Jesus Christ, Florence. You’re beautiful. You’re a gem. But you’re stuck in a moment. And that moment is the Renaissance.
Brac is the embodiment of the anti-renaissance, pro-hipster movement of Florence. It bleeds with contemporary “we’re so alternative but artsy organic homey Anthropology-store front displays”, it hurts. Even the menù is a collection of food porn- taken with a Polaroid camera all pinned up on the bar wall. Jesus, if this was the antimony of Renaissance…well it would be.
You might be asking…so what the hell is it…BRAC?
It’s a restaurant caffé that has a bunch of books in it so it’s called a “literary caffè.” Barf. Europe, how pretentious you may can be. So I have books in my bike sometimes…so does that make me a literary biker??? Those books I generally don’t read but accumulate in order to look educated and like I give a damn about anything else but hooch and hot butchers.
I digress… Basically, it’s a little bistro style resto in some random alley that serves up some gourmet, fancy frilly vegan and vegetarian food. Despite all its sickening cuteness and “cool,” you can’t beat Brac for wicked solid vegetarian meal. Or vegan at that.
Vegan Tartare- the world is a big fat paradox!
I’d been here for dinner on a pair of occasions. I highly recommend the piatto unico and it’s basically a mix of all their fancy savory mains like Sardinian flatbread pie, lasagna and fagottinostyle cheesy pasty.
This time recently however, I was here for brunch (pronounced “braaaaanch” by moi). I came on a Yelp-event occasion and most people were pining for pancakes…and I knew better than to order pancakes from some fru-fru bourgeois literary caffè…pancakes are for hungover American wolves of the indulgent excessive palate. It’s quick risen lazy man crepes with some blood sugar roller coaster-inducing syrup doused on top…to me pancakes are like diabetic sponges that only lead to stomach aches and cavities.
My theory is “when in Rome”…and when in some snooty vegan bistrot, you are best to order the snobbiest thing on the menu and for me- my dear readers- was the wild fennel and citrus vegan tartare (oxymoron, right?) atop a crema di spinaci which was fancy foodie talk for blended spinach.
For €8, it was a fab-bo deal. Beautiful presentation, lovely flavors, crunch consistency and a mark in my “I’m an adventurous eater” book of brags.
So word to those who need an escape from the grandma house decor of Renaissance Florence for an equally revolting overdose of all things modern, hipster and contemporary Brac is your man. Or woman. Or whatever.
San Niccolò is a sort of micro-neighborhood on the way to the trek to Piazzale Michelangelo, a popular square where you can get a stellar view of the city. Unfortunately, pop tourism has influenced Piazzale Michelangelo to be a sort of Disneyland attraction with bad food carts, painful cover music belting buskers and plastic souvenir vendors.
In all honesty, I despise how some businesses in major Italian cities like Florence have decided to cater to mass tourism and eroding its authentic character as a result. Tourists aren’t the problem, it is a type of mentality which hides behind the guise of “business as usual” in order to supposedly make establishments more “welcoming” (i.e. tourist menus, crap souvenirs, mushy pasta and frozen pizza for €10, terribly translated menus, crap cover bands, outdated American pop top 40 radio, etc).
I do love loads of things about Florence. I love how easy it is to get around by bike. I really love San Frediano and Santo Spirito (as long as it doesn’t turn into a touristic/cheap crap/corner shop wasteland) and I love how beautiful the city is, I love how there are little wine shops and the Tuscan food culture. I love the Florentine accent and I love (some) Florentines. Really. The point of my blog is to help readers find what authentic soul there is left in Florence.
View from Piazzale Michelangelo
So despite Piazzale Michelangelo becoming a obnoxious tourist trap with a view (which you absolutely cannot miss in Florence), I still have managed to salvage a couple places to eat and drink at the bottom- in a little area called San Niccolò.
Truffled Tagliere smorgasbord
La Beppa Fioraia-Past the arches of San Niccolò, take a sharp turn into what seems like a dodgy alley and disappear into one of the few green nooks of Florence to La Beppa Fioraia. My favorites here are the tagliere(Tuscan smorgasbord of cheeses, dips, spreads, fried breads, cold cuts, veggies and cured olives) and wild boar pappardelle. The wine list is somewhat decent (good € range) from what I remember and the interior decor is alive with color.
