Eating in Florence Today

View at dusk towards the Ponte Vecchio in Florence

The following blog is a description of places to eat and drink for friends while they are in Florence. I used to live there in the late 70s and early 80s. I always find it a pleasure to return occasionally now, but I have no illusions about how hard it was to live there years ago even if I was younger and dumber.

Dear Friends,

Below are some addresses to eat and drink in Florence, with comments, as I promised. Well, hopefully this is a bit of a guide to a place which is overwhelming by its beauty but is loaded with pitfalls. Remember, Dante, the greatest writer of Heaven and Hell and everything in between, was of there, and even as an exile, never got over the place. So, I hope you find some pleasure in these recommendations of mine, but don’t forget: Lasciate ogni speranza / voi ch’entrate ("Give up all hope / you who enter here").

Restaurants:

Trattoria Mario (S. Lorenzo)

Via Rosina 2r

http://trattoria-mario.com/docs/history.html

Mario's is the most authentic place to eat in Florence. It is a little trattoria by the market in the San Lorenzo section, near the Medici tombs (the Michelangelos here are a must see especially in relation to Wolfsohn’s Orpheus). I actually knew Mario, a big red faced, loveable bruiser who always seemed to be yelling in a deep, loud voice—I was scared of this guy especially if I didn't order quickly enough—who passed away in 1978 from a heart attack, and the trattoria has been run ever since by his widow, son, and son’s wife. It looks now that there is the next generation involved in working in the place, and they seem to be doing a great job (good website). I began to go there with medical students from the Università di Firenze in the 70s.

Although Mario's is my favorite place to eat in Florence, it can be chaotic and noisy, because vendors from the market still go there after closing their stalls along with students and assorted other Florentine characters. It is the only place I would say to order the famous bistecca fiorentina, grilled Florentine steak, which comes from the special Chianina beef of Tuscany in the Maremma. They must have good connections to find this special beef, but even at Mario’s, it is expensive. And they will only serve it to you rare; it is one of those kind of places.

Other great things to order are, to start with, the zuppa di pane et verdure, which is a bread and green leaf vegetable soup in a chicken broth. The pasta there is nothing special as is true in most of Florence. Florence is a bean eating place, not specialized into eating pasta or bread as much as other places in Italy. They do not use salt in the traditional Florentine bread, and Dante has several famous lines in his Commedia where he whines about how salty the bread is outside of Tuscany. So, also order the ribollita, a thick white bean soup made with leftover bread and fresh vegetables.

For the second course, I would recommend the arista, which is the traditional Florentine roast pork. However, my favorite second plate at Mario’s is bollito misto, boiled beef tongue. I think it is the best you will find anywhere primarily due to its simplicity and the spiced boullion it is cooked in. It comes with a special green sauce made from parsely, olive oil, and garlic. Order the boiled potatoes to eat with it. This dish is really delicious if you can get over the visuals—a big tongue on your plate, steaming and slathered in a green sauce. The first time it was ordered for me, I couldn't get over it.

For dessert one of the most unique things you can order is a plate of biscotti da Prato con Morellino, which is hard almond cookies originally created in Prato, with a small glass of sweet, dark Monte Morellino wine. You eat the cookies by dunking them in the wine, which unhardens the cookie so you don’t break your teeth. When you have used up all your cookies, you then down the remaining wine with all the floating cookie crumbs.

Now, Mario's is only open for lunch, and they only take cash. And they do not take reservations, just give a name and how many if there are no more seats, and then you eat at communal tables. Often the menu is just recited. If you don’t understand what the waiter is saying, just ask him to bring you what is special and enjoy what turns up. It could become your favorite place to eat due to quality, local color, authentic taste, and cost. Writing this, I remember how much I still love it.

View at sunset towards the Ponte Vecchio in Florence

Others:

Osteria Il Gatto e La Volpe

Via Ghibellina 151/r (S. Croce)

Tel. 055 28 92 64

I find that this is the best pizzaria in Florence, and it is close to the Bargello and is centrally located. They also serve other dishes besides pizza, which are inexpensive and good.

Angiolino

Via Santo Spirito 36/r (San Frediano)

Tel. 055 23 98 976, closed on Sunday and Monday

Traditional Tuscan and favorite place of a reclusive American writer and translator friend of mine, inexpensive, and recently redone. My friend was one of the student characters painted in the 60s on a wall mural now covered over when the restaurant was recently redone. The restaurant is on the other side of the Arno from the Palazzo Vecchio walking towards the Piazzale Micheangelo. Their tomato sauce and house chianti are very good.

