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.
