So we got settled in the Anglo-American hotel and set out for the Ponte Vecchio for a look. Same as last time. Dinner. Off to the Buca dell’Orafo for reservations. Chiuso. Hmm. What to do next? We had a tip on a place from a friend (RD) but no name. Too long a walk for one of us in the cold and rain, so back to the hotel. A friendly clerk got Google maps and we looked up the intersection and there it was.
We got a cab ride across town and went in. Table for four? No problem she said in British English. (It was still early by Italian standards.) Wine list? The Sommelier will be with you shortly. Ooops, this doesn’t sound like the place described. A snotty Italian produced a wine list with at least 500 selections and I chose a 35 euro bottle of something red. Sneer by the prick.
The Brit came back and we asked for the menu. She said, and I quote: “I am the menu.” Ooops again. She pulled up a chair and recited a rather extensive list of several courses, no prices, and we chose a modest starter. It came and was good along with the cheap wine. She came back, recited the first and second courses and we chose again. Another bottle of plonk from snotty. Good food, good service, pleasant atmosphere (excepting snotty), then the bill.
GASP! 365 EUROS! In dollars that is around $430 bucks. Definitely not the place RD recommended, but then again we had a good meal and Amex paid for it. Heh, heh.
So my advice is this: If you are ever in a restaurant and somebody says “I am the menu”, excuse yourself and leave.
Image: Buca dell’Orafo; http://www.travelpod.com
We got a cab ride across town and went in. Table for four? No problem she said in British English. (It was still early by Italian standards.) Wine list? The Sommelier will be with you shortly. Ooops, this doesn’t sound like the place described. A snotty Italian produced a wine list with at least 500 selections and I chose a 35 euro bottle of something red. Sneer by the prick.
The Brit came back and we asked for the menu. She said, and I quote: “I am the menu.” Ooops again. She pulled up a chair and recited a rather extensive list of several courses, no prices, and we chose a modest starter. It came and was good along with the cheap wine. She came back, recited the first and second courses and we chose again. Another bottle of plonk from snotty. Good food, good service, pleasant atmosphere (excepting snotty), then the bill.
GASP! 365 EUROS! In dollars that is around $430 bucks. Definitely not the place RD recommended, but then again we had a good meal and Amex paid for it. Heh, heh.
So my advice is this: If you are ever in a restaurant and somebody says “I am the menu”, excuse yourself and leave.
Image: Buca dell’Orafo; http://www.travelpod.com
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