Enoteca Pinchiorri
Voted one of the Top 50 Restaurants in the world by Restaurant Magazine this year, Enoteca Pinchiorri is a stop not to be missed in Florence. The Michelin starred restaurant leaves one amazed at the creativity and talent of its chefs. The recent recruitment of pastry chef from the number one restaurant on the list, El Bulli in Spain, shows Enoteca’s dedication to be the best, not only in Florence but also in Italy and on the world circuit. We ordered the famous tasting menu and we were filled with awe at the continuous flow of delectable food served with the most exquisite wines. It was a feast fit for a king. Service was impeccable with up to four or five waiters attending our table at any one time, including a sommelier who gave us an after dinner tour of the spectacular wine cellar which is home to 10,000 bottles of wine. The gastronomic details were exceptional down to the extensive water menu and the five or six choices of salts, peppers and olive oils from Italy and around the world.

To be a part of the, Enoteca Pinchiorri must cover the four Cs in the Group’s charter, they are: character, charm, courtesy and cuisine. These are all met, if not exceeded by the restaurant. The attention and care given not only to the food but also to the guests makes Enoteca Pinchiorri a true delight.

Giorgio Pinchiorri and Annie Feolde started in the business in 1972 and have not given up their passion for perfection. They say they study the evolution of taste and their goal is to spread the culture of the best Italian food, wine and hospitality to the world. After a few hours feasting on our tasting menu and enjoying some of the finest wines from their cellar, I agree that they are not only meeting, but also exceeding their goals.
Mr. M enjoying his 7th or 8th glass of vintage wine which accompanied the tasting menu. I think we rolled out of there and then dashed off to the spa - it is a tough life sometimes!

Fabio Picchi, Florence's Babbo NataleFabio Picchi is a large, broad man, with a large white beard and a mass of white hair who looks about 7 foot tall, probably because I felt like a mini beside him, even in my kitten heels! He looks like Babbo Natale (Father Christmas). Big, cheery, white hair and white beard. It looks like it would be great to have him as a grandfather as he seems so jolly - I bet you would get a good view from atop his shoulders.

The kitchen view from our table- the buffet table is to the right of the pillars.

He has a loud, theatrical voice which bellows out descriptions of food that is served on the buffet table at Teatro del Sale. The man has an intense presence and his passion is clearly visible in his three establishments in a corner of Florence (Cibreo Restaurant and Trattoira, Cibreo Cafe and the Teatro del Sale). The pics are from his establishment called Teatro del Sale (theatre of salt).

Fabio said once, not an exact quote, I read this somewhere via his PR lady, ‘food is a bit bland without a bit of salt, salt is the spice of life,’ and I agree that without a little theatre, music and dance – one’s life can also be a bit bland.
The establishment is a restaurant/ theatre. There is a hectic pre-theatre buffet service where Fabio calls out dishes and people rush to a little wooden table to claim a few dollops of greatness, depending on how quick they are (we had amazing clams, bbq’d meat, pasta, soup, tripe, freshly grilled sardines and lovely deserts).

Fabio believes in the slow food movement and buys local produce and supplies for his restaurants – nothing shipped in from China or Japan, so you eat seasonally – which is how it should be.

After everyone is done scrambling to and from their table to the kitchen area (see pic), the red curtains are drawn on the kitchen (the chefs should take a bow as the whole time you are watching them perform their magic on your dinner), all the tables are removed and seats are arranged in front of the stage. The venue used to be a 13th (?) century convent so there are lovely domed ceilings and a great historic feel to it. I am not a music expert but the acoustics seemed fantastic in there.

After all the shuffling there is a show, we saw a jazz quartet perform, which were lovely. My partner who was full with wine & food had a mini snooze when the lights were turned low, but the conditions were perfect for it - the music was relaxing and if I could’ve got comfortable I would’ve had a mini kip too.

The experience kind of reminded me of Christmas at our house when we were young; loud, noisy, lots of food, theatrics by my aunts and uncles –then tables shifted aside and kids entertaining the adults with tricks and songs. Teatro de Sale is professional –none of us could really sing and dance well, unless you count my sister and I’s short lived ballet lessons!

Get there if you can – it is a great experience and you will eat well!

Hamburger helperThis cute hamburger press was just laying out in the aisle of a food market in Florence. No real worries of health and safety in Italy. When I got back Kiwi Rabbit made hamburgers with a fried egg, pineapple and beetroot on top. I have never seen that in my life before, apparently it is a Kiwi thing. Those crazy Kiwis!
It looked good but I didn't have a taste, will have to try that combination of flavours next time. Have only had beetroot a few times and am getting to like the taste now, I think I love that it is doused in vinegar, anything sour is fabulous to me. Why do they not sell Bick's pickles in London?!

Off for a run as the muffin top is not going down, instead it is growing, especially after Ed's gourmet meal last night. Ed the pub man made us a fabulous meal which included the much discussed English onion soup - will post about it soon.

Tuscan return

Back from Florence where the food, art and culture mix to give you an intoxicating experience. If they could remove half of the loud and annoying tourists, it would be even better.

Pics and tales of food adventures to follow, there was a lot of wine and olive oil consumed with various delicious dishes. Back into London Town today, a day later than expected as flights were cancelled due to a light dusting of snow at Gatwick airport – the Canadians can laugh at this as I recall landing in TO one year during a massive blizzard thinking the plane would skate down the runway into the 401.

Unfortunately the cancellation wasn’t all that bad; it meant a night at luxurious Hotel Lungarno with a room overlooking the Arno and another gourmet meal. Isn’t life tough?