Sunday is a lazy day in Florence especially if one takes a Vicodin on Saturday night. Today was a particularly lazy day because is was rainy. What is one to do on a rainy Sunday but engage in a bit of light shopping and a HUGE lunch? So, with that in mind we headed to my Mecca, the Officina Profumo Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella, then lunch at a favorite, Belcore.
I wrote about La Farmacia last year, at the end of the April 23, 2008, Santa Maria Novella blog entry. You may recall that it is more of a 15th century shrine than a store. This year it was deserted. I can’t remember a time when I did not have to wait for help. This was a necessary shopping trip and not a leisure browsing adventure (that means Arnie was hungry), so I quickly bought my pot pourri for the apartment and face cream for “mature women” and we headed to lunch.
Belcore (http://www.ristorantebelcore.it ) is just 2 short blocks from the Farmacia. That is to say, it is not in the best of neighborhoods, one short block from the bus station and 2 blocks from the train station. Think of that neighborhood in any major city and you know where we were. However, once one passes through the door, it is an oasis of calm and civility.
The civility begins with a free glass of Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco, to calm the nerves while perusing the menu. Hardcore readers of my travel e-mail/blog may recall that last year we had lunch at Belcore and sat next to 2 men from England who polished off 4 bottles of expensive wine. Arnie told our waiter this story and he actually heard the same story from the waiter of that day. Thus, we learned that we are now a part of Belcore folklore.
The next taste treat to appear was a free amuse bouche of liver pate crostini and a stracchino cheese crostini (Italian soft cheese the texture of thick whipped cream with a tang). So simple, so delicious. Arnie ordered a bottle of Calabrian red wine, the Odoardi, Savuto, in honor of my heritage, and because it was only 22 euros,. We will never find it at home. The waiter said that Odoardi is the best vinter in Calabria. I’m thinking that is a pretty low bar to step across. But, Arnie said it was very good and it tasted good to me. An incredible appetizer called pumpkin cream with sliced steamed shrimp and chunks of Italian bacon, pancetta, followed.
This was really a creamy pumpkin soup with the most delicate flavors and shrimp that was so soft in its lightly steamed state. The “bacon” added a nice bit of crunch. We split the appetizer and pasta course but I think they gave us each more than just a half portion.
Next we had the pappardelle with wild boar ragu and juniper berries. The pasta was perfect in it’s eggy yellowness and the ragu was really a stew with large chunks of wild boar. Every bite or two one got a good crunch of juniper berry, like a peppercorn but more fruity. Even I had flavor breakthrough. I couldn’t tell the distinctive tastes but I could tell that there was an intense depth of flavor.
Arnie had the tuna encrusted in peppercorn sitting in a delicious broth with poached shallots and carrots. The tuna was rare, which is rare in Italy. The peppercorns were very intense and too much flavor for me even in my reduced tasting mode. We wished that we had a spoon for the broth but had to settle for sopping it up with bread. We have no shame.
I had the Belcore special filet, with a side of what they called sesame sauce, and braised cabbage in brown butter. The filet was about 8 oz, and perfectly cooked to a medium rare. I couldn’t get the distinct flavors of the sauce but it was a tiny bit spicy. The cabbage was still crispy and had the nice nutty flecks from the brown butter.
After we ordered our dessert of Mascarpone semifreddo we were served a free sweet wine, vin santo, and biscotti while we waited. One can not spend too much time without food and drink
The semifreddo was a frozen whipped cream cheese like delight covered in chopped almonds, carmel and chocolate sauce. Does life get any better? Next we had coffee and since that wasn’t enough, we were given a free glass of a digestivo: Arnie a grappa and I had an Amaro, an herb liqueur with overtones of orange. The pricing for each course was in line with many of the everyday Trattoria we have visited. You read the word “free” four times, if you have been paying attention. All things considered, this was a great value for the quality. Stock market be damned.
We meandered home for an afternoon nap, looking forward to our adventures of the upcoming week.
