Il Barrino
Via Gioberti, Firenze
It was getting late and we were hungry, but we were searching for someplace cozy that would have a good meal from the kitchen. We weren't going to settle for any food, but we were open to exploring the places nearby and taking a chance. How can you go wrong in Florence? Well, actually, strike that. Il centro di Firenze may have Italian restaurants and might make the tourist think every so often that he is being treated as a king, but you may not always be getting quality Italian food there, or a good deal. A good trattoria is what we were looking for, all around, and I'd say we scored here with our pappardelle dish in particular.
Of course, the three of us also shared a bottle of the house chianti, which was just fine. The importance of this experience is that we asked them what their best dish was - because that's what we wanted to have - and when the waitress told us the pappardelle and pesce we all knew what to go with and once it arrived I decided it was better than I had expected that night. It's wonderful when you find such a gem.
Pappardelle alla cacciagione (with game ragout)
12€
Amazing. The pasta here is of course homemade, and you can tell. The flavors are rich, which you can sense from the egg pasta. The game was delicious; each bite falls apart in your mouth. Excellent dish and a good portion.
Pane: Schiacciata briosciata al rosmarino
I'm in love with this bread. It was infused with olive oil and rosemary, and had sprinkles of salt along the edges where the consistency is a crisp focaccia-like shell. The flavors in this were bold. Consider this Italy's cornbread. I have yet to find it anywhere else. It was rich in rosemary flavor and olive oil, and after having so much Tuscan bread that lacks salt we found our mouths watering over this one. Of course, there is also a soft, thick loaf of Tuscan bread that feels ignored at the table, alongside this.
This neighborhood is great. We just moved here and I've found there is so much to find with these few blocks: librerie, ristoranti, saldi, i caffe, gelaterie... molti negozi. Also, it's not as crowded as the city center. This is more of a residential community east of Piazza Beccaria. Come over for a visit.
Cheers
