Nishla

Thanks for the comments. There were six of us on the trip total (I think I listed the whole crew in my first post). It's taking a while to get through all my photos because there were so many things ordered at each meal!

I don't find Giovanni's in any guide altho Il Latini where I've eaten before, is in all. Is it new? Open in August? (that you know)2. How many more days will you be posting for and will you give us your top-bottom choices at the end? I'm loving this. John ← John, you'll find references in the thread you initiated: Nishla, thanks for the report, especially about O d' G which is unfamiliar! Sorry you missed the reference to a perfect spot next to Santa Croce (to the left of the basilica's incorporated belltower) in the guide to Florence above in this forum. Caveat emptor for next trip: those tour guides leading you to the "artisan's shops" all get commissions from the places they take you. ← Thanks for the info on Giovanni's. I had seen that note from Divina but couldn't remember where to find it. Our tour guide was quite professional, I thought. While at the shops, we were not encouraged to buy anything at all. In fact, none of us bought anything during the tour. If she was getting commissions, I certainly couldn't tell. John, I have ~3.5 more days of posts to put up...sorry it's taking so long! I have no idea which places would be open in August, but I think my favorite overall meal was at Cammillo. I'll try to rank the rest when I'm done

Day 5 So I'm back with some more photos. Work was a little crazy this week so I didn't have much time to post. Day 5 started with a walking tour of some artisans' shops around Florence. Our tour guide suggested Giovanni's for lunch. This is around the corner from Il Latini, run by one of the Latini brothers. Before we even ordered, they brought out some fried bread dough. So yummy. Some of us got first courses: Eggplant, goat cheese, warm marinated tomatoes, and flatbread: Spelt soup: Pappa al pomodoro: The service was quite nice...they brought out small dishes of soup for the people at the table who hadn't ordered a first course. Cute cheese dish: Picci with sausage, olives and broccoli rabe. The picci were like buccatini but not hollow. Braised rabbit with olives. Really good flavor but a bit too salty for me. Ravioli with porcini and truffles Spaghetti with tomatoes and basil: Squid ink pasta with clams. The clams were amazingly sweet and tender. When the meal was over, they brought out some vin santo and biscotti, and also sent us home with a few extra bags of biscotti. Yum.

Speck is similar to prosciutto, but it's smoked and I find it to be less salty and a bit more nutty in flavor. Yum. We've found it in at least one place in the Boston area, so you might be able to find it where you are. Unfortunately no recipe for the gnochetti, but I think the sauce was mainly tomato and ricotta, with some pork for extra flavor and maybe some cream. It would probably work with any spaetzle recipe or other fresh pasta. ← Again, thanks so much for posting this! Its so fun to read... your pasta photos look sooo delicious. I was in Florence last summer and noticed that your meal at Il Latini was almost identical to ours... they must not change their dishes much. I actually live in the Boston area, where have you found Speck here? (Formaggio?) Thanks. ← We've gotten speck at Russo's in Watertown (near Newton). They also have a very tasty finocchiona.

Day 4 In the morning, we toured some of the famous sites around Florence, including the statue of David and Santa Croce (where a number of famous Florentines are buried). After our tour we were pretty hungry and tired, so we just stopped in the first place we saw. My photos of lunch didn't come out too well, but it wasn't a particularly memorable meal compared to the rest, so that's okay For dinner, we went to Il Latini, which had been recommended to us by multiple sources. It turns out that our tour guide that morning used to work as a waiter there, so he made sure we got a reservation. The crowd outside was a zoo, as expected. It was actually pretty funny to see the mad rush for the door at 7:30, with everyone yelling "I've got a reservation!!!" Most people don't order off the menu...you just get what they bring to you, but they'll ask if you have preferences. There's a bottle of house wine on the table, which you are to partake of freely. The house wine, olive oil and bread: One additional note--we were a little worried because we had heard that this wasn't a particularly good place for vegetarians. However, Julia (sister-in-law) was fed quite well. In fact, there were only a few things on the table she couldn't eat, and they brought her extra servings of some of the non-meat dishes. To start, our waiter asked if we'd like some antipasti...um, yes please! First thing out was a plate of prosciutto per person: We also got some wonderful melon to go with the prosciutto: Tomato and mozzerella. The cheese was much more flavorful than the stuff I usually get in the US. Spelt salad with cucumber, onion, tomato. This was extremely tasty. Chicken liver crostini. Yeah, it looks like cat puke, but it was soooooo good. The bread had a generous pour of olive oil, and the chicken liver had a really good flavor. After the antipasti, our waiter says they typically have soup and/or pasta. Since we had a party of six, they just brought us two large servings of soup and two pastas (all vegetarian). Cheese ravioli. So simple but very good Ribollita. I think this was the best soup I tasted the entire trip, complete with baby zucchini, kale, cabbage, bread and more. I'm also not sure why it's considered soup, since you could eat it with a fork Tomato spelt soup. Sorry for the blurry photo, but this was really good too. Gnocchi with pesto. What can I say, I'm a sucker for gnocchi. I ate too many of these So after we polish off the soup and pastas, the waiter comes back to say the next course is meat. They had beef, chicken, pork, veal, lamb and rabbit. We couldn't decide so we got a mixed platter. Unfortunately, we didn't get lamb or rabbit, which were the two I really wanted to try. It's probably for the best because I think I would have passed out from eating too much. Platter o' meat: You can order individual meats...apparently Keith's dad saw someone with a T-bone steak that could have come from a dinosaur. Sides with the meat were baby zucchini, fried potatoes and spinach: After you're completely stuffed, they bring out a plate of biscotti and glasses of vin santo: And don't worry, they don't forget dessert either I managed a small taste of each one, and they were all very good. My favorite was the flan. Just when you finally think you're done, they bust out some moscato Scott somehow had room for a macchiato Overall, this meal was just ridiculous (in a good way). I think we were charged something like 40 or 45 Euros per person. Keith's dad summed it up pretty well..."I think that was the most amazing meal we've had so far...well...at least in terms of...amazing"

