First Night…Florence

  So let me just say this. I am exhausted.  We are exhausted. A good thirty hours later, and we are tucking up in bed, after a fantastic first night dinner in Florence. Tomorrow, Johnny gets supplies at his favorite old school art supply store here, and then we hop the train to Umbria.

  Sigh. What a long trip…but so worth it. Weather is nice enough to be strolling the streets at night, and some brave folks are even eating outside.

  The flight was fine…the only hook up was at San Francisco airport. It had to happen eventually…

I love my Molden salt, and always pack some in a zip-lock baggie to take with. I put the label front and center, and put it in our carry on, just in case. Well, this was the case, I guess. We were pulled aside and 'drug-swiped'. Big fun. It came up SALT. Move on, dudes…

  Next stop Frankfurt, then touch down at sunset in Florence.

  Sweet.

  We checked in, freshened up, and headed out to a favorite spot for Proseco…..

Proseco…right over there.

  I had already made reservations at a favorite spot, so we walked on over after enjoying the scene.

Johnny fooling around with his new device.
And the Duomo,  just for added drama.

Happy Artist in his Happy Place.

  Before leaving home, we like to have our night before take-off dinner at la Balena, just up the street from the gallery. 

  We really enjoy the owners, Anna and Emanuele, her husband, who was born and raised in Florence. We all wax poetic as the wine is poured and the meal is enjoyed. This particular meal was gifted to us by some dear clients who knew we loved this place.

  Anyway, as we sat over glasses of fine Italian wines and amazing plates of tasty food, we talked to Emanuele about some of our favorite spots in Florence. We agree on several, and tonight had dinner at dinner at one of the best….

  Coquinarius. We return again and again. We adore Nico, the owner, and he knows our pals from La Balena, so it's a fun way to connect our two worlds. After catching up with Nico, we settled in for a nice after flight meal. Oh, and we were so glad we said no to the airplane food!

I have and will continue to write posts about this place!

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  The reason we love Coquinarius so much is that they have so many options for vegetarians, as well as an extensive wine list…which Nico knows front to back.
  These folks turn out fabulous 'Big Salads'…the kind that make a meal. They also have awesome cheese and charcuterie platters, pastas and desserts. Everything is fresh and so flavor forwardd.

  We began with a vegetarian mixed crostini platter:

Sun dried tomatoes, pear jam,  avocado(odd in Italy), various cheeses, mushrooms…Sigh.
Flavors to die for…I kid you not.

We were sent out this slice of savory potato and leek pie.
Sorry it's fuzzy. I was honestly that excited.

  We were so ready for pasta, and there were some nice ravioli to try….we went for both vegetarian options….

Ravioli stuffed with caciocavallo cheese and pepper, served with a mushroom sauce.
Yes, it was good. The cheese is salty and has a true barnyard forward funkiness.
Add in lots of good black pepper…perfect.

My ravioli were stuffed with buratta, with a pistachio sauce and
served on a bed of red onion puree. Yeah, it rocked.
Sweet, subtle and tangy all at once.

Yummy close up of Johnny's ravioli...

….and mine.
We will be back, no doubt.

  After dinner, we walked around the historic center of town, thought about gelato..(no)..and then decided we were done.

  Until tomorrow. 

The Duomo at night never caesars to amaze me.

Almost too much…but not.

  So glad to be back in our 'other' life.
  More soon, Dear Ones...

A Couple Of Days In Florence 2015

  It's getting harder to leave Italy every year…the longer stays mean our roots are digging deeper into the soil of our adopted second home. 

  Back home for almost three weeks now, and we still find ourselves slipping into the "double-kiss" when we meet a friend on the street, or throwing out "grazie" "prego", and an occasional "mi scusi" while shopping in the local market or standing in line for coffee in the morning.

  Sigh. We miss it. It's true.

  But, hey…home in California is just fine, thank you. Could use a tad more sun, perhaps a few days of  gentle rain…It's great here, too, and I appreciate this place very much.

  Thankfully, I still have a zillion photos I can go through to keep the dream going, and several kazillion ideas for my little bloggy. 

  This evening, as I sit here in bed, I'm thinking it might be fun to head on back to Florence for awhile.

  

What a swell town.

  We like to spend our last couple of nights in either Florence or Rome, depending on where we fly home from. This year, it was Florence. (Coming soon…a post about a day trip to Roma!)

