Food & Drink
The Cordon Bleu Cooking School in Florence is a great place for the tourist, casual cook, or serious chef to get hands on kitchen experience in Italian cooking. Founded over 20 years ago by friends and business partners Gabriella Mari and Cristina Blasi, the school is located in the heart of Florence and has just undergone a complete renovation. Courses start from lessons in bread making, to more serious 4 to 10 week courses like "Italian Techniques I" and "Cooking of The Mediterranean Area" all the way to their 3 month "Professional Program" which is designed for serious cooks who seek work in the trade. They also have single day courses for children, and will be happy to consider any custom courses that you may want - contact them directly for more information.
Their website is also brand new - check it out for more details about the school and what they offer.
Moyo is another trendy spot for breakfast, a light lunch, or an aperitif - and unlike the recent move of nearby establishments, they do offer free WiFi (of course you have to buy something to use it though - like this €4 Coke I am nursing at the moment!)
At night it is a mostly younger crowd - and I mean crowd. Moyo is on Via dei Benci, a couple of blocks from the Arno. From the corner of Via dei Neri up until around Piazza Santa Croce, Via dei Benci is party central on most nights with people spilling out of the various clubs and restaurants, basically turning the area into a block party.
Moyo
Via dei Benci 23r
50122 Firenze
Tel. 055 247 9738
info@moyo.it
http://www.moyo.it
Rifrullo is a great place to get a coffee, an aperitivo, or a full lunch or dinner. Located in San Niccolò, across the Arno and towards the Porta San Miniato, in one of the quieter, less touristy spots of Florence - yet only a 5 minute walk from the Ponte Alle Grazie.
The bar is open all day, and they have free WiFi. There is also outside seating in the warmer months, a cozy dining room with a fireplace in the winter, and a famous Sunday brunch all year round. This is a great spot to relax, and there are several other good places to eat in the area also.
Via San Niccolò 55/r
Firenze
055 234 26 21
http://www.ilrifrullo.com
Florence's second market (after the Mercato Centrale), Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio offers fresh food and other goods, from around 7:00 AM to 2:00 PM every day except Sunday. Saturday mornings are very busy - and some vendors only come on Friday and Saturday.
Outside on the long east side of the market you will find fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as some cheeses and cold cuts, eggs, soaps, honey and more. On the smaller north and south ends there are clothes, shoes, and various household items. Inside are meat, cheese and fish vendors, along with some general grocery, a bar and a trattotria, "De Rocco", which is a great place for an inexpensive lunch. This is our favorite market - the experience is authentic, the service is friendly, and the there are more Italians than tourists - not to mention great food, and some great prices on produce. Piazza Ghiberti, near Piazza/Chiesa Sant'Ambrogio
OIBÒ is a newer restaurant/bar/club at the corner of Via dei Benci and Borgo dei Greci - right next to Piazza Santa Croce. This is a great place for cappuccino and pastry in the morning, a light lunch, or an aperitivo. Owned by the Peruzzi family who have a giant leather emporium across the street, and a Piazza in their name nearby. Free Wi-fi is available too - as a matter of fact, we made this post from the bar!
OIBÒVia dei Benci 53r
50122 Firenze
tel-fax +39 055 2638611
info@oibo.net
http://www.oibo.net
What sounds like another great restaurant - Trattoria Garga:
"Trattoria Garga is a mecca for citizen food lovers and renowned chefs in their own rights, such as the Food Network's Rachel Ray, who said about Trattoria Garga: "The more I dine out, the clearer the distinction has become between good food and soulful food. Garga has a soul all its own, and the dishes I've eaten here, such as Pasta Magnifico, Veal with Avocado and the famous cheesecake, taste of love, passion and curiosity as much as they do of their ingredients. I dream of this place. Sogni d'oro. Sweet Dreams.'"
Tonight we opened a bottle of what was one of my favorite Vin Santos since getting to Florence - the one from Castello Verrazzano. The new wine is the 2003 vintage, the 2001 was the last vintage and it has been gone from shops in Florence for awhile. Unfortunately on the first taste I have to say this wine is a major pass - all I could get from the nose was alcohol, and after the initial strong alcohol smell blew off, it just smelled like a weak glass of rubbing alcohol. It tasted the same, with maybe a butterscotch candy thrown in. The alcohol actually burned my throat and the finish was very hard. Nothing like the 03, no warm flavors of honey and caramel, no aromas of flowers, peaches or toasty oak. It was almost grappa like - very surprising, and ultimately disappointing.To make this story even worse, the bottle is now a half liter - it was formally a 750 - but the price is the same - €21! So overall not a very good effort from this large, reputable vineyard - and expensive at that. Maybe it was just an off bottle, but at that price, it will be hard to try another one.
You can find some great Italian wines for sale at The Wine Messenger:
What I made for lunch today. Recipe below -
Continue reading Octopus Salad.
An article about house wines and food - it made me hungry!
"In my favorite no-frills eatery in Florence, Trattoria Mario, you sit at communal tables with workers and tourists and they bring you Tuscan bean soup, rigatoni with meat ragu and a massive bistecca all fiorentina. They pour a sturdy red wine that goes well with the beef. I have no idea what it was, probably Chianti, but nothing could have been better with the blood-rare beefsteak."
The full article is here, and the restaurant's website is here.