Mystery Critic
The Best Restaurants Out There - And Much More!
|
|
Trattoria Le Cave Di Maiano - Fiesole, Italy Last Visit: Nov 2007 Who introduced us to this restaurant? It was Samantha Brown in her travel show! We saw it on Travel Channel and thought it would be intriguing to check out this place, even though it's autumn and the outdoor patio would not be open, even for lunch. It turned out to be a smart thing to go at lunch time AND it was worth the money AND the drive! FOOD
Have you ever had the feeling that when you are eating european food, you are totally exhausted by the time they serve the entree? That is exactly how I felt at this place, but maybe it was because the appetizers were downright GREAT and totally blew us away! We order some fried bread with prosciutto and cream cheese, and also the famous carpaccio. They turned out to be EXCELLENT but very different from what we had in the U.S. The cream cheese is mild and melts in the month, which goes super well with the strange bread balls that came with it. Carpaccio beef was actually kind of dry - versus usually moist in a US restaurant - but the aragula and parmagiano cheese that came with it turned out to be the highlights of our lunch - everyone LOVED them!
The pastas, including a black variety and gnochi, were again excellent, although I must say that the appetizers were so good they overshadowed everything else we had. The secondi we had were roasted suckling pig and veal steaks, which were good but not exceptional. They tend to overcook these meats a bit and the sauces are salty. Nevertheless, these dishes would top any restaurant chart in the US. We finished the meal with Zuppa Ingeles, which turned out to be like a tiramisu in yellow color. The caffe we had, however, turned out to be the strongest expresso we had all trip. If we were to return, we'd probably go easy on everything except the appetizers. The wait staff is consistent with the surroundings - mellow and relaxed. Alright, they are just downright slow. The restaurant was pretty much empty but it took a long time for them to get anything done. They, however, were extremely friendly and they tried very hard to communicate in English and we really appreciated it. At the end, the waiter gave us a bottle of local wine as a gift - not bad for a below-average bill by Tuscany standards (because we only ordered two secondi). I have to give this place FIVE stars even though we didn't have a view or sat outside. This is a converted farmhouse 20 KM from florence, and it's TOTALLY worth the tretcherous drive that involved single-lane two-way roads and lack of any clear sign (THANKS to our GPS, else we'd still be in italy or southern france now). We sat near the outdoor patio and we can see hills around us, some of which have castles on top. The furnitures were old and classy, rustic yet comfortable. The surroundings were just real serene, especially considering the weather wasn't that great. I would love to come back to this place in the summer and sit outside (like Samantha did!). There are only a few places in Tuscany that I would say offer good value for the price (ie HIIIIIGH), but you really can't beat this place if you consider the whole package. The experience of getting up here and dining in a country farmhouse is almost priceless to begin with. The food quantity is not huge but just right, and the quality is up in the league of the Florence restuarants. Most value gourmet eaters (like Mr. MC) would be pleased. BOTTOMLINE Frommers review on this place is quite well-written - If you are in Florence with a car, you've got to try this place for lunch. It's close enough to Florence to give us a nice country surrounding, yet not so far that it feels remote (in Italy, being isolated can be a scary thing). Just an overall good experience that shouldn't be missed. Of course the free bottle of wine might have influenced my opinion..... BTW It was empty in Nov but I heard it's a good idea to make reservation May - Sept. Again, the drive up there is SCARY - and the return trip is no better! So proceed with caution and I'd recommend going up there for lunch, not dinner.
|