Here’s the link to the pictures, but most are here already:http://flickr.com/photos/susanarnietravel/sets/72157614537976171
I wrote about La Farmacia last year, at the end of the April 23, 2008, Santa Maria Novella blog entry. You may recall that it is more of a 15th century shrine than a store. This year it was deserted. I can’t remember a time when I did not have to wait for help. This was a necessary shopping trip and not a leisure browsing adventure (that means Arnie was hungry), so I quickly bought my pot pourri for the apartment and face cream for “mature women” and we headed to lunch.
Belcore (http://www.ristorantebelcore.it ) is just 2 short blocks from the Farmacia. That is to say, it is not in the best of neighborhoods, one short block from the bus station and 2 blocks from the train station. Think of that neighborhood in any major city and you know where we were. However, once one passes through the door, it is an oasis of calm and civility.
The civility begins with a free glass of Italian sparkling wine, Prosecco, to calm the nerves while perusing the menu. Hardcore readers of my travel e-mail/blog may recall that last year we had lunch at Belcore and sat next to 2 men from England who polished off 4 bottles of expensive wine. Arnie told our waiter this story and he actually heard the same story from the waiter of that day. Thus, we learned that we are now a part of Belcore folklore.
The next taste treat to appear was a free amuse bouche of liver pate crostini and a stracchino cheese crostini (Italian soft cheese the texture of thick whipped cream with a tang). So simple, so delicious. Arnie ordered a bottle of Calabrian red wine, the Odoardi, Savuto, in honor of my heritage, and because it was only 22 euros,. We will never find it at home. The waiter said that Odoardi is the best vinter in Calabria. I’m thinking that is a pretty low bar to step across. But, Arnie said it was very good and it tasted good to me. An incredible appetizer called pumpkin cream with sliced steamed shrimp and chunks of Italian bacon, pancetta, followed.
This was really a creamy pumpkin soup with the most delicate flavors and shrimp that was so soft in its lightly steamed state. The “bacon” added a nice bit of crunch. We split the appetizer and pasta course but I think they gave us each more than just a half portion.
Next we had the pappardelle with wild boar ragu and juniper berries. The pasta was perfect in it’s eggy yellowness and the ragu was really a stew with large chunks of wild boar. Every bite or two one got a good crunch of juniper berry, like a peppercorn but more fruity. Even I had flavor breakthrough. I couldn’t tell the distinctive tastes but I could tell that there was an intense depth of flavor.
Arnie had the tuna encrusted in peppercorn sitting in a delicious broth with poached shallots and carrots. The tuna was rare, which is rare in Italy. The peppercorns were very intense and too much flavor for me even in my reduced tasting mode. We wished that we had a spoon for the broth but had to settle for sopping it up with bread. We have no shame.
I had the Belcore special filet, with a side of what they called sesame sauce, and braised cabbage in brown butter. The filet was about 8 oz, and perfectly cooked to a medium rare. I couldn’t get the distinct flavors of the sauce but it was a tiny bit spicy. The cabbage was still crispy and had the nice nutty flecks from the brown butter.
After we ordered our dessert of Mascarpone semifreddo we were served a free sweet wine, vin santo, and biscotti while we waited. One can not spend too much time without food and drink
The semifreddo was a frozen whipped cream cheese like delight covered in chopped almonds, carmel and chocolate sauce. Does life get any better? Next we had coffee and since that wasn’t enough, we were given a free glass of a digestivo: Arnie a grappa and I had an Amaro, an herb liqueur with overtones of orange. The pricing for each course was in line with many of the everyday Trattoria we have visited. You read the word “free” four times, if you have been paying attention. All things considered, this was a great value for the quality. Stock market be damned.
We meandered home for an afternoon nap, looking forward to our adventures of the upcoming week.
Here’s the link to the pictures, but most are here already:http://flickr.com/photos/susanarnietravel/sets/72157614537976171