Thanks Wendy...I was quite inspired by your own Italy report last year! I remember seeing your photo of the small Florence buses. Our tour guide said because they run on electricity, they were too quiet and people were getting hit, so now they beep constantly.

Day 3, dinner Our tour driver for the day lives in Florence, and he gave us a few recommendations for dinner. He said his top pick would be Cammillo, so we went for it. I think it was one of my favorite meals of the entire trip. We could see into the kitchen from our table The wine list I started with pecorino and balsamic. The balsamic topping was bruleed and crunchy, and the cheese was soft, creamy and delicious underneath. Mmmmmmmmm Keith got the lardo with garlic toasts. Also incredibly good...doesn't hurt that it's made of fat Fresh peas with fresh fettuccini and butter. There must have been some sugar in the sauce too. I've never had anything like this, but it was very addictive...I wish I could have some right now Vegetable soup Arugula with parmesan and pine nuts Ricotta lasagne...so rich and creamy Fettuccini with mushrooms...really great flavor A side of fried zucchini flowers Tomato basil pasta Scott's steak...this was the "after" photo. I'd say this was the best steak I tasted the entire trip. Great char on the outside, perfectly medium rare inside. Keith and I lucked out because Scott didn't want the fatty edges And no, we're not ashamed to eat other people's scraps! Grilled veal chop with balsamic sauce and carmelized onions. This was very good, and I'm not even a huge fan of veal...it doesn't have as much flavor as real beef. Tripe. I LOVE tripe, and this was a great dish. Awesome flavor and soft, silky texture. Keith's mom even tried some, and was willing to have more than one piece! Finally, someone's cappuccino I finished off with some Amaro Montenegro, a slightly bitter, clovey, spicy digestif.

I totally agree about the pasta...I it in all forms. Even though the Florence area is known for meat, I couldn't stop craving pastas!

Ooh, I'm glad we happened to pick the best shop! We drank a lot of house wines at restaurants, so I can't really say we had a favorite. I do remember one very nice vermentino (from Antinori, I think) that was really good with light pastas and cream sauces. Also, on the last day we visited a winery in Chianti (Casa Emma), and we liked their wines quite a bit.

I've been to Gargoyles once, and really enjoyed it. The tasting menu was just composed of dishes from the regular menu, if I recall. I would say Clio has the best, most modern food in town, but it's also very expensive...definitely not an everyday place. However, if you are looking for things like barnacles, exotic fish, interesting vegetables, foams, gels, etc., this is the place to go. Green Street Grill in Central Sq also has a "daily offal" and a "daily cure" (for $3!!!!). Last time I went these were warm lamb's tongue salad and duck rillettes.

