Tuscan Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[Marco_Polo]

In about 3 weeks I'm leaving for a bike trip to the Tuscan Coast. It's with Vermont Bike Tours, so most of the dinners are included in the trip, but we'll have a few nights on our own.

Hey Bushey,

Bike tour sounds great - cycling, food and wine are my main passions too. Have fun.

You said you'll be on the Tuscan seaboard. If I can offer just one suggestion for a place absolutely not to be missed: the little wine town of Bolgheri. This of course is home to some of the most famous new wave wine estates in the country, source of such incredible wines as Sassicaia, Ornellaia, Guado al Tasso and others. Outrageously expensive wines that you'd probably think twice about ordering in a restaurant. No matter. Cycle down the gorgeous cypress-lined lane to Bolgheri and settle in to the simple Bar-Alimentari Tognoni. Sprawl out at an outdoor table and order a platter of salumi, formaggi, crostini, pane as you might in any such bar in this part of the country. The difference here is that the local 'house' wines are those same great wines of Bolgheri that the world beats a path to: so that means you can sample the likes of Sassicaia and Ornellaia and Masseto by the cyrstal goblet - or bottle - and at reasonable cost. To me, this is the height of luxury and satisfaction: to arrive by my own power - on the best means of transport in the world, the bicycle - and to sample some of the greatest wines on earth informally and with the simple foods of the land in which they are produced.

The address (but you won't need it - just cycle into town and its near the entrance):

Bar-Alimentari Tognoni

via Giulia 2

57022 Bolgeheri

Bolgheri, in additon to wine, is famous for the Carducci poem that virtually every Italian schoolboy and girl knows by heart. San Guido, of course, refers to the Tenuta San Guido, home to the Marchese Incisa della Rocchetta, producer of Sassicaia, which subsequently has brought equal fame to Bolgheri.

Davanti San Guido

I cipressi che a Bólgheri alti e schietti

Van da San Guido in duplice filar,

Quasi in corsa giganti giovinetti

Mi balzarono incontro e mi guardar...

[bushey]

Divina, thanks for the suggestions -- I wish I could stay in Florence longer to do a market trip/cooking class with you. Do you know the name of the Antinori property? I have a soft spot for Antinori, since one of the first Italian wines I fell in love with was the Antinori Chianti Classico Reserva.

The itinerary for the trip does not mention dinner at the hotel, but suggests "dinner on your own in one of the lovely seaside restaurants". But we'll definitely check out the restaurants on-site and report back.

Marco, Bolgheri is on the route for one of the days in that area and I've been looking forward to sampling some of the Super Tuscans. Thanks for the tip on house wines -- though I'm sure that after sampling several I'll be calling for the support van back to the hotel. It's my fate to adore wine and be a 5' 2" lightweight who personifies the concept of "cheap date" .

[menton1]

One of the most fun restaurants in Florence is Acqua al Due. Frequented mostly by locals, this restaurant features "sample plates" with portions of 5 or 6 different items on the plate. They have a sample plate for all courses: Primi, Secondi, Salad, Cheese and Dessert. A blast of a time is to be had-- do not miss this place!! Acqua al 2 Website

Acqua al 2

Via della Vigna Vecchia, 40

Firenze

055 28 41 70

[PCL]

If you're a cyclist, you might want to check out Pietrasanta and Forte dei Marmi, on the coast. Birthplaces and hometowns of many notable cyclists... Cipolini, etc...

good food too... Lorenzo in FdM is very good, as are Madeo and Bistrot.

[bushey]

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions. The trip was magical, fantastico, 'squisito!

Marco_Polo: one of our guides was named Marco, and I took to calling him Marco Polo. Funny, because I had printed out your suggestions for Bolgheri and the poem, but I had completely forgotten what your "handle" was. On one day, we part of the Valle di Cipressi from the Strada del Vino into Bolgheri. The next day, we rode the rest of the length of the Valle, from the obelisk devoted to Carducci to the turn for the Strada. I actually had chills down my spine looking up at the majestic Cypress trees. We had lunch at L'Acqualino Bocca in Bolgheri, sampling their ribollita. They served Ornellaia olive oil, which was outrageously good, but it was their last bottle -- or so they claimed :~(. I bought a few bottles of wine at Enoteca de Rossana: Le Serre Nuove, a 2nd label of Ornellaia, Paleo, a super tuscan that's 100% cabernet franc, and Le Difesse, a 2nd label of Tenuta San Guido.

Florence was a bit smaller than I expected, not as beautiful, and full of tourists. Both hotels we stayed in, Una Hotel Vittoria and Adler Cavalieri, were very comfortable and gracious, though completely different from one another. We ate dinner in two small trattoria: Cammillo and 4 Leoni. Both were quite good, though I give 4 Leoni the edge. The pasta dishes were to die for: gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce at Cammillo and the fiochetti with pears and taleggio at 4 Leoni.

Grand Hotel Tombolo, in Marina de Castigneto, was a lovely property and is owned by the Antinori family. The private beach is gorgeous and the amenities quite luxurious. The other properties where we stayed were agriturismo, and each had its own charm (and wine!).

I would definitely return to this area of Italy, and perhaps explore a little further south to Grosseto and Massa Marittima. In the meantime, I'm dreaming of Cypress trees, the smell of Scotch Broom and you cycle by, and the little handmade signs saying "Vendita Olio e Vino".

[Carlsbad]

Why is it that pasta in Italy is so much better than anywhere else?

[John Talbott]

The Osteria del Borro, 52, San Giustino, in Borro near Arezzo (AR), 055.977115, is located in a lovely old inn down the hill from a huge horse farm/estate/villa/hotel and across from the Medieval village connected to the resto by a small road that leads up an inclined and very high stone bridge. In between was a steep ravine lined with blossoming almond trees in full bloom – all pink - the 2nd of March! We started with tortellini with wild boar and morels and chestnuts as well as an incredible tagliatelle of rabbit. Colette then had a bronzino crusted with similarly finely madeleined zucchini and potato (mini shoestring) strips and saffron sauce and I had a guinea fowl with onions and uncrisp gratinated potatoes with thyme and rosemary. The dessert was a “surprise” – a block of intense dark chocolate with warm diced pears. While I thought everything was over-salted; Colette thought the salt level was perfect. The coffee was the best we’d had this trip; the bill, a very reasonable 73 €. And to repeat - the setting was just perfect. After lunch, we walked around the tiny streets – it is clearly ready for the onslaught of tourists later this spring; lots of tiny shops ready to sell hand made baskets, chairs, glass, pottery etc., etc. If you are in the neighborhood (9K off the autoroute, west of Arrezo), go!