John; If you get far enough south, towards Cortona then the "Pecorino di Pienza is wonderful. There are farm vendors where you can buy directly.
Let’s arrange a day where I can give you all my books…I think you will love “The Food Lover’s Companion to Tuscany” by Carla Capalbo. It is also filled with all my notes and various business cards I have collected.
Cheers!
Marshall ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
Okay, here we go:
From our 2010 Dining Notes:
Montalcino – Taverna del Grappolo Blu – This was one of our favorites from our previous visit to Montalcino in 2005 and it did not disappoint. We enjoyed both lunch and dinner here. Friendly service; wonderful, fresh pastas (pinci and porcinis to make you sigh), very good contorno like ceci (chick peas), and a fine local wine list. We still highly recommend dining with Luciano in his small and rustic kingdom when in Montalcino. Enjoyed a 2005 Il Poggioni Brunello with lunch and 2005 Lisini Brunello with dinner.
Montalcino – Rei di Macchia - Our new favorite place to eat in Montalcino. At the suggestion of our local host, we enjoyed two fantastic dinners. Pastas even better than Grappolo Blu, and terrific meat dishes such as “Chingiale Goulash,” a wonderfully seasoned wild boar stew, and easily the finest Bistecca alla Fiorentina I ever have had. Great local wine list. Antonio and Roberta run a great place, and we would definitely return. Over a few dinners enjoyed 2005 Camigliano, Campogiovanni, and Mastrojanni Brunellos.
Montalcino - Pizza San Giorgio - Pleasant place for lunch with a lengthy menu and a great smelling wood fired atmosphere. Pizzas were good, but I learned that some locals apparently turn up their noses at this “Albanian pizza place.” We enjoyed our lunch there, but see no reason to return.
Montalcino – Enoteca Osteria Osticci – Suggested by a nearby winery owner friend; we were not impressed. It seems to thrive on its back room’s amazing view; the service is not particularly friendly and the food is adequate. But, in this part of the world, you deserve and can readily find better. No need to return.
Castellina in Chianti – Tre Porte - Our first meal in Castellina was lunch here and we enjoyed it immensely. Great pasta dishes (including one with a great lamb ragu), handmade, beautifully charred pizzas (with and without tomato sauce, including our favorite, the “Alpino” - mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, and speck), very good meat dishes (lamb, chingiale, beef); everything is really very nice. We particularly enjoyed their beef tartare with and without porcini mushrooms, and one of the best porcini risottos we have ever had. This became our “house restaurant,” as we ate there 4 times over 6 days. We were their “local tourists.” It just seemed comfortable and the food was delicious. Service was friendly, prices perhaps a little high, but overall we really liked it and definitely would return. Enjoyed a number of nice bottles, including 2006 Isole e Elena and Castellare and 2008 Buondonno Chianti Classico.
Castellina in Chianti – Antica Trattoria La Torre - This is probably the best known restaurant in town, and it was amazingly packed with a few locals and many tourists. We were underwhelmed. The tables are crowded together, the service is a little too quick and not particularly warm and, while the pasta dishes are good, the meat and fowl dishes, although flavorful, were dry, clearly having been cooked longer than necessary. No need to return.
Castellina in Chianti – Albergaccio di Castellina - Highly recommended to us and we were happy to discover the reputation is well-deserved. Lovely stone-walled and wood-beamed rooms, this was a more “ambitious” dining experience and presentation, with drool-worthy multi-course meals and a fantastic à la carte menu. The wine list was broad and deep and the service was terrific. A very fine dining experience – chestnut gnocchi; crepes with sausage, leek, parmesan, and saffron; pigeon in white wine and anchovy sauce; pappardelle with venison; etc., along with a very nice 2007 Castellare Chianti Classico Riserva - and we would definitely return.
Castellina in Chianti – Sotto le Volte (site of former al Gallopapa, which was highly recommended but apparently closed in 2009) – Very cool, “romantic’ location under the shops in Castellina’s vaulted medieval walkway, the rooms seemed formerly to have been very old wine cellars, and there is a nice wine bar. Very good, well-prepared dishes; the only knock is that our waiter, who appeared to be one of the owners, seemed to be an unhappy fellow and, as an aside, he cannot make a decent cocktail. With our lunch, another fine Buondonno Chianti Classico. We’d return for the food, but we’d likely check first to see who was serving and at the bar.