  The weather in Florence was stellar…very warm, but so pretty and so clear...

The Duomo is really looking fine, with all the exterior cleaning
over the past few years.

  For the first time in many years, we really didn't have a big plan of attack. There wasn't a special show we wanted to see, so we just caught up on some sights we had missed in the past, ate at some favorite spots, and found some new adventures just walking around town.

  It was pretty great, too. Nice to be relaxed…no big hurry to see this and that.

  The one place we did want to visit this time was the Brancacci Chapel, located inside the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine. Johnny especially wanted to see the frescoes here, which were done by various artists, including Panicale homeboy, Masolino da Panicale.

  For me, these frescoes are all about the color. I just love the sensitivity of the color and shadow. I'm the first to admit my almost complete ignorance of this work…Johnny was able to give me most of the lowdown, which is always a nice bonus, but I enjoy these excursions in my own way, taking it all in slowly with an eye for color, texture and line.

  

  Listening to the low hum of reverent voices is soothing, as I sit in a pew, remembering long hours spent in church as a youngster. I watch as groups large and small walk through, while Johnny takes his time to really absorb it all.

  I think my favorite aspect of these particular frescoes were the various structures that were in the background...

  We spent a good amount of time in the Chapel.

  Again, it was great to have no real plans for Florence. Art, food, wine….what can possibly be better?    Florence is a jewel, all the more beautiful to enjoy at a snails pace. Lesson learned!

  While deciding where to head next, we popped by I Due Fratellini for a quick glass of wine. This is a place we'll stop by when we are in the area. No tables or chairs, it's just a curbside wine and panini place. It's perfect for a hit and run glass of reasonably priced wine.
  

  

Always some good people watching here, too...

  All this stop made we want was an actual "sit-down"…my feet were beginning to speak out, and it was getting warm. Time for a more serious rest..

  Of course, that meant heading across the Arno to a new favorite, Le Volpi e L'uva.

  We love this tiny, off the main drag, friendly and tasty enoteca/cafe. What the folks behind the bar do with a couple of toaster ovens and a couple of cutting boards, well..it's outstanding. (thanks for the tip last year, Elizabeth & James..still love it!)

  We were happy to sit inside at the bar, as it was getting uncomfortably warm for us outside. Plus, watching the action is more than half the fun. We ended up going twice, once each day we were there. Why not? So many tasty crostone (open faced sandwiches) and salads to try.

Perfect to share with some good olive oil and garlic bruschetta..

    What a great spot to kill some time while chatting to strangers and watching the world go by. It was wonderful to relax, eat and drink…just chill for a spell. 

  We found out that the BBC was coming by the following day to do an onsite interview featuring one of the women who work there. She would be explaining why Chianti wines are so important, and just how they pair with different dishes. We had fun listening to their "practice" interview, and became part of the scene very quickly, as they all wanted our opinion on how it came across.

  Lots of laughs, teasing and nerves, too! We hope it all went well with the actual BBC crew the next day. I need to look for the video online…

  With the late afternoon ahead of us, we wandered back over the Arno to make a stop into the Palazzo Medici Riccardi, another must see that we hadn't yet seen. It is a Renaissance palace, built between 1444 and 1448. 

  On it's own, the building is impressive. It's known for it's rusticated stone walls, and inner courtyard, along with some outstanding interior frescoes, most notably by Benozzo Gozzoli.

  Ok, truth be told…this is all info I just gleaned off Google. 

  Sure, I enjoyed it, and the courtyard with all it's potted lemon trees is really beautiful….but…I was so happy that they were featuring some contemporary art in various rooms the day we were there.

  Paintings, photos, a couple of interesting installation works…all great to see. My favorite, though, was the outside garden room which had an amazing show of ceramic work by Marcello Fantoni.

One cool Italian dude.

  The space itself was a work of art, and how sweet to be the only visitors! It was a decent sized show, with lots of variety of form and color. 

  A seriously nice treat. I wasn't too familiar with his story, but had seen some of his ceramics while at the 2013 Venice Biennale.

  Me like, very much.

Captivating.

Hard to keep my hands off this work!

  

Classic Mid-Century Modern, Italian style.

  Well, that show was a real highlight for me. 

  Now, what's for dinner? 

