Venice & Florence restaurants?

Frigiliana

Will be in Venice & Florence this October hoping to visit some of the locations from Moonraker & Casino Royale also visit locations in Florence from the Hannibal movie , wondered if anybody can recommend some good restaurants in either city need one for an anniversary meal ?
Cheers Dave

always shaken

Frigiliana wrote:

Will be in Venice & Florence this October hoping to visit some of the locations from Moonraker & Casino Royale also visit locations in Florence from the Hannibal movie , wondered if anybody can recommend some good restaurants in either city need one for an anniversary meal ?
Cheers Dave

sorry Dave cant recommend a particular eatery in Florence, but if you see your hotel consierge, get him to book you on a trip
to the PRADA out let store in Montiviachi its down their A1 motorway its worth a trip, you can get her a PRADA hand bag
for half of what we pay in London and you might grab yourself a PRADA (casino royal black belt ) I did , arrivederci

Frigiliana

Thanks always shaken but i've had to sell one of my organs to pay for this trip, their's no way I'm taking her to a Prada store unless she's willing to wear boxing gloves so she can't sign for anything.

don p

whilst in venice, stay away from the main water way eating houses, very expensive and they want you sat,, eaten then moved on, find somewhere further into town .

Frigiliana

Thanks don p added to my list of Doos & Dont's

don p

try and head up to Riva, on lake garda, you,ll go through the tunnel used in QoS.

cheld

For dinner in Florence, Trattoria Sostanza. And you must go twice. They do two seatings; the early seating (7:30) is mostly tourists, the later seating (9:00) is mostly locals. The vibe is totally different at the two seatings.

It is a small, cash-only place that sits unassumingly on a side street just southwest of the train station, but read the ChowHound and TripAdvisor reviews and you'll see why it is renowned. You sit at shared tables. They have two signature dishes: steak (massive, rare, perfect) and chicken in butter (sizzling hot). For dessert, meringue with berries. Be sure to walk to the back to see the carving block where they cut the steaks.

For lunch, I Due Fratellini. Literally a hole in the wall... on a side street Via Dei Cimatori just south of the Duomo, there is no seating and you place your wine glass on a shelf when you're done. Amazingly fresh sandwiches - get the ham and pecorino - and super-cheap wine. I guarantee you'll go there at least twice. But get there early - Rick Steves's book warned us "they run out of bread and when they do, they close" and wouldn't you know it the first time we went they shouted "No bread!" as we walked up!

Lastly, for gelato, Grom.

Do not eat at any of the restaurants on Borgo San Lorenzo - tourist traps with poor quality food. Do not eat at any place advertising a "tourist special" or at any place with the menu displayed in seven languages.

In Venice, Il Ridotto. Even smaller than Sostanza (4 2 person tables and 2 3 person tables) and more formal if you go for dinner. The owner/chef might be your waiter and will almost certainly make an appearance. Not cheap so you may want to go for lunch (prix fixe, 3 courses, 28 euros including coperto and servicio). Many ChowHoundies call it the best restaurant in Venice.

Venice is particularly expensive but you can eat cheap and traditional if you hit a few cicchetti (che - KET - ti) bars. It's the Venetian version of tapas: a variety of one- and two-bite appetizers, either hot or cold, one or two euros each. Among the better ones are polpetti (meatballs made with potato) and arancini (rice ball). Pair them with an "ombra" (small glass of wine - ombra means "shadow") or a Spritz (Campari or Aperol mixed with white wine and mineral water). The highest concentration of cicchetti bars is around the fish market and the Rialto Bridge. As Don P said, the further you get from Rialto and the Canal, the more local the flavor. Expect to eat standing up, and possibly out in the street, especially later at night when these bars function as the hubs of the Venetian singles scene.

Frigiliana

Outstanding cheld thank you for going to the trouble of posting such an informative list , you are on my wifes Christmas card list now .

CmdrAtticus

One of Fleming's favorites, Cafe Florian in St. Marks Square. Pricey but even if you have a drink there, it's worth it. Quadri is nice too. Just for example, a negoni will set you back 18.50 euros and a club sandwich 16 euros. However, I remember sitting there with my negroni and just taking in the place. It's amazing to think I was in the oldest cafe in Italy and shared the same space that had been occupied by the likes of Lord Byron, Goethe, Proust, Rousseau and Casanova. My other favorite moments were sitting at either of the cafe's tables in the square and listening to the orchestras and people watching while having a cocktail. As far as other dining places, go into a local food shop and ask the owner's where they eat out (not the help, the owners). If they've lived and worked there for a while they'll know. I've done this on all my trips, and have never had a bad meal at the places recommended and you'll run into less tourists, though in a place as overcrowded as Venice it's getting harder to do.

The Domino Effect

If you like meat, you have to try Steak Florentine (if you don't - or you're a vegetarian - run away now!). It's the famous dish of Florence. A massive chunk of meat that's barely seered yet your knife will just slide through it like butter. Don't ask for it to be well done, or even medium. Take it as it is. It's intimidating to say the least - and you'll have to walk the long-way round back to your hotel just to start the digestion process - but it's not only mouth-wateringly tasty, but it's the centuries-old thing to do!

Frigiliana

Thanks once again for all the good advise, we are in each city 4 days so will put your advice to good use .

Grindelwald

Robert : "Shall I tell you a story.....shall I ?"

"My father......was a very important man. All his life he had a moustache. When it turned grey he used what women use for their eyes , *mascara*"

(Comfort of strangers , 1990)

Frigiliana

Sorry Grindelwald that's just flown over my head don't get it ,