Colle di Val d’Elsa – Arnolfo – Our favorite meal of our 2005 trip and the expectations were high for the return. Once again, this very elegant and refined restaurant, with a parade of amazingly pretty, creative, and delicious dishes, and impeccable service, did not disappoint. Enjoyed a terrific 2004 Le Trame Chianti Classico from Giovanna Morgante’s Podere Le Boncie (our very favorite Chianti producer, with whom we had visited the day before). We will return to Arnolfo whenever we are in Tuscany.
San Gusme - Sira e Remino - about 5 kilometers out of Castelnuovo Berardenga, not far from Felsina, San Gusme, is a very small village with few dining choices. This place seemed popular with locals and proved perfect for lunch. Good, rustic pasta dishes (a pretty darn good but not world class cacio e pepe - that amazing spicy, Italian version of mac & cheese – made with pecorino and black pepper) and nice looking salumi plates.
San Donato – La Locanda di Pietracupa - Suggested by a nearby winery owner friend, we would have driven right by without seeing it if we had not been given directions. Simply wonderful, a gem, a first rate, higher level lunch experience. As soon as we walked in we knew it was going to be special. In a beautiful dining room, with Leon Russell singing in the background, we started with pears and creamy cheese over fig bread, and porcini soup with capon agnolottis, this was followed by tagliolini (thin tagliatelle) with mushrooms and truffles, and paparadelle with wild hare sauce. We were totally wowed by the meal and definitely would return, and I would love to have dinner there next time.
Montefioralle – “Dinner with a Tuscan Family” – we read about a small program where a few families in this beautiful and tiny village above Greve will invite you into their homes for genuine home-cooked meals. We arranged it before we headed to Italy and were curious and hungry when we met our host in the tiny Piazza. It turned out to be a really enjoyable, intimate, delicious evening. We crowded into the very small dining room/kitchen with three generations and, with the help of the English speaking son, got to know everyone, ate, laughed and felt genuinely welcome. Truly rustic food, with bread, cheeses, local salumi, several pasta dishes, chingiale (which the grandfather had shot and dressed), roasted chestnuts, cookies, and grandfather’s Vin Santo. We had a terrific time and felt we made some new friends. If you are interested in the experience, contact dining@greve-in-chianti.com
Siena - Antica Osteria da Divo - I mention this, even though we missed out on eating there because we reached it a little late, because it was very highly recommended to us by a good friend at a nearby winery. Definitely smelled good in there as they opened the door to tell us we were too late for lunch. We certainly will make sure we try it next time!
Castellina in Chianti – L’ Antica Delizia Gelateria Artigianale – No, we did not have either lunch or dinner; however, we had really great gelato here several times! Don’t miss it. They also make terrific fruit candies. No doubt we would return. I miss that place!
Rome – Al Ceppo – Our first night in Rome and our dear local friend wanted our first dinner to be here. Wow, we were pleased with the choice. Warm, elegant, slightly formal yet friendly atmosphere with a surprisingly located open grill in the front room. Our friend dines here often, so perhaps we were treated better than average, but the service seemed quite fine as I looked around the rooms filed with happy and apparently affluent clientele. Dishes were traditional yet prepared in a sophisticated manner and we enjoyed ourselves immensely. Fantastic pastas; in fact, Al Ceppo is the winner of the prestigious and never before awarded “best pasta dish Andrew ever had” award, with an absolutely sublime carbonara made with perfectly prepared eggy tagliatelle (rather than the usual spaghetti) with an amazingly yellow egg yolk, crunchy quanciale, creamy pecorino, a touch of pepper, and topped with white truffles. Decadent? Si. I must tell you, it was insanely good. The stuff dreams are made of, if one dreams of pasta. The other dishes shined as well: delicious puntarelle and porcini; tubular paccheri filled with tuna; perfectly prepared fish and grilled lamb; and the first tiramisu I ever truly enjoyed. Along with this first rate dinner we had a wonderful 2004 Le Pergola Torte. We would definitely return.
Rome – Al Moro – Our second night’s dinner, also chosen by our friend. This is, to my mind, an “old school Roman” place, somewhat hard to find, crowded, and complete with waiters who have been working there for ages. It has been around since 1929 and even has its own unfriendly looking owner, and it seems they place the tourists in their own room (perhaps with the better English-speaking waiters). Regardless, the food is very good, the atmosphere is loud and jovial and bustling with large tables filled with families and smaller tables crowded side-by-side, and the menu is filled with local favorites, including fantastic artichokes (prepared several different ways), delicious fried vegetables, a very good spaghetti alla carbonara, and excellent dishes of oxtail stew and tripe (not together). A fun evening. We might return.