  I'll tell you, I'm so glad I had made reservations for dinner at 5eCinque, another favorite spot, in the delightfully wacky Piazza della Passera. This little piazza has a fantastic vegetarian restaurant, a couple of other great restaurants, an artisan gelateria, and a small but very mighty bar.

  We go for all these reasons. A fun, fun place to spend a warm evening. Added bonus…benches all around, to make it all the better to hang out. It's just over the Arno, on the way to the much larger Piazza Santo Spirito.

  So, 5eCinque, which I have written about before, is the vegetarian place. Small, with small tables…I recommend reservations…especially for the two tables outside. 

  They set up a table for us on the sidewalk, bless their hearts, since the others were booked. I hadn't reserved for outside, not knowing if it would be too cool, but it was lovely, so they made it work. Grazie!!

We have sat at this table on past visits..It's just fine!

A menu sample from Trip Advisor…
I forgot to take a photo myself, but you get the idea..

  We were ready for something different, and that's what we went for. We both ordered different salads, which are always so good here.

Oh, yum…lots of toasty crunches on top..sunflower and sesame seeds,
as well as radishes and pumpkin seeds...

Don't know where they are coming from, but we were so happy
to taste a perfectly ripe avocado… Johnny's choice.

Also Johnny's choice…Rice with vegetables.
Not risotto, but with a more Indian spice profile.

Bad, bad photo…Good, good risotto with saffron.
Simple and tasty.

  We opted out on dessert, which isn't all that strange for Johnny and I. I know we didn't have gelato…I would have remembered. Guess we called it a night and moseyed on back to the hotel. 

  Travel is exhausting, even when you aren't really doing anything.

  Next morning we were awake early and ready to head over to the famous Mercato Centrale. This is always a must do, because I bring back loads of dried porcini to give as gifts to friends and family.

  Big changes this year, though! I had read that they opened the upper floor to house a "food court" type space, but wasn't prepared for just how modern it would be.

  There were a bunch of purveyors, some making the jump from food truck status, some just smaller versions of nearby restaurants. Tables are in the center, with stalls of deliciousness all around. The idea being..grab something yummy, get yourself a glass of wine, artisan beer, or juice, and sit down to enjoy.

  I didn't take lots of photos, because it was very early in the day, and not much was going on yet.   Naturally, we enjoyed some proseco with the best cheesy bread sticks I've ever had. Breakfast of Champions! Well, it was like… 11:00 or so…

  Anyway, you can get an idea here. It's going to be fantastic, I imagine, once people get used to the idea of it all. It sure smells good in the morning, as all the stalls are making magic in the kitchens.

  Oh, and BTW…We were both knocked out by the Daniel Buren installation here! Having just experienced his mind blowing work in San Gimignano earlier in our trip, this was a most perfect last day surprise.

The Daniel Buren pieces are the small red/white and blue/white striped boxes
all above the main area…so cool!

It's all about the scale of it..

  Yes, I know…I should have more shots of the foodie end of the place, but that's what the next visit will be for!

  Afterwards, we strolled through all the market area, and then just took our time walking around Florence. It was great…I know we made it back across the Arno..at least twice…I wanted to head way up above for a shot of the city at sunset time. That would be my first photo of this particular post.

  We enjoyed another visit, this time lunch, at Le Volpi e L'uva, we checked out an antiques market in Piazza Santo Spirito, had wine behind the Duomo, did the requisite shopping at Zecchi, (the art supply shop of Johnny's dreams)….We really did so much, considering we had no big plans.
  That's what I love about having no big plans, now that I think about it.
  We just cruised around….

We found a new spot to have a glass of wine….
Ummm…do you all get the general theme here?

Discovered this interesting shot of the Duomo….

Took a fun "Mirror Shot"….

Saw more art….

Explored an area we hadn't been to before….
What a great visit to Florence!

  Naturally, we had one more dinner in Italy, last night and all that.

  We had promised our local pals and owners of Carmel's own La Balena, Anna & Emanuele Bartolini, that we would say "ciao" to their pal, Nicolo, at one of our favorite places in Florence, Coquinarius.

  We planned to have our "last meal" there anyway, so what a special treat to make this new connection so far from home.

See that very sad looking gal on the left?
That would be me.

  Sure, I was sad…who wouldn't be, eh? It was the last night of two magical months in Umbria…in Italy…sigh. Tough to leave, my friends.