Acqua al 2

Via dell'Acqua 2 (Santa Croce)

Tel. 055 28 41 70, closed on Monday

Mainly pasta and salads, moderate, no reservations, founded in the 70s. They have satellite restaurants in San Diego and Washington. It can be a bit touristy, but they have the best pasta in Florence. They are known for a five course pasta tasting menu. Acqua al 2 created the vodka gorgonzolla sauce served over penne.

Ottorino

Via delle Oche 12-16/r (Duomo)

Tel. 055 21 87 47, closed on Sunday

Classic Italian food, between 30 to 40 euros per person, but their fried zucchini is the best I have ever had. Their white and green pasta with cream, ham, and peas for a starter is also divine (paglia e fieno con piselli), but they did not have it on the menu when I was there a few years ago. Ottorino is located right in the centre of Florence between the Duomo and the Palazzo Vecchio. It was founded by a chef and a couple of waiters from the very fancy and expensive Sabatini. This used to be my favorite restaurant in Florence, but it was sold, moved over a block from its original site, has changed from what it was at its old location, and for my tast became more expensive and touristy.

Sabatini

Via Panzani 9/a (S. Maria Novella)

Tel. 055 21 15 59, closed on Monday

Once the number one restaurant in Florence, classic Italian food; I ate there once. Give me the boiled tongue of Mario’s any day.

I 13 Gobbi

Via del Porcellana 9 (Ognissanti)

Tel. 055 29 87 69, closed on Sunday and Monday

Tuscan and classic Italian food, where I used to eat, but I remember nothing of the food, just eating there with pretentious writers / artists who were always trying to screw my girlfriend and insult me as an American. I know, what a shock.

Here is a URL of a list of other restaurants in Florence: http://www.arcetri.astro.it/Common/Restaurants.html

A Note on Tuscan Wine:

You are in Chianti country. The most famous Chianti is the gallo nero consortium of wines (black rooster) with that chicken on the label. They are no longer the best with the advent of breakaway vineyards and specialty wines, but they have a consistency and taste, which will not disappoint. But if you come across the Chianti Putti, order that instead. It is cheaper and not as well known, but just as good.

Plus do not scorn the local whites. They can be very good as they have improved in quality over the last 40 years and are not often exported. A half carafe to start is good. And the carafes of wine you can order in restaurants are good, but the wine you will be served is fresh and sour compared to French or California wines. These wines are made to go with the food, which of course is Tuscan.

There are still some open air wine stands where you belly up on the street and have a small glass of wine and can even get a paninni (small sandwich). These are good, cheap, and you get a taste of real local flavor.

Bars:

Giubbe Rosse

Piazza delle Repubblica

http://www.giubberosse.it/

When staying in an Italian city, you have to have a designated coffee bar. This is the place to get wired on java for all day, and a great place to sit and watch people as you experience the very Italian dolce far niente and feel a bit Italian. In the morning they have great pastries (called paste), which you eat with coffee for your breakfast at the bar. Do not sit down in the morning, or it will cost you two or three times as much. They also have a restaurant, but I wouldn’t eat there unless you want to eat what northern, blonde europeans think it is real Tuscan or Italian food (usually frozen stuff from Eastern Europe). With restaurants in Italy, you know you could be in trouble if a tourist menu is advertized or there are stuffed pheasants in the window instead of customers (not stuffed of course)!

Harry's Bar

Lungarno Vespucci 22/r (Ognissanti)

Tel. 055 23 96 700, closed on Sunday

Don’t eat here, or maybe I should say, « Most of us cannot afford to eat here », but it is a great place to have a drink and see international celebrities and other assorted beautiful people and artistic eurotrash. Yet, you will probably see the same people cruising in the Piazza delle Repubblica in the late morning or early evening. A drink here is a one time experience for perverse fun not to be repeated.

My old favorite, La Borsa, where I had my first Campari and soda (well my first six one hot June afternoon), seems to no longer be open.

Gelatti / Ice Cream:

Vivoli (Santa Croce)

Via dell'Isola delle Stinche 7

The best in Florence, which is found right off of Via Ghibellina, a street that runs parallel to the square of Santa Croce. I have never had better gelatti in my life.

