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By Mara Bivone
Located off Piazza Salvemini, Near Santa Croce, is La Giostra (Borgo Pinti 10R), the culinary domain of Dimitri d' Asburgo Lorena, a Hapsburg prince, and his handsome twin sons. It is a wonderful, very romantic little restaurant with just sixteen tables, where the delicious food is based on ancient recipes of the flavors of a forgotten Tuscany and Austrian dishes from the owner-chef’s family. The meal started with a complimentary flute of prosecco and a large, also complimentary, appetizer sampler. Two of the primi piatti Giorgio and I enjoyed, were homemade tagliatelle with tiny wild asparagus spears, and ravioli stuffed with brie in a sauce with thinly sliced, lightly fried artichokes. The memorable secondi piatti were nodino di vitella ai tartufi bianchi (veal slathered in an eggy white truffle sauce with fresh truffle grated on top) and the lighter spianata alle erbe aromatiche di Maremma (a huge platter of spiced beef pounded flat and piled with a salad of rosemary sprigs, sage, and other herbs). The wine list is very nice with many wines from the owner’s family vineyards. Definitely a restaurant to have a nice romantic meal for a night when you want to indulge yourself.
Taberna del Bronzino (25 Via delle Ruote, closed on Sunday), is a very elegant restaurant, with a rock solid list of local wines, in the former studio of 16th century painter Santi di Tito. It is a bit off the beaten track, near San Marco. We were seated at a table in the vaulted-ceiling dining room but in the summer months, you could ask for the arbor-shaded patio. The kitchen is traditionally Tuscan. No hype or pretensions; the food is solid and deliciously fresh. I loved the petto d'oca affumicato e carciofi antipasto (thin slices of smoked goose breast on a bed of sliced artichokes, drizzled with olive oil). Giorgio had an excellent ravioli alla Senese (ricotta and spinach-stuffed pasta in creamy tomato sauce). The kitchen cares about the quality of the food and its presentation, and the staff cares about the customer and their comfort and well-being. A well known travel writer claims this restaurant is well past its prime. I beg to differ.
Take a taxi, about 8 kilometers from city center, to this out-of-the-way temple of gastronomy on the Careggi hills. The journey is well worth it. Zibibbo (3R Via di Terzollina) is Chef-owner’s Benedetta Vitali's magical cucina. A huge bulletin board in the hall leading to the dining room tells you just what kind of place this is; a place where Tuscan comfort food, that might include sformato or a classic spaghetti with tiny wild clams, predominates or where something more unusual is also available, like spaghetti alle sarde from Sicily. Benedetta named Zibibbo after a Sicilian grape, and plenty of the dishes show signs of her love for southern Italy. The wine list offers some quirky gems. Closed on Sunday.
Beccofino Restaurant and Wine Bar (1R Piazza degli Scarlatti) is definitely a place to avoid. A trendy hot spot in Santo Spirito; Florence’s first Conran-style restaurant. It is populated by “beautiful people” wannabes and the staff’s haughty and gruff attitude is deplorable. Enough said.
© May 2007 LuxuryWeb Magazine. All rights reserved.
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