Rome – Nonna Betta – A cleverly named tiny and very friendly Kosher eatery in the Jewish Quarter. We had a very nice little lunch, comprised of artichokes alla Giudia, artichokes baked in cheese, and of course a pizza bianco with artichokes and mushrooms.
Rome – Salumeria Roscioli – Okay, if we lived in Rome, we would eat here … a lot. From what I read, “450 different kinds of cheese, more than 100 different types of cured meat, a wine list of 2200 labels, 20 different homemade breads.” I believe it. Crowded, popular, and an immediate sensory overload of sights and smells, let alone tastes once you are seated and served. This is probably the most expensive deli we’ve been in, but we believe it is worth it. We walked through the shop in front and past the few tables located nearby and headed downstairs to the wine cellar and our table. Here, amongst a staggering collection of Italian and French wine bottles, I had the single greatest plate of cheese in my life, a huge serving of burrata, probably intended for a group to share. And not just any luscious, creamy, delicious burrata, no! This was “Burrata from Andria with Black Pepper from Malesia and semi-dried cherry tomatoes from Pachino,” with some drops of amazing EVOO. It was fantastic, and I am not embarrassed to say I killed it. Roscioli also is famed for its pasta dishes, called some of the finest in Rome. I do not disagree. Here, I had simply fabulous spaghetti alla carbonara, with an egg yolk and guanciale to make you weep; followed by the unanimous winner of “the second greatest pasta in my life” award, tonnarello al sugo di coda vaccinara (a slightly thick, squarish spaghetti with an oxtail ragu). So good, we came back on our final day in Rome for another plate for lunch, along with an insanely good linguine porri e gambero (leeks and shrimp). With our dinner, another 2006 Le Trame Chianti Classico; with lunch a very nice 2009 Conte Zandotti Rumon Malvasia del Lazio. If we return to Rome, we will return, several times. (Related to the famed and wonderful Antico Forno Roscioli bakery down the street and across the Campo dei Fiore.)
Rome – Ristorante “La Taverna degli Amici, a Tormargana” – This, to me, represents the magic of Rome. After we finished our tour of Ancient Rome at the Colosseum, we were walking towards “our neighborhood” (Campo dei Fiore, Piazza Farnese) and through an alleyway, then we entered a small, pretty piazza (Piazza Margana), found ourselves facing a nice looking restaurant with lots of well-dressed folks enjoying lunch outdoors. We looked at the menu and sat down. Mama mia, we were happy we did! We started with salmon crudo and spigola (sea bass) carpaccio, a plate of sautéed porcini, a perfect plate of bombolotti all’amatriciana (that quintessential Roman sauce of tomato, chili pepper, guanciale, and pecorino cheese), followed by an absolutely scrumptious pear tart. We also had a fine Puiatti Pinot Grigio Collio “Ruttars.” (“Save a tree, drink no oak aged wine!”) We would definitely return and I’d love to try dinner there.
Rome – Ristorante l’Arcangelo – Our last dinner in Rome, accompanied by our local friend, was at this highly regarded, small restaurant. It is famed for its perfect ingredients, precise flavors, and elegant dishes including perfect pastas. I had a very good plate of paccheri alla carbonara. We drank a wonderful 2008 Tenuta Terre Nere Etna Rosso. The food here was creative and lovely, but something was “off.” I have read complaints of less than warm service, and that was certainly part of the problem; it just was not inviting and friendly, in fact, it was as if we were intruding into some special club. (There also was a group of small fruit flies buzzing us and our dishes about which the staff seemed to have little concern.) There are many other places in Rome to eat, including many we still have not visited, so we will not return.
Some somewhat dated (2005) dining suggestions in Florence and Bologna:
Florence: Dinner at Trattorria Za Za, Piazza del Mercato Centrale, Tel. 055 215411. This small, informal, touristy, noisy place near the San Lorenzo market was recommended to us by a few guidebooks and our hotel’s front desk. One important attribute was that it was open on that rainy Sunday evening. It was quite nice, and the dishes were well presented, simple, and delicious. A “basic” kind of meal, nothing stood out as special, but everything was good. Might return.
