Ristorante Paoli.

lunch at ristorante paoli, florence.

i love that in italy you get a preview of dessert, at the sweets cart, on the way in to most restaurants.

the interior of the restaurant is beautiful, with arched ceilings.

their version of the complimentary “bread and butter.” wow.

my favorite dish in italy. raw artichoke salad with truffles and fresh parmesan. dressed with some olive oil, lemon juice and balsamic. heaven.

penne arrabiatta.

b’s wild boar stew. very gamey, strong flavor. he liked it.

i ate too much during this entire trip. most of the time i was too full from eating breakfast, pastries, gelatos, trying something at whatever charcuterie or cheese shops i wander into..

but i still insisted on trying dessert everywhere i went. even if it was something light like this stewed (gimormous) pear. the food experience in florence was def worth all the calories.

 

 

Buca Mario, est 1886.

dinner at Buca Mario, Florence.

an establishment of quality family style italian. fresh, with minimal ingredients.

for a starter i had the proscuitto, served with baked bruchetta topped with gorgonzola + mushrooms.

pasta: freshly shaved truffles, butter and tagiatelle. so delicious and fragrant.

steak, florentine style. the meat dishes were served in huge portions, compared to the starters, pastas and desserts.

strawberries with lemon juice.

fresh berry tarte with cream.

a slice of flan.

such good, simple food.

gelatos + sorbets

exploring iced desserts in florence, italy.

the highly anticipated GROM.

dark chocolate and stracciatella gelatos. so creamy and rich. it was everything everyone said it would be.

second location: Perche No?

here i tried the fig and straberry sorbet.

it was the best. ugh. i wish florence wasn’t so far.

 

xx

konyali at kopkapi castle

istanbul, turkey.

lunch at a cliffside cafe, at the kopkapi castle. yes, for tourists.. but it was decent.

appetizer plate, 12 different “salads.” yogurts/hummus, couscous, tomato salad..  this was my favorite dish! it was served with bread rolls, which was disappointing.. i was hoping for the turkish flat breads..

spices and hot sauce. :)

huge spinach pastry.

b’s plate. lamb/beef mix.

chicken shish kabob.

 

xx