Day 3, afternoon San Gimignano was a really beautiful little town, and it's amazing what people could build back in the 13th century. In the town center, we found some great gelato (there was a sign claiming that they were in the 2006 gelato world championship). I think we managed to eat gelato about twice a day It was my first experience with the real thing, and now I know what the big deal is! Throughout San Gimignano, there were numerous stores selling wild boar products Also some cheeses We decided to try some wild boar prosciutto, wild boar finocchiona and a mild pecorino The prosciutto was really pungent and gamey, but good. The finocchiona had a great flavor. Scott (brother-in-law) took this photo...I guess the statue doesn't like the smell of wild boar

Day 3 On our third day, we had a day trip to Siena, Monteriggioni and San Gimignano. After spending the morning in Siena, our tour guide took us up to Monteriggioni, a medieval fortress, for lunch. We stopped in a small cafe with a nice patio. Started with bruschetta I had gnocchi with pesto. It smelled wonderful, but was insanely salty. Keith's veggie lasagne Sandwich with prosciutto and pecorino. The cheese was really really good. Puttanesca Tagliatelle with ragu, which was quite tasty After lunch, we continued on to San Gimignano, another medieval town with a lot of towers

Day 2 We spent most of our second day traveling from Pinzolo to Florence. First, a 2-3 hour drive which was slowed down due to a big Italian bike race, Giro d'Italia (sort of like the Tour de France of Italy?). We managed to run into the beginning of the last leg, and got to see all the cyclists and the accompanying motorcade. Here's a shot of some scenery from our pit stop: Then, a 3-4 hour train ride from Verona to Florence with only a snack on the way. By the time we got to the hotel, we just wanted an easy dinner, so we went to the closest restaurant we could find. We ended up at Trattoria Ponte Vecchio, which had been recommended by the travel agent. The place seemed a bit touristy, especially when the waiter immediately came over and encouraged us to order their "Tuscan meal". When we said we wanted to order off the menu, he seemed a bit perturbed. Hmmmm. However, despite the slightly odd reception, most of the pastas were quite delicious. Main courses were less exciting. Orchiette with arugula pesto. Very nice sauce, and good pasta. Ravioli with walnuts, asparagus and cream, which was tasty. Fettucini with pea sauce and smoked salmon. This had a really good pea flavor. I forget the name of these, but they were basically little bundles of pasta filled with pear and ricotta in a robiola and truffle sauce. The sweet pear was great with the cheese sauce. Fairly standard lasagne Cannelloni stuffed with spinach and ricotta. This was good, except the sauce had truffle oil for no apparent reason. Risotto with porcini (I think porcini were/are in season...they were on EVERY menu) Rabbit stuffed with spinach, olives and ground rabbit meat. This was a bit too salty, but the accompanying fried potatoes were good. Sea bream in tomato sauce with spinach. Again, just okay. After dinner, we took a walk across the Ponte Vecchio and grabbed our first gelato. I ordered pistachio, which was fine, and Keith got the stracciatella, which was a bit too frozen. I don't remember the name of this place, but it wasn't our favorite. That'll be coming up later

Speck is similar to prosciutto, but it's smoked and I find it to be less salty and a bit more nutty in flavor. Yum. We've found it in at least one place in the Boston area, so you might be able to find it where you are. Unfortunately no recipe for the gnochetti, but I think the sauce was mainly tomato and ricotta, with some pork for extra flavor and maybe some cream. It would probably work with any spaetzle recipe or other fresh pasta.

I returned a few days ago from my first trip to Italy, and will be posting about our trip here. We spent most of the time in and around Florence, with one day further North (Pinzolo). Thanks to eG, we had a number of great meals, and found some wonderful gelato. For the trip, our cast of characters was: me, my husband Keith, his parents, his brother and his sister. Keith's mom did pretty much all the planning of our tour schedule, including some very nice day-trips, but none of our evening meals were pre-planned. Day 1 To start off, we spent one night in Pinzolo, a small ski resort town in the Dolomites (Keith's great-aunt lives nearby). The town is also known for it's knife sharpeners, many of whom emigrated to America. There's even a knife sharpener monument The region seems to have a fairly strong German influence--many signs are in Italian, German and English. For dinner, we went to a local restaurant/pizzeria: Tortelli stuffed with chicory, topped with speck ham and butter sauce. This was amazingly good. By the way, this region of Italy is also known for its speck, which I like better than proscuitto. Vegetable soup: More veggies: Gnochetti with tomato, ricotta and some pork product (either bacon or speck). The gnochetti were essentially spaetzle, and very tasty: There was also a lot of polenta on the menu. We had some with braised venison and one topped with cheese and porcini mushrooms. The polenta was made in a firm rather than creamy style, and both dishes were quite good. Pizza with ricotta and speck ham. Mmmmmmmmmm. Finally, for dessert, some almond cake we picked up earlier at a bakery. Keith's father had childhood memories of this dry, crumbly cake, which was very tasty: Up next...Florence!!!

LMF, given how much you post about cocktails, my first suggestion would be Eastern Standard in Kenmore Sq (not super far from the end of Newbury St). It's casual, good food and great drinks. We almost always eat at the bar Also near Newbury St (on Boylston St near the park) Parish Cafe has very good sandwiches, decent beer list, but not good mixed drinks. Near the waterfront, Sel de la Terre has been solid on several occasions. Hope you have a great time!

