably offer some suggestions (My guess is because she has the B&B she probably has a typed list ready to go...)
http://www.foodartisans.com/
I do know that! He doesn't have specific plans and will go wherever he decides to try a ....
restaurant. I don't specifically remember any from there as I have been only on short trips
there in recent years and covered a lot of ground filling in places and things that I hadn't been to before.
Thanks for the Roman ones - I will add to my list. Trattorias near tourist spots are deadly but the little out of the way ones are great.
restaurant. I don't specifically remember any from there as I have been only on short trips
there in recent years and covered a lot of ground filling in places and things that I hadn't been to before.
Thanks for the Roman ones - I will add to my list. Trattorias near tourist spots are deadly but the little out of the way ones are great.
Very likely she'll have a tip sheet of places to share...& I always ask if people
have any friends I should meet. It's amazing what that can uncover. smileys/smile.gif
As far as I know, Pamela is still renting rooms at her place while she's gone...It's worth checking into.
have any friends I should meet. It's amazing what that can uncover. smileys/smile.gif
As far as I know, Pamela is still renting rooms at her place while she's gone...It's worth checking into.
shaun-in-to
Well-known member
Florence ...
These are our favourites. Again, traditional fare -- that is after all what Italians do best. I can give you addresses and times for these and the Rome places, but they're likely also on the Net.
Coco Lezzone. A classic. Inexpensive, well-executed Tuscan fare.
Vini e Vecchi Sapori. Close to the Palazzo Vecchio. I could easily eat here every day (as some locals do). Only five tables, so be early or be patient. Mom's in the kitchen, Dad's at the salad and cheese counter, son is the server. Simple, straightforward Tuscan fare, but somehow eye-opening.
In Fiesole, in the hills above Florence, there's I Polpi, which we've only been to once but really liked. A little more modern in approach to food, but still well done and not too far from the traditional.
These are our favourites. Again, traditional fare -- that is after all what Italians do best. I can give you addresses and times for these and the Rome places, but they're likely also on the Net.
Coco Lezzone. A classic. Inexpensive, well-executed Tuscan fare.
Vini e Vecchi Sapori. Close to the Palazzo Vecchio. I could easily eat here every day (as some locals do). Only five tables, so be early or be patient. Mom's in the kitchen, Dad's at the salad and cheese counter, son is the server. Simple, straightforward Tuscan fare, but somehow eye-opening.
In Fiesole, in the hills above Florence, there's I Polpi, which we've only been to once but really liked. A little more modern in approach to food, but still well done and not too far from the traditional.
shaun-in-to
Well-known member
Other resources
The Slow Travel website has a restaurant section that's quite reliable. The focus is on authentic food ("Slow" is the giveaway, if you know the Slow Food movement, which is huge in Italy).
Egullet also has local recommendation forums, with contributors like Judy of Divina Cucina fame, and Faith Willinger, and people who live in those places and keep up with where to eat and what's passed.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=39
The Slow Travel website has a restaurant section that's quite reliable. The focus is on authentic food ("Slow" is the giveaway, if you know the Slow Food movement, which is huge in Italy).
Egullet also has local recommendation forums, with contributors like Judy of Divina Cucina fame, and Faith Willinger, and people who live in those places and keep up with where to eat and what's passed.
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showforum=39
shaun-in-to
Well-known member
For an unforgettable dining experience, an hour outside Florence ...
La Petraia, high in the Chianti mountains. It's an organic agriturismo run by a Canadian chef. The food is out of this world. A bit pricey to stay, but you can go for just lunch or dinner, a multi-course tasting menu that's true to the Italian roots but entirely updated.
http://www.lapetraia.com/dining.php
La Petraia, high in the Chianti mountains. It's an organic agriturismo run by a Canadian chef. The food is out of this world. A bit pricey to stay, but you can go for just lunch or dinner, a multi-course tasting menu that's true to the Italian roots but entirely updated.
http://www.lapetraia.com/dining.php
I don't know if this will help, but conde naste had a nice article on Emilia Romagna today
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501350
http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/articles/501350