Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Food In Pisa


I've had friends who visited Italy who said things like, "The food is just AMAZING. You'll never believe it." I didn't want to set my expectations too high though. I mean - food is just food right? The thing I loved the most about eating in Italy
was how I never knew exactly what we would get when we ordered. There were menu's in English and helpful English speaking waiters everywhere we went but what you saw on the menu wasn't what always made it out to the table. For instance, the picture above came from us placing an order for 2 glasses of prosecco. The platter of finger foods, peanuts, crips, and fresh strawberries were just bonus material and super tasty. 

My favorite place to eat, hands down, was Osteria Bernardo @ Piazza San Paolo Orto, 1
56127 Pisa (PI). 
This was a marinated beef with handmade fried crisps and a chocolate sauce - just cray cray goodness.

Asparagus with chestnut dumplings that were unbelievable yumminess.

This was an egg dish that was so incredibly light it blew my mind. This wasn't the size of the dish when it was originally served. I (cough, cough) may have gotten excited and started eating before I took a picture for the blog.

Fresh pasta with fennel and sardines (I can finally strike those off my bucket list!) I'd never had sardines before and now I'm kicking myself. These were obviously fresh and so very lovely. 

Dessert was a rhubarb and lemon tart with cream and powdered sugar (icing sugar). So, soooo yum. 

What I noticed consistently wherever we ate, were how fresh foods seemed to be. Handmade pastas, fresh fish, fresh vegetables and fresh fruits ruled the day. When visiting Italy, make sure to bring your appetite, remember restaurants tend to open at 7:30 p.m., and take things slow. Dinners last for hours over great conversation, wonderful foods, and beautiful wines. 

6 comments:

  1. chillairandperfumeJuly 3, 2012 at 8:03 PM

    OH. MY. GOD. I am practically drooling all over my laptop. I love authentic Italian food more than almost anything else in the world. So jealous!

    This reminds me of one time I was in Boston's North End (which is its equivalent of "Little Italy"), and I overheard some snobby woman say, "I've been to Italy many times, and I just wasn't impressed with the food." Haha. Glad to hear she was off her rocker!

    xo,
    Hannah
    www.chillairandperfume.blogspot.com

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  2. That tart looks a-mazing! I love desserts that include lemon, it's just such a refreshing pick-me-up to end with.

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  3. OMG...ain't that the truth! Italy had the most delicious food I ever had and I'm the girl who hates Italian food. Okay, I have to edit that part, I hate American-style Italian food. I never went to Pisa, but with food like that, I should've. OOOOH, I wanted to save this surprise, but I just can't. I found TWO old school cameras at a cute flea market in Potsdam, Germany. You were right!!!!

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  4. Aww, I would love to visit Italy one of these days!! :)

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  5. bonus material? WHAT? And they're not just rolls or breadsticks? FABULOUS. My husband went to Italy a few years back and told me the same thing about how fresh all the food tasted. I soooo totally want to go too and have an amazing culinary experience!

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  6. Ok, when you told me about this, I thought hmm...sounds pretty good. But again, food is food. And then pictures. And a rhubard lemon tart? Meat with chocolate? Hells to the yes. Book me the next ticket to food paradise, please!

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