I have heard that in recent years this resto has gone south from what it used to be (surprise , surprise…Florentine restaurants loosing quality after being discovered by the arbitrary rating world of tripadvisor?) However, I still don’t think you can beat the ambiance and abundant gourmet tagliere.
Address: Via dell’Erta Canina, 6r
Gecko Bar & Grill- This is a new burger, sandwich and cocktail spot which is very trendy, contemporary and I may go as far as saying “hipster”. I went recently with my pal Georgette of Girl in Florence who recommends it and I must say it was decent. The service was good, which says a lot. I enjoyed their BBQ pulled pork sandwich (pictured) but then again, if you are visiting Florence for the 1st time or visiting in general, why would you want something not Tuscan such as a pulled pork BBQ sandwich, similar to bar & grill food in the U.S.? In any case, Gecko would definitely be a great spot for craft beers and cocktails on a late night since the bars Zoe and Negroni next door are not exactly the greatest.
Address: Via Dei Renai 11/R
lardo crostoni. cured fat and cheese- that’s Tuscany!
Fuori Porta- One of my favorite wine bars, Fuoriporta is loved by wine enthusiasts all over the city. They have high quality wines by the glasses ranging from caliber to obscure, quarter liter carafes and gourmet wine friendly foods. Their patio is a trap- you can sit out there for hours slightly removed from the chaos of center Florence with a medieval gate as your backdrop which is lined with random greenery. I personally enjoy their gourmet crostini toasts with things like black truffle cream and soft, salty prosciutto to go with their excellent selection of mouth watering white wines.
Address: Via Monte Alle Croci, 10r
Cent’Ori- This is a gourmet trattoria I’ve decided. Burrata with shaved truffle, Savory, juicy sliced pork arista and baked to perfection potatoes, fresh ravioli in a heavenly sage sauce and they have a fixed menu for lunch which is actually a great value for 10 euros, including a glass of wine. The food is pretty delicious but I must warn, the service is pretty horrible unless you are there with a Florentine or you speak Italian enough to know that service in Florence in general is a alien concept. The owner is somewhat temperamental and the food presentation/order if they are busy is extremely inconsistent. The only reason why I am even mentioning them is because most places to eat in San Niccolo actually suck and if you have to eat well, don’t want to spend a fortune and can put up with lame/slow service- then Cent’Ori is worth a go. The wine list is non-existent and you have to go to the wall inside to pick your wines, half of them aren’t even marked for price and your lucky if they remember to bring your wine glasses. All that being said, I would still go back if in a bind and none of the other eateries on this list had a table available.
Address: Via di S. Niccolò, 48, 50124 Florence, Italy
In your quest for soul in Florence,
Curious Appetite
Are you curious about food tours in Florence? Take a progressive dinner crawl (with me!) for a curated, delicious evening while discovering the best food and drink spots with soul. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for live travel tips and subscribe by e-mail to this blog for future updates. Happy travels!
I love when someone wants to get lunch. On a weekend in Italy. Especially this time. There is this little hole in the wall in my neighborhood that I look into every time I pass, curious as to the simple Tuscan delights that lie within. Most good restaurants in Italy are brown and mustard decorated hole-in-the-walls. They have paper place mats, uncomfortable chairs with the straw seat that give you splinters especially if you wear a skirt and get stuck in your leggings and hand-written menus. And mostly everything is under 10 euros a plate. The exception being the bistecca fiorentina(Florentine steak) which is like 30 something euros a kilo and you usually split with others. But personally, I wouldn’t get a bistecca fiorentina at one of these. When in Rome, or rather Florence, stick with the mom-style comfort food in a joint like La Ghiotta.
