Jeremy's Website :: My Blog

Found 5 blog posts with tag: Florence

Trattoria Il Contadino

Where? Trattoria Il Contadino (Florence, Italy) Map

When? Friday April 7, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian

After day tripping around the Tuscan country side, I'm back in Florence for my last night. I'm at a restaurant near the train station at a recommendation of a friend, and despite it being in a touristy area, it's filled with locals. The front menu is Italian but the back is in English. I've gone for the fixed price menu, which has two plates and a side dish, and a drink for €14.50

First Plate

Roast Pork
The roast pork arrives. It's...um. Not what I expected. The meat is okay and the gravy is a bit watered down..and I'm not sure what else to say because there is nothing else on the plate. I'm very confused.

Second Plate

Roast Rabbit and Side Salad
My roast rabbit and side salad arrive next. They are also very literally what I got. However the rabbit is much more tasty, and the meat is falling off the bone beautifully on the drumstick. It's not as gamey as I thought it would be. Other parts of the rabbit are a bit tough and dry though.

I'm leaning towards a no for this one. The other tables seem to have amazing looking platters with side vegetables and garnish and I don't know what I've done wrong.

Posted by Jeremy at 10:00pm on Friday April 28, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

Ristorante Vivo

Where? Ristorante Vivo (Florence, Italy) Map Menu

When? Thursday April 6, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian Seafood

I saw this recommended by a local so I thought I'd give it a go. It's not too far out of the city centre, very close to the library in fact, but what's encouraging is the menu is all in Italian. It doesn't have the cosy family vibe that I Riffaioli had but that's okay. It's more modern and upbeat, and they're currently playing a lounge cover of "All About That Bass". The very helpful waitress has translated everything for me and I've gone for the mix raw seafood platter with the bavette gamberi e zucchine, which is similar to tagliatelle and with shrimp and zucchini. I also have a single glass of white wine, as opposed to a carafe. Things are looking good. I arrived right on opening time and the restaurant was empty, but 30 mins later, it's starting to fill up.

Antipasto

Mix Crudo - Platter of raw seafood with oysters, clams, mussels,
sea urchin and sea snails
The seafood platter arrives and it looks SO GOOD that I don't have time to write about everything. The oysters and shellfish are sweet and fresh, the mussels...are okay but will never beat the green lipped species from New Zealand. The sea snails are my favourite on the plate. A little smudge of the spicy mayo and a sprinkle of lemon juice and they're so tasty. The prawns I am happily sucking the roe out of the heads and eating the flesh and licking my fingers (and then typing on my phone). Wow. I'm impressed.

While waiting for mains, I peer into the kitchen just behind me. I love watching chefs in action, running a restaurant is no easy task and they make it look so coordinated and disciplined. The dishes being brought out look amazing and I'm looking forward to mine. The waitress catches my eye and apologises for the wait but I tell her I'm happy watching everything. She says that the fisherman and restaurant operate under the same umbrella and I say it definitely shows in how fresh the produce is.

Primo Piatto

Bavette Gamberi e Zucchine
The mains arrive. I can smell the shrimp and onion, but there isn't a lot of zucchini. It tastes great though, and I'm willing to forgive the strands of shrimp antennae strewn through the pasta. I'm glad I'm in the corner of the restaurant where no can watch me barbarically tear these shrimp apart with my fingers and then suck the roe out of heads.

I want dessert. There a lot of choice. Do I go for the Tuscan almond biscuit with wine or the Italian icons tiramisu and panna cotta?

Dessert

Dolci del Giorno - berry cheesecake
I've decided to go with the berry cheesecake, just to see how the Italians do it. They do it damn well. The cheesecake is soft and smooth, with lots of berries adorning the top, adding that lovely tartness to balancing the sweet vanilla filling.

That was an amazing meal. I'm smiling from ear to ear and I instruct the waitress to pass my compliments to the chef; for some reason she is impressed with my terrible command of the Italian language when I magic up two words to sum my experience: molto bene!

Posted by Jeremy at 9:56pm on Friday April 28, 2017 :: 0 comments ::

I'Tuscani 2

Where? I'Tuscani 2 (Florence, Italy) Map Menu

When? Wednesday April 5, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian Steakhouse

I'm trying my luck with steak again. This place is also highly rated but it's well hidden down a narrow alley and the door is so unassuming it doesn't even look like a restaurant, so hopefully it's good. The waiter tells me the T-bone platter is available for one person, so I order it. Unfortunately it also comes with 500mL of red wine. I swear I will not be finishing this so I can avoid another disaster. The waiter also informs me that all the cutlery is not plastic, but composted and made from cellulose produced from the organic waste in leftovers. Nice!

Appetizer

Capocollo with croutons
I get a free appetiser. Similar to prosciutto but from a different part of the animal, it's quite salty yet balances well with the salad. I can feel the wine already. This is not a good sign. Thankfully the lighting is dim so people can't see my skin tone.

Secondo Piatto

Scelta tra Filetto o Bistecca - Beef steak with potatoes and grilled vegetables
A massive plate of meat and vegetables arrives. It looks and smells damn good and and I dive in with my composted fork and a metallic steak knife. I hit the fat and it won't cut further. I try and try again and in the end I can feel my fingers getting numb from working the knife and fork. I ask a waitress if they can cut it up for me because this is just too difficult, and not just because of the wine. The plate arrives back for my second attempt. I think they've just cooked it a bit more than the medium rare I asked for, but we're good. This steak has flavour. It's got a wonderful smokiness to it and the meat is tasty. The grilled vegetables are perfect with a bit of olive oil drizzled on them.

I'm struggling to finish but I make it to the end, with only the bone, potatoes, bread and lettuce remaining. I'm totally stuffed and the waitress congratulates me on a job well done. The tables around me (all Asian) have smartly opted to share their platter. I'm exhausted. I politely decline dessert. That was a mega meal and finally the steak that I've been looking for without being ridiculously expensive. I'm struggling to breathe, that's how full I am. I'm going to finish my glass of wine (there's still half left in the bottle) and then stumble back home.

Posted by Jeremy at 9:41pm on Friday April 28, 2017 :: 1 comment ::

La Cantinetta

Where? La Cantinetta (Florence, Italy) Map

When? Tuesday April 4, 2017

Who? Me

Food Style? Italian

I'm dying for a Florentine steak. However today I learned that the famous bistecca alla florentine is a massive 1kg T-bone designed to be shared. What a bombshell. I need to find a steak place that doesn't serve only bistecca alla florentine, so TripAdvisor has recommended this place right next to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore, which is an indication it's probably going to be pricey and touristy. Oh well. I'm desperate. Their menu of the day has chicken liver pâté on crostini for entree and a steak for mains, so it's a done deal.