A Bakery:

On the Via de' Cerchi, just off the Via del Corso (I used to live at 15 Via del Corso), between the Piazza Signoria and the Duomo, there is a superb Tuscan bakery. In the morning their pastries are great, especially the buddini, which are vanilla pudding filled little pastry cups of perdition. I don’t remember the place’s name, but what they also have is fresh pizza by the slice, served at about 10 am. There are lines going out the door; tourists do not usually know about this place, and what is special about their pizza is the dough they use. Their plain tomato and cheese pizza slices are the best and simplest. The aroma of the pizza in the street can drive one mad with hunger even if one is not hungry.

Enjoy!

P.S. Shopping: I could go on and on here, but the best buys are linens (half the cost of what you find in France), which can be found in a store just off the Piazza Signoria. If you face the Loggia dei Lanzi in the square, it is to the right, down on the Via Vacchereccia on the left hand side of the street. Leather goods are also great to get there, and the prices in the different stalls are all about the same, so don’t waste too much time comparing and bargaining. The best place for leather bound diaries and agendas with cool writing materials is near the Trattoria Mario on Via De Ginori 28 - 30 called Abacus. They are an artisinal bookbinding shop and cater to the minor Florentine aristocracy and the professorial elite at the Université di Firenze nearby. Another great place for this is near the Porto San Nicolo, but I don’t think I could find it anymore if it is still there. The great, scholarly bookstore of Florence is Salimbeni (Via Matteo Palmieri 14/16r), but only good to go to if you are a real Italianista or love the smell of books on shelves not made to sell quickly.

© 2010 J. Livernois

The "Blonde" of Aquitaine

Michel serving the "Blonde" of Aquitaine

A couple of weekends ago, I had to be in the Bordeaux region, more precisely in the area known as Entre-Deux-Mers, which is not between two seas (its literal translation) but is a pennisula of land created by two rivers, the Gironde and Dordogne, which come together before entering the Atlantic just north of the city of Bordeaux. In the wine world, the area is primarily known for its dry white wines made mostly of sauvignon blanc, which were especially popular in the States in the late 70s and early 80s before California whites, especially its chardonnays, began to dominate due to quality, price, and oak (or what one wine nut I used to know called the Louisville Slugger in the head).

In this area in the small town of Targon, I have a truck driver friend, Michel, who has one of the best wine pallettes I have ever come across, bettered only by the legendary, now retired, Paul Provost, of Yankee Spirits and Table & Vine fame, and the late Willimantic, Connecticut poet Alex Smith. Whenever I show up, Michel breaks into his good collection of little known but excellent red Bordeauxs from around Entre-Deux-Mers aged anywhere from 10 to 20 years.

He then puts me to the test of tasting and comparing several different bottles and years (I usually fail most of his questions with semi-educated guesses much to his delight) usually over a dinner of between five and seven hours with anywhere from five to twelve courses usually with a large screen television looming over the table showing news or the latest race car results. Michel is a race car fanatic; driving cars fast is the second most popular « sport » in France. It is important, though, to understand that in Bordeaux, even more than other parts of France, they take not only wine really seriously but also food. For example, they have food lotteries where you can win, say, a side of beef or several cured hams or a whole collection of foodstuffs in baskets instead of money. They don’t usually do this for a charity or to feed the hungry, but as amusement like Americans at work will have a Super Bowl lottery. And the only canned goods you might get if you win one of these lotteries are duck or goose confit or cassoulet (the foie gras you might win is always fresh not canned).

Of course, besides testing me on wines, Michel almost always tries to find some local food I might not have tried or known about. He realized he could do this when in my first marathon meal with him, he was surprised that I had never had the special « Blonde » beef of Aquitaine, which is an ancient breed of beef cattle particular to that region of the Garonne river valley, similar in uniqueness and traditional use as a draft animal to the Chianina beef of Tuscany. On this occasion large slabs of beef (enough for 16 people and we were 8) were grilled outside on vine cuttings with just salt and pepper and tyme, and cooked not just rare but blue or essentially raw. Served with it were meaty, sauteed cépes mushrooms. I am not a great fan of raw meat. I am a medium rare guy or will sometimes even take an end cut of roast beef, which I guess puts me in France as a borderline gourmet barbarian. But the « Blonde » beef is special because grilled, with a resulting cooked crust on the outside, the raw inside of the meat melted in your mouth like butter. And the left-over was still good to eat the next day cold for lunch, of course, with a good local red.

M-P and Michel about to have seconds of the "Blonde" of Aquitaine

© 2010 J. Livernois