TUSCANY IN FIVE COURSES
Where Antonio would enjoy…
A typical brunch Brac, a vegetarian café in Florence that doubles as a library, has a nice brunch menu with things such as apple fritters and yoghurt with fresh fruit, pancakes and French toast with jams or honeys, perfect with a midmorning coffee.
libreriabrac.net. A sweet snack and a coffee costs about à5 (R68).
Lunch In Monticchiello, a hamlet south of Pienza, where the famous pecorino cheese is made, Osteria La Porta does good, hearty local specialities such as pici (hand-rolled spaghetti) in duck sauce, and has a cellar of more than 250 Tuscan wines.
In Lucca, north of Pisa, on the Mediterranean side, Buca di Sant’Antonio is good for typical Lucchese dishes such as vegetable soup with spelt — and wonderful pasta, made fresh each day.
In Florence, Il Santo Bevitore, a few steps from Piazza Santo Spirito, has a lovely atmosphere and does traditional Tuscan dishes such as vegetable soups and risotto with cauliflower and quail. Close to Santo Spirito church, Trattoria La Casalinga is very good value and does all the dishes I’ve talked about: tripe alla Fiorentina, cabbage soup and baked wild mushrooms with polenta. Osteria La Porta, Monticchiello:
osterialaporta.it. Three courses à la carte about à35. Buca di Sant’Antonio, Lucca:
bucadisantantonio.com. Set menu, à22. Three courses à la carte, about à40. Il Santo Bevitore, Florence:
ilsantobevitore.com. Three
courses, à30. Trattoria La Casalinga, Florence
trattorialacasalinga.it. Three
courses, à25.
An aperitif At ’Ino, you can sit on a bar stool and order just a panino and a drink. Their panini are all made to order with Tuscan ham, cheeses and pâtés. I’d have mine spread with just butter and a slice of truffle, with a glass of spumante.
inofirenze.com. Panino and a glass of wine, about à10.
Dinner Both my suggestions are in Florence. The first is Ristorante dei Frescobaldi, a few steps away from Piazza Signoria, which serves typically Tuscan food and Frescobaldi wines in an elegant setting. Start with an assortment of local salamis or a crunchy panzanella [bread and tomato] salad, say, followed by asparagus risotto, then beef tartare dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and lemon, with a glass of Tenuta Frescobaldi di Castiglioni red.
At Osteria Personale, chef Nicolo Baretti reinterprets Tuscan fish dishes: grilled anchovies with mozzarella, tomato gazpacho and basil crumble, or sea bass tartare with ricotta, pine kernels, baby spinach and Modena balsamic vinegar. Ristorante dei Frescobaldi, Florence: deifrescobaldi.it/en. Three courses, about à40.
Osteria Personale, Florence:
io-osteriapersonale.it. Four-course tasting menu, à40. six-course tasting menu à55, three courses à la carte about à40.
Fine dining If you’re on the coast, drive 30km south from Livorno to Marina di Bibbona, where La Pineta is right on the beach. It looks like a beach shack but it has a Michelin star. The sea permeates Luciano Zazzeri’s fish dishes, served raw, or simply grilled or pan-fried. Try straccetti [strips of freshly made pasta] con le triglie [with red mullet], or cacciucco [Tuscan bouillabaisse].
In Florence, Enoteca Pinchiorri has three Michelin stars and offers a unique gastronomic experience. Its tasting menu is very fancy — black olives and seaweed madeleine, mozzarella water and soda cucumber, octopus, green beans and wasabi, and so on — but the signature dishes are things such as coniglio alla cacciatora [stewed rabbit with olives, tomato and mushrooms] and sautéed red mullet with candied tomatoes and aubergine.
La Pineta, Via dei Cavalleggeri Nord 27, Marina di Bibbona (no website). Three courses, à la carte about à65. Enoteca Pinchiorri, Florence:
enotecapinchiorri.it. Five-course tasting menu à200, nine-course tasting menu à250, 20-course tasting menu à275, three courses à
la carte à145 to à215, all without wine. — © The Daily Telegraph