  Ok, I know…I'm so lucky to get to…blah, blah, blah..it's still TOUGH! 

  That's all.

  The  good wine and great food helped….

I am officially in love with Vernaccia di San Gimignano.
This was recommended by dear Nicolo, and we loved it.

  I know we split an appetizer and ended with sharing a salad, but I guess the photos were not too good, because I deleted them at some point. Also deleted, Johnny's very good artichoke and potato torta, like a big slice of savory pie.

  I did manage to save one nice shot of my pasta, which was two large ravioli, filled with winter squash and served with a buffalo mozzarella sauce. No kidding. It rocked my sad little world. Put a happy smile where there had been a frown.

We ate and ate and ate.
And drank some, too. Again, last night and all that.

  A spectacular last dinner in Florence. Thanks Nicolo! Thanks, Coquinarius! Thanks dudes in the kitchen!

Dudes from the kitchen, taking a little smoke break.
Classic.

  We said our goodbyes as we walked across the River Arno, checking it out and holding it all close.

  We'll be back soon, I just know it.

  Until next time…Buona Notte, Firenze!!

La Balena - Italian Bliss In Carmel

  Last night I took my charming husband out to dinner. It was his birthday, and this is what we do. We haven't exchanged gifts for years. There was a time when I would buy loads of things for him…little things he would ask for throughout the year. I would file these items away and go hunt them down. Then I would gift wrap these treats, and pile them at the end of the bed for him to wake up to. 

  What can I say…we don't have kids. And he loved being treated like one….

  Since we've started traveling more, this is our gift to one another. And it's a great gift, believe me. Now we just enjoy each other over a nice dinner someplace special. 

  These days one of our most favorite spots of all is La Balena, in Carmel. We love that it is kind of hidden back in a sweet courtyard, off the beaten track. Admittedly, La Balena has been "found", but it deserves it's popularity.

The entry courtyard/outdoor dining area of La Balena.
There are two outdoor dining areas, front and back.

   Owners Anna and Emanuele Bartolini feel like family. They are warm and ever so welcoming. We have had lunch and dinner a few times since they opened... I think in 2012. Emanuele comes from Florence, Italy and his wife Anna is from Georgia. They are both sweethearts, and seem to really enjoy what they have here. 

  Emanuele worked front of the house at Del Posto in New York, as well as Cantinetta Luca, here in Carmel. He is easy going with a keen knowledge of Italian wines. We love to spend time chatting with him about Italy…and the accent kills me every time. The lovely Anna seems to be on sight at all times…a very hard working and dedicated gal. She is always ready to help us with the menu, and point us to vegetarian delights. I believe she is vegetarian herself, but not 100% certain…..Chef Brad Briske, though no longer vegan himself, hails from our favorite SF vegan eatery, Millennium, so we can always expect something special when it comes to the veg choices. 

  On more than one occasion, the kitchen has fixed us an off menu dish, because there isn't a veg option. I love this. And I understand, too, because everything on the menu is seasonal and much of it is locally sourced, too. We feel as though we are eating in Italy, honestly. The products are that good.

The main dining area. Cozy? Yes.

  We enjoy sitting either outside, in the back patio area, or at one of the "chef tables", which are located just off the side of the main dining room. You sit with boxes of wine, water, all sorts of activity from the kitchen…I really love it.

  A couple of photos, below, from the little chefs tables. We have also sat with pals at a four top table back in this area. We always have a good time here.

The B-Day boy waiting for something tasty to eat and drink.

Me, too! After several stressful weeks, so nice to just sit and relax,
waiting for a very wonderful meal.

An up close and personal view of the available wines.
We like to try something different, and have never been disappointed.

  While we decide on what's for supper, we almost always have the warm house marinated olives. I can't get enough. The mix of olives is nice, with both big, meaty varieties and the small fun-to-eat types. They are served really nice and warm, too. No fooling around.

  The luxury of an evening out….sigh. It's been awhile! We decide on something big and oaky to drink. Though the oak forward chardonnays are "out of fashion" these days, I don't care. We both love the buttery, liquid gold feel of these wines. On this night, we chose a wine from the Sonoma Coast, "Red Car". 

What's not to love? A perfect glass to sip with the olives, a bit of good ciabatta and some spicy green olive oil…HEAVEN.