I must say, I'm quite pleased with the response to my contribution The risotto tasted pretty good, and there's a plated version in the Dinner thread which is slightly less scary. The squid ink has little or no flavor, but the squid itself was incredibly fresh and tasty. It did look pretty horrifying while cooking, though!

Chufi, the lamb spring rolls were deep fried, but I've shallow-fried them before with reasonable success. Ann T, the prawns look amazing, and my husband is totally drooling over the rib roast! Last weekend, I was the lucky recipient of several food items. First, my cousin came over with fresh asparagus and mint from his garden. Then, my best friend showed up at my door with ~20 pounds of insanely fresh squid (her coworker went squid fishing). Yikes! Asparagus mint soup with pancetta: Squid ink risotto with some of the bodies. This was the least horrifying photo...the worst one is in the anti-dinner thread Casserole with squid bodies, peas, toasted pine nuts and tomatoes. Topped with panko crumbs and baked. We just threw this together because we were so overwhelmed by the amount of squid! Fried. Lightly dredged in flour seasoned with salt and chili powder. This completely destroyed the oil in our deep fryer, but were quite tasty: Finally, I was inspired by the Sara Lee banana cake thread, and made a version of Wendy's cake, topped with kahlua whipped cream and a layer of banana in the middle:

This squid ink risotto was strangely reminiscent of earthworms crawling in mud...

And a few more dishes from the last couple weeks... Lamb spring rolls. We used the thin-sliced frozen lamb from the Asian market tossed with sesame oil, soy sauce and chili garlic sauce, and some marinated cabbage. On another night, we made more with shredded cucumber instead of cabbage. Yum! Baby mustard greens sauteed with garlic and black beans Spaghetti with bacon, tuna, peas, onions and tomatoes, finished with a bit of cream: Cauliflower soup (chicken broth, water, cream, nutmeg) topped with bacon, carmelized onions, garlic and scallions: Toasts with wild smoked salmon, cucumber and goat cheese foam.

I've been insanely busy at work, so I think it's been several weeks since I last posted Everyone's amazing dinners have been providing great inspiration whenever I've been able to cook! A few weeks ago we had nice weather on the weekend, so we grilled for the first time this year: Shrimp with salt, pepper, olive oil and tons of garlic: Grilled chicken (marinated with lemongrass, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, and some other stuff I can't remember) and eggplant (just salt, pepper and oil): Spare ribs (3 hours in a low oven, then finished on the grill for 30 minutes): (leftovers with bbq sauce and mashed potatoes with peas) We had leftover spice rub from the ribs, so I marinated some extra chicken thighs with it. The next day, just threw it in the oven topped with some chopped fresh tomatoes....so easy and really tasty:

The tasting menu doesn't have a fixed price...you can specify what you'd like when you call for a reservation. If I remember correctly, our meal was $85-95 per person. Unless I were going to request something special, I'd probably just order from the regular menu on future visits. However, for the first time, it was a great way to sample many different things, and we certainly weren't disappointed.

Oh, that sounds really, really good. ← Yeah, it does! I was wondering whether you'd consider that a fusion dish, Nishla. ← Thanks for the compliments! I think a lot of what I cook could be considered "fusion", and this would probably fall right into that category. I usually don't care if something is authentic; it just has to taste good! By the way, next time I make this, I'll definitely make some slits on the sides of the fish so the flavors get into the flesh...the skin acted to seal the flavors out, and the meat was somewhat bland if eaten on its own.

Major compliments to EVERYONE on a ton of awesome looking dinners! LMF, I'm so jealous of those oysters...kumomotos are my absolute favorite I've got a bunch of catching up to do... Broccoli cheese soup: Creamy pasta with bacon and strips of celery root: Whole striped bass en papillote, with ginger, garlic, lemon grass, thai basil, serrano chilis, red bell pepper, scallion, soy, lime and bourbon: Steamed pork spareribs with black bean and garlic, plated with some brown rice and baby chinese cabbage:

Blissful Glutton, that looks amazing! Meredithla, the soup bowls are from the Villeroy & Boch new wave collection. We had them on our wedding registry last year. Here are a few dinners from last week: We had leftover risotto so we made risotto cakes, stuffed with mushroom, ramps and bacon. The sauce is extra stuffing mixed with some tomatoes: Mustard greens cooked with chick peas, kidney beans and indian spices (cumin, tumeric, ginger, garlic, mustard seeds and cardamom), served with some yogurt on the side: Chinese celery with five spice tofu: Orchiette with spicy sausage, zucchini and tomato: