Osteria IO Personale - Firenze

It is with quite high expectations that we went to this lovely little restaurant discovered by V (yes, it is all to her credit this time) on a lovely October night in Firenze. The restaurant is in the area of Borgo San Frediano, in our favourite Oltrarno part of town. Here you are not overwhelmed by the crazy amount of tourists invading the city on the other side of the river and you can really enjoy a true Florentine experience. But don't expect to find traditional Florentine cuisine here...this is something different and we will discover it soon.

The restaurant is quite small, so it is definitely better to book in advance. We will discover during the evening that the chef is a young talented 24 years old "kid" who already has a experience in a very important restaurant in San Sebastian, Martin Berasategui. The atmosphere is quite modern and very elegant, you can have a quick peek on their website here. 

After we were seated we received the menu and a lovely white wine as aperitivo (Bianco di Custoza, I dont remember the details only that was mainly made with Garganega grapes) to accompany a little snack of mini-mini "muffins" with olives. The first big surprise came from the menu. Forget the usual concept of primo, antipasto or secondo, here the menu is divided into "IL PESCE" (the fish), "LA CARNE" (the meat), "LE VERDURE" (the vegetables) with a proposal of cheese and dessert. And another huge surprise, especially for a restaurant in Tuscany: THERE IS NO PASTA!

Ok, now that you have recovered from the shock I can keep going with the rest of the night.

Considering we were very curious about the proposal we decided to go for a tasting menu with 4 different dishes.  We picked two from the meat section and one from the vegetables also to keep a bit of consistency with our wine pairing.  Touching quickly on the wine list, it is small but with some interesting proposals of very small producers. Forget the big names, here there are interesting things to discover. Our pick was a Bolgheri Rosso Poderi Ritorti 2008 from Azienda Agricola I Luoghi, a really nice and smooth wine, not too powerful as some of the wines of this area tend to be, but rather really elegant.

But now let's go to our meal, we had:

• Tartare di Manzo con Gelato di Sedanorapa e Vinaigrette di Alici (beef tartare with kohlrabi ice cream and anchovy vinaigrette). Amazing the quality of the meat, interesting and really well done the combination with the ice cream of kohlrabi. Fantastico! 
• Gnudi di Ricotta e Pecorino con Crema di Melanzana Pomodoro Confit e Pesto (sort of gnocchi made from ricotta and pecorino in an aubergine cream, tomatoes confit and pesto). Very delicate plate, the gnudi are tender and they pair very well with the cream. Really nice but probably the plate that impressed me less. 
• La Cinta Senese. Three little taste of different part of this special black pig that is living only in Tuscany. A zucchini cream with a crumble of salsiccia from cinta senese, a little hamburger with porchetta of cinta senese and to finish the salami of cinta senese. The hamburger and the crumble of salsiccia were to die for, absolutely loved the strong flavours of this dish and it went soooooo well with the wine.....LOVELY!!!
• Dolce: for me Tiramisu' Personale and for V Souffle' al Cioccolato and extra virgin olive oil with a basil gelato and tomato confit. What to say, an amazing end of a really good dinner. Tiramisu' exceptionally light and in a version I had never see before, the souffle' one of the best desserts I have had in a long time. The combination of flavours between chocolate, basil and tomato was stunning.....

So, definitely I suggest this restaurant and considering that the menu changes frequently we are already looking forward to being back and finding other creations of this young chef. Also the service was extremely nice and friendly.  BRAVISSIMI!

A delightful weekend

Finally a weekend in our sweet Lausanne home....it is raining and cold, the perfect weather to find the excuse to stay in and spend the weekend cooking and enjoying the coziness of our apartment. And of course the perfect time to go down to my beloved cellar and pull out some nice bottles to go with what we are cooking.

So starting with Friday....we began with an apero and a lovely prosecco from Casa Coste Piane Colfondo (prosecco with yeast at the bottom of the bottle and not filtered, as it was produced 30 years ago). Very different from normal prosecco and primarily for the lovers of new experiences, but generally everybody loves it.

After that with a lovely risotto with peas and goat cheese we drank a fruity and incredibly easy to drink Pinot Noir from our area of Switzerland. The producer is Domaine Le Satyre from Begnins and the wine was a Pinot Noir Le Satyre 2010. Really lovely wine from this micro-producer and to top it off, a very cool bottle.

To close our meal in style we had a pear tarte tatin with an amazing Moscato d'Asti d'Autunno 2010 from Saracco. It was probably one of the best Moscato I have ever drunk, if not the best.

And now let's pass to Saturday. Here from good that it was on Friday I will pass to amazing as an objective to describe our dinner. Considering we wanted to do something special and we are now in full hunting season we decide to go for some game. I prepared a fantastic stroganoff of venison with wild mushrooms. Quite simple to prepare but what a delight for the palate. To accompany such a treat we drank a Bandol Longue Garde Cuvee' Jeremy 1998 from Domaine Le Galantin. All of this in front of the fireplace....what could you desire more from life. The wine was complex and full of amazing flavours and smell, it paired incredibly well with the venison. I bought this wine this summer in Bandol for a ridiculous price.....such a fantastic find!!!

Can it get better than this???  Probably not but it can get closer.....on Sunday evening we made some lovely fishcakes....we mixed tuna, salmon and cod and we made this kind of fish patty...they were absolutely fantastic. Even better was the wine we open to accompany the fish cakes. A Cinqueterre 2005 from Azienda Agricola Buranco.  This wine is produced in a very limited number of bottles in one of the most stunning areas of Italy: Cinqueterre. Here the viticulture is really heroic, super steep hills falling into the sea and the work of the farmer here is extreme. All is done by hands, no space for any help of mechanic tools. The result is a wine of fantastic pureness, with an incredible golden color that screamed that is coming from the sea. No need to say it was a great pair with our fishcakes.

What a lovely gastro-weekend....and tomorrow heading back to Toscana for more adventures....we'll keep you posted.

Ristoranti nr. 5 - Toscana

And now to probably one of the best dinners with no doubts in the best setting we have been in the last year, if not ever.

So first of all where this took place? In an amazing boutique hotel/country house called "La Petraia" close to the village of Radda in Chianti, but really difficult to reach. The road that arrives here is not paved and is windy and steep, so if you are going with your car be ready for some adventure. But when you arrive paradise is in front of you, pictures are clearly showing which unforgettable spot is this one. The estate is run by a Canadian couple who moved here a few years ago and completely felt in love with this place. Most of the products you can eat are farmed by them and also some of the meat comes from the animals that are grown on the farm (chicken, cinta senese etc.).

The excuse to come here was given by one of the birthday present I made to V last year. The present was two tickets to take part to this event called "Outstanding in the Field" an itinerant gastronomic tour that touches different places in the United States and Canada, and that this year includes some dinners in Europe including this one at La Petraia. You can look at the website for more information. What I can say is that we had really big expectations from this event and these have been surpassed greatly.

The event started at 3 pm and we were greeted by the staff of Outstanding in the Field with a lovely glass of sparkling wine and with some crostini, prosciutto di cinta senese cut on the spot and some other lovely snacks. The apero continued for a couple of hour on which we also had a short tour of the farm before being transferred to the incredible and stunning setting in the middle of the vineyards where the dinner took place. Here are some pictures, I guess no further comments are needed as the beauty speaks for itself.

Here as well you can see the amazing menu we had during the event. A special mention to the meat coming from Dario Cecchini, the famous butcher of Panzano in Chianti and a kind of crazy gastro-star of the area and with foodies. He also served the so-called Sushi del Chianti - it was an absolutely amazing dish and so unexpected.

The greatest thing of the whole event was the pleasure of sharing with lots of people coming from all over the world an amazing dining experience in one of the most incredible spot you can imagine. When the sun start to set the mix of colors that spread on the hills and painted the vineyard with yellow and pink was pure magic.

It was a moment of perfect peace and it was a night of great fun. For sure we want to be back to La Petraia to experience this place in a normal period but as well for sure we want to experience again another event with Outstanding in the Field. If this is their standard of working the word outstanding fits absolutely with what they do and what they are organizing all around the globe....in one word: BRAVISSIMI!

Fiorentina Cooking 

Sunset at La Petraia 

Ristoranti nr. 4 - Langhe

And now let's talk about one of our favorite areas in Italy, the Langhe.

Wine cellar at Villa Tiboldi

This time we spent our weekend at Villa Tiboldi a lovely house immersed in the vineyards above Canale d'Alba. Certainly an amazing place to stay, with one of the best pools and settings we have ever experienced. Great wine selection at very reasonable prices, not only from the producer that is part of Villa Tiboldi (Malvira') but also from other Piedmont producers. One downside was that the food was not exceptional especially compared to the options that you can find in this area. During our two dinners here we had the chance to drink an amazing Barolo Pajana 2000 from Domenico Clerico and two super Nebbiolo: one from the area (Produttori del Barbaresco Riserva Ovello 2004) and one from a less known region in the north of Piedmont called Gattinara (Gattinara San Francesco 2000 from Antoniolo). Really good and again super QPR.

The two culinary highlights of the weekend were two very different places in style and offers: for Saturday lunch we headed to our all-time favorite agriturismo in Italy: Cascina Abate. We love this place for his simplicity, for the passion that the owner and his family put on what he does and for the amazing and simple food you can have. A number of antipasti (including a Tartare of Fassone Beef and an Insalata Russa to die for), two primi (Tajarin con Ragu' and amazing Ravioli del Plin), a secondo (if you are lucky you can experience a 22 hours slow cooked pork (in a wooden oven) that melts in your mouth) and some desserts. It is just lovely to spend a few hours here and enjoy the food, the talk and the super relaxing atmosphere you can find here.

And on Sunday again one of our preferred restaurant in the heart of Barbaresco just next door to Cantine Gaja one of the most famous and worldwide appreciated Italian wine producer: Antine'. The food here is incredible, well presented and the atmosphere is formal but you can still feel very relaxed. Considering both of us will have a long drive ahead we were not able to indulge as much as we would like, but we were still able to have one antipasto and one primo each.

tartare at Antine' 

For V, Girello di Vitello al Punto Rosa con Salsa Tonnata Tradizionale, a revised and modern version of the vitello tonnato and absolutely amazing; for me, a Battuta di Vitello Piemontese con Uovo di Quaglia Fritto, a tartare of exceptional quality with a fried quail egg on top.

As primo we get for V some maccheroni handmade with a light carbonara sauce (fantastici) and for me agnolotti del plin filled with potato and porcini mushroom with thyme butter.

The wine list in this restaurant is huge and you can choose between an enormous variety of Barolo and Barbaresco. For this time considering the drive ahead we had to go low profile choosing a lovely Barbera d'Alba Superiore Gallina 2006 from Ugo Lequio wine that accompanied greatly our meal.

The quality of this restaurant leaves us always speechless, we would love to come back to Langhe all the time not only for the quality of the food and the wines you can have but also for the peaceful and lovely feeling you can experience when you are for a few days in these hills and vineyards.

Ristoranti nr. 3 - Firenze

And now I want to dedicate this post to the city where we spent most of our time during late summer and early fall and that we learnt to love immensely: Firenze.

The excuse to come here so often is given from my half that she finally decided to learn the language of Leonardo. We arrived here in a deserted city on a suffocating hot August day: 40 degrees and everybody, except the hordes of tourists,  already on the beaches. We will leave close to the end of September a much more alive city but still invaded by tourists. Still you do not miss the magic and the atmosphere that this city is able to give you despite the crowd.

And now let's talk a bit about our eating experience:
First of all a real jewel, a great and simple spot we found in the area of San Niccolo', just two steps from Ponte Vecchio: Zeb Gastronomia. It's an old gastronomia (deli shop) that still works like this but in which has been created a small restaurant. Few seats available and all on stools facing the big "bancone" (island) where some of the creation of the kitchen are ready to be taken. We ate here several times and every time was better than the last. Everything is "fatto in casa" by Alberto (the son) and Giuseppina (the mom) the two person that runs this place. Just to name a few plates we tried: amazing antipasto of mixed salumi and figs, mozzarella di bufala con tartufo, amazing handmade pasta (pici with pesto sauce ricotta and dried tomato, tagliolini al tartufo nero, ravioli filled with fiori di zucca in a burrata sauce, pici with thyme pesto) and then some incredible polpette (meatballs), melanzane alla parmigiana and of course desserts like homemade cheesecake .... and I could continue for a while but I dont want to spoil the surprise of those who want to go here.  Not to forget a great selection of wines, lots of small production and biological wines from all over Italy. We had one night a lovely Fumin 2008 from Grosjean a tiny producer from tiny Valle d'Aosta that was absolutely lovely even if my half considered it a bit too "wild".

Another spot we loved was a little restaurant close to our apartment: "Il Santo Bevitore".

Very nice atmosphere with some great dishes. The night we ate there I had a fantastic tartare di chianina that married really well with the excellent Chianti Classico Riserva Borro del Diavolo from Ormanni. The wine list is not huge but it has some good choices as the wine I just mentioned. Close by the restaurant you can find "Il Santino" a bar ideal for apero with great selections of salumi and cheese and again some lovely wine by the glass.

Other two places that are worth to mention are the restaurant "Il Latini" and the pizzeria "Il Borgo Antico". The first one for a genuine and lovely real Tuscan atmosphere with a very solid Tuscan food selection going from Ribollita to Pappa al Pomodoro and I have been told with one of the best fiorentina you can find in the city (I did not have one the night I was there because nobody wanted to share with me....). The second for the setting in the beautiful Santo Spirito square and especially for one of the best pizza I had in a long time. If you go there try the Pizza Borgo Antico, I am sure you will not regret it.

Our intention is to be back soon and continue our Firenze culinary adventures.

Ristoranti nr. 2

IL GATTO NERO CERNOBBIO

We have been here already a few times and despite the fact that the food is not the most memorable (good...but again not the reason for the trip), the wine list is pretty limited and not with special choices and that the restaurant is famous to be a hot spot for football player and accompanying "veline"we absolutely love this place.
The view from this little corner of paradise a few kilometers from Milano and above Cernobbio is stunning.  Eating here in a warm summer night enjoying the breeze and what your eyes have in front of you is an unforgettable experience. The service as well is ver intriguing, go here and you will see why. A few pictures will help you understand why we love so much this ristorante.
Last suggestion: when you call to book ask for the table with the best view and try to pretend is a special occasion....maybe, but just maybe you will have some chances to get the table you can see in this picture.

Ristoranti nr. 1

As promised in the coming days I will list some of the amazing restaurant we visited during these last couple of months. Tonight I will start with:

Osteria Le Panzanelle-Lucarelli : fantastic osteria in the middle of the countryside close to Radda in Chianti. A small but super-nice wine list and food simple but amazing and reflecting the real soul of Tuscany.We had two primi to remember: some amazing Pici all'aglione and a plate of Gnudi, a kind of gnocchi that were absolutely unforgettable. Pasta are all "fatte in casa" (handmade) and you can clearly taste it! To accompany this robust food a great Chianti Classico Riserva from a very small producer called Porta di Vertine, everything was absolutely amazing including the relaxing setting. A place worth the trip on the windy roads of Chianti.

Pici all'aglione

Gnudi

I AM BACK....I AM ALIVE!!!

Cannot believe that the last time I wrote here was more than a month ago. Time flies and especially during this last period. We spent our time traveling like crazy; in these last 50 days I have spent many days in Florence and a host of other locations: Alba, Udine, twice in Athens, twice in Trabzon and Bucharest....way too many planes, airports and kilometers by car.

Panino Con Lampredotto

But the reality is that I also had the occasion for some fantastic dinners and eating some amazing meals. So, where to start? From the panino with Lampredotto I had in Florence or from the amazing fiorentina we had in Chianti? From the curious brain meatballs I just tried in Bucharest or from the Kofte, this lovely meat dish from Trabzon? Let's say that definitely the culinary highlight of this last period was Italy, the bella Italia. We discovered some amazing new restaurants in Firenze and the weekend we spent in Chianti was simply incredible....we love this area and it is amazing how peaceful and remote could be a spot that it is only a few kilometers away from Firenze. For tonight just a few pictures of this amazing time, more restaurant and wine suggestions to follow.