Florence: Dinner at Buca Lapi, Via del Trebbio, near Piazza Antinori, Tel. 055 213768. This crowded and quite popular place, which previously was an Antinori wine cellar, had come fairly well recommended but was another disappointment. We had been prepared for a “tourist central” appearance, but we did not expect what we felt was “tourists only” service and cuisine. Indeed, it soon became apparent that the only Italians in the establishment worked there and that no Italian was eating there. We might as well have been eating in New York or San Francisco. Ordinarily, since we live in the U.S., there is nothing wrong with that. However, we were in Florence, and though we also were tourists there, it seemed to us that better, more authentic ethnic or regional meals usually are found where “locals” also come to dine. Our impression proved accurate, as the dishes for the most part seemed tired and uninteresting, and not up to the quality level we had been enjoying, even in less formal restaurants. The Bistecca alla Fiorentina was particularly uninspired. The restaurant also seemed over-priced, considering its atmosphere and quality. We would not return.
Florence: Lunch at Tratorria Mario, Via Rosina, near the San Lorenzo market, Tel. 055 218550. This restaurant, like many we experienced, is mentioned in Carla Capalbo’s book, and her description (“a genuine Florentine gem”) was accurate. It is noisy, bustling, friendly with communal tables, and serves wonderful simple, rustic food. You may have to wait for a place at a table to open up. The daily menu, posted on the walls, is short and simple, and the dishes come quickly after you order from the always smiling and always moving waitresses. The few meat, vegetable, soup, and pasta dishes are very fresh and well prepared and inexpensive. We would return.
Florence: Dinner at Il Cibreo, Via A. Del Verrochio 8R, Tel. 055 2341100. A terrific meal. The evening’s menu was recited to us by a friendly woman who pulled up a chair. It was not a long menu and it consisted of a few choices for each course, all of which sounded great. When I could not decide between two enticing second course choices, she said not to worry, in essence: “choose this one and I’ll make sure you get a taste of that one.” Believe me, much more than a taste arrived later, alongside my choice. Xiaopei had a beautiful porcini first course, followed by one of their famous dishes: “calamari in inzimino,” a deeply colored, richly flavored, somewhat spicy and wholly delicious squid and greens stew. I loved my pigeon, accompanied on the side by the “other” dish, a beautiful piece of veal with a thick sauce from tuna! We enjoyed a very nice Isole e Olena Chianti Classico. The desserts also were terrific. We would return.
Bologna: Dinner at Tratorria (or Da) Tony, Via A. Righi, Tel. 051 232852. Another Emma Dalton selection. This is a tiny, casual, very friendly, virtually all “locals” place, with only a little English to be found. Of course, we ordered and enjoyed the regional specialties, tortellini in brodo and tagliatelle al ragu Bolognese. Such simple dishes, so well crafted. We also enjoyed other dishes, including one I did not know I had ordered but was glad I did – an amazing veal shank – and some lasagna verde, and everything was warm and delicious. Great olive oils, one with an amazing amount of red pepper, and a very old balsamic vinegar, appeared and were enjoyed. Another little gem. Thank you, Emma!
Bologna: Lunch or drinks at Il Calice, Via Clavature, 13/a, tel.: 051 264506. An old, little restaurant/bar that also came from Emma’s suggestions. It was fantastic for cappuccinos and later in the day for cocktails, with great pianini sandwiches and tapas galore. I am not a cappuccino expert, but these were simply wonderful, masterly and lovingly crafted. Good place to soak up local character, near a great walking area (near the two leaning towers).
Please let me know if you have questions! I am sure you guys will have a fabulous time!
Andrew
This is also our go-to hotel in Florence. It was a convent back in 1500. I think 9 or 10 rooms. This is where we met Frank Peters - the best English speaking guide in Florence. He has given us a number of incredible art history tours around Florence.
The original owner of Morandi was an ex-pat Brit. She was part of the group featured in the movie Tea with Mussolini and was actually in the movie. Not sure if her daughter still owns the hotel.
We are in our fourth night at Hotel Morandi and it is as Ted states. Comfortable and great location on a quiet street while within walking distance to many points of interest or bus transportation.
It turns out friends are related to the owners of Enoteca Pitti Gola and we had a fun evening there tonight with nice wine and great food.
Off to new adventures tomorrow morning.
Hi Andrew- this is a terrific report and worth bumping even if a bit dated.