I could just stop here, but…… why?

The dynamic duo…bread and olive oil.
Really great olive oil...

  The menu changes with the season, as I mentioned, so it's always fun to see what is new or different. We have watched various dishes come out from the kitchen(a big plus to eating at the chef's tables!), and it all looks so good….Though we are non-meat eaters, I still totally enjoy seeing the plates of osso buco, salumi, octopus, etc. go on by. Evidently, on certain nights only, there is a fried chicken to die for. It goes fast, too, so plan ahead for this dish. 

  At lunch, we'll often go for a couple of starters, and then split a salad and frittata. A perfect meal for mid-day. The salads are fresh and seasonal. Very inventive combinations, as well as classics, like panzanella.

The menu on this particular evening in September.

  After a little more wine, we asked to start with the bruschetta with basil and burrata. I almost never pass on the opportunity to dive into some burrata, and this was served in a different way than we have had before.
  We usually have this very delicate cheese, basically a fresh mozzarella ball stuffed with more mozzarella and cream, served on a plate, kind of "cracked open" and drizzled with good olive oil. You spread it on crusty grilled bread with a dash of sea salt, and dig in. This dish was warm, like a typical bruschetta, with the cheese just lightly melted and topped with fresh basil. Of course there is olive oil and salt….
  I could have had another plate, certo! But, being a good girl, I held back, knowing there would soon be a superb plate of pasta in the very near future...

Crispy, grilled bread, creamy burrata, and lemony basil.
I want to do this one at home. Maybe even tonight.

  In between bites, we followed the action in the kitchen as well as the nearby main dining room. It was busy, which is always nice to see, and the vibe was great. Both the outdoor dining areas were full, as the evening was warm enough to dine al fresco.
  Really, a perfect place to be at a most perfect time.

 
 We were going back and forth, trying to decide on a pasta dish. Johnny wanted gnocchi, but the menu had only a version with pork sausage. Sounded lovely, just not for us vegetarians. I had already zoomed in on the tagliatelle verde, so I was set. As always, Johnny didn't want to order the same as me, and I love this about him. We like to change plates about halfway through.
  Anyway, we asked our dear server if the chef could do a vegetarian gnocchi. She soon returned with options…a creamy, tomato or olive oil based sauce?
  I love La Balena.
  Johnny went with a creamy sauce.

The vegetarian gnocchi on this night
 featured chopped Tuscan kale in a light parmesan cream.
The slightly browned gnocchi were just the way we like them.

  I was pretty excited about my choice, the tagliatelle verde, and it was a perfect pasta for me. I don't care for pasta with lots of sauce, and when I cook at home, I like a more "dry" type of condiment for my pasta.

  The pasta was cooked just right, and the combo of chantarelle and artichoke is another match made in heaven. I often garnish pasta with toasted bread crumbs. They add a nice salty, oily crunch. The truffle oil was not too overdone, thankfully. Just enough to add a bottom note of earthiness. 

Crunchy, velvety, earthy. I would order this again in a heartbeat.

Since it was his birthday, Johnny splurged on some extra calories with the polenta with truffle oil.
Again, enough truffle to know it's there, but not too much.

   As we were just finishing our dinner, Anna let us know we were going to have some Italian company soon, and what a delightful surprise. Just married the day before, Giammario from Rimini, and his new American bride Brandi, were too much fun to sit next to. 

  We rarely chat with neighbors while in restaurants, but these guys made our evening more special. We both had fun talking about Italy, California, music, movies….art! It was great! When they stopped by the gallery the next day, we felt like we had made new friends. Anna knew we would enjoy their company, and I'm glad she did. 

  Serendipity!

Ciao, Newlyweds!
So glad we met you-

  You are thinking…what about dessert? Well, a dear friend had given Mr. J two little lemon pound cakes, which were waiting for us at home. Let me just say, they were so yummy…we only split one that evening, and had the second little bit of sweetness the following night.
  Thanks, Marilyn!!!

  I am just waiting for another good excuse to go back to La Balena. Hmmm…I think it's National "Go Out To Eat" day soon, isn't it? Yeah, yeah... that'll work for me….


  If you want the closest experience to true Italian dining on the Monterey Peninsula, don't hesitate! Make your reservation today, and enjoy una vera cucina Italiana!


For all the information you need:
La Balena