When you walk in, you immediately are greeted with all thetavola calda type items like roasted pork, polpettone (big Tuscan meatballs that are typically meaty and breadcrumby), small fried fish medley, hot gooey lasagna, fried polenta (a decadent goodie I discovered in Florence) and maybe some random slices of pizza. You can either order some of this to-go or to bring immediately to a table, or you can order from the hand-written menu. There is nothing pretentious here with nothing to hide or show off. What you will find is simple Tuscan food at modest prices. Antipasti include salami boards and crostini toscani. Primi include spinach and ricotta ravioli in a fried sage and butter sauce. Mains include generous slabs of Milanese style veal cutlets and roasted fried potatoes. No fru fru fusion, just damn good (real) Italian food. What I had was the mare caldo (warm ocean) with a personal carafe of sparkling house wine:
Delicious. The calamari had a perfect balance of chewy and meaty. The clams were little buttons of flavor. and the Mussels were creamy and retained a good deal of garlic and herbs. The sauce was silky, herbaceous and woven nicely with garlic. I was even taken aback by the shrimp, which I usually do not care for in restaurants as they are rubbery and freezer burned. Again, the buttery texture soothed my senses and revitalized my appreciation for this little meaty sea creatures. This was served on a modest piece of toasted (very plain) Tuscan bread which soaked up all this wonderful broth and it basically melts like pure umami in your mouth.
After this, of course we enjoyed an espresso and a dessert: Tiramisu’
Tiramisu’ literally translates into “Lift me up.” Well, how could this not lift you up? It’s a booze cream and marscapone cheese cake with cookies soaked in espresso. Not to mention the obvious sugar high this invokes.
Tiramisu’ is not a traditional Tuscan dessert, but La Ghiotta was out of frittelle which are little fried rice donut-like sweets- I’ve seen these in Venice also so may not be exclusive to Tuscany. And sometimes I see them in the bakeries filled with custard.
The point is- when you are in Florence, eat off the beaten tourist path. Be okay with getting squished in the corner with straw-bedded chairs that drive splinters up your bum. It’s okay. You know why? Because you will probably have one of the best meals all month at a traditional hole-in-the-wall without burning a hole in your wallet. And leave with a slight buzz at 3 in the afternoon. These gastronomic moments in Italy are priceless.
La Pentola Dell’Oro means “A potful of gold.” I live in Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance (consider the museums like the Uffizi, The Accademia, THE DUOMO, the Boboli Gardens, etc) and of the Italian language (remember Dante Alighieri and L’Inferno? Dante was Florentine and Italian was born from his laments on hell and society.) I overheard about La Pentola from a group of locals cooing over their recent experience with renaissance inspired fare describing spices from the orient and other exotic posts that influenced Florentine society during the Rinascimento, Italy’s cultural “rebirth.”
Mostly what I’ve found eating out in Florence is either Tuscan “delicacies” of animal guts (such as la tripa and il lampredotto, good thing Italian is such a pretty language because these are all words for offal), pizza or pasta or some other variation concerning tasteless Tuscan bread, tomatoes, pork products and pecorinocheese. Delicious, yes. But not exactly intense culinary technique (excitement) compared to foods of the south.
This “Pot of Gold”was indeeda worthwhile venture. Consider the following:
Le Pappardelle sulla lepre (pappardelle fresh pasta w/ wild hare ragu’ made in the Etruscan “Artusi” fashion)Le Lasagnole (lasagna-like cut noodles tossed with ginger, cane sugar, chestnut honey and walnut. Not sweet, but very savory!Il Porco Cinghiale in dolce forte- Wild Boar in a chocolate, cedar & pine nut sauce. Looks like mound of mud but indeed very yum num. Ever had “mole’?” Well, imagine instead,, a melt in your mouth savage forest ranged pork that feasted on chestnuts and filberts in an aromatic olive oil pine nut chocolate spice marinade.
And wine? A Chianti Classico with notes of herbed violet and tobacco tannins to cut through the fat and protein pleasures of the boar in order to radiate this plethora of layered savor.
Good wine by the bottle for under €20 (at a restaurant)
After this imbibement, my belly was also feeling like a pot of gold. This is definitely off the beaten tourist path and thankfully undiscovered but frequented enough by locals (am I a local yet?) to stay churning slivers of rich, historic gastronomic bliss.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
