Tomorrow some of the Los Angeles ladies from the program and I are ditching class and going to trek to the Prada and Gucci outlets a bit southeast of Florence. We consolidated our plans after dinner, pulling out maps and detailed directions we had acquired, and figured out which trains, buses, and taxis to take in order to reach Paradise. If time and logistical convenience permits, we will also hit up Fendi. But shopowners, beware: we are coming.
The past two days were filled with a whirlwind of good, fun, activity. Yesterday we went to a highly recommended trattoria on Via dei Macci. Cibreo actually occupies three properties on three corners: Ristorante, Trattoria, and Café. The restaurant costs three times as much as the trattoria and the café is a small extension of the restaurant that also focuses on desserts and coffee. We could only afford the trattoria, but we had to wait a good hour and a half. Passed the time chatting with two London ladies, and figuring out the menu posted outside. Stuffed chicken neck. Veal hock. Roasted rabbit. Tuscan shishkebab with lamb, veal, chicken, and pork.
My classmate from Mississippi was really pumped up about the rabbit but it turned out that they didn't have any for the day. I ordered polenta with tuna as an antipasto, then tuna and beans as a first dish, and finally chickpeas as a side dish. All were delicate, pure, but liberally salted. The desserts, however, were truly special. Panna cotta with caramel, cheesecake with orange marmalade, chocolate cake, and bavarese (a mousse - Bavarian cream, perhaps?) with strawberry sauce. We took four desserts for the six of us and just passed them around.
After that I went with some of the girls to a "private club" called Montecarla, that is right by the river. What makes it private is that you have to fill out some lame paper cards and turn them in before you leave. It was a very cozy, charming place, decorated with all sorts of animal prints and sporting a predominantly Latin theme. It reminded me though of a coffee house in the States because there were board games lying around and for the most part the decor was ostentatious and cluttered. We gossiped over flavored champagne and wine spritzers.
It's been raining for most of today. Mel, Tam, Jean, Christa, Daniela and I were brave tonight and went to a sushi restaurant. It had a minimalist decor and reminded me of the Standard on Sunset. It also had "ethnic cuisine" including enchiladas, curry, and hamburgers. The maguro was unacceptable: tough, fibrous, and fishy. The only reason you could even identify it as tuna was that it was a reddish color and raw. Plus, I could have sworn that they used some kind of tom yum flavoring for the spicy sauce, which made no sense at all. It was an interesting experience, overall, and I noticed that Japanese girls are more inclined to speak Italian than Chinese girls because Japanese is multi-syllabic like Italian, whereas Chinese is strictly mono-syllabic.
I hope the rain does not persist. I am going away for the weekend and intend to work on my tan.
posted by Lucy Sloan @ 3:06 PM
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