CJT's Profile
Limoges area
We're expecting to visit with a French friend in mid-September at her new home in Limoges. Can anyone provide suggestions on good places in that area to eat and to stay (prefer b&bs rather than hotels)?
Rome-- lunch near termini and final dinner
This is a wise recommendation for your needs. take the Termini bus to Piazza San Silvestro, walk 2 blocks to Pallatium then take the bus back to Termini.
Where to buy mussels to make at home?
Naperville Super HMart regularly has fresh mussels available and they are frequently on sale (2 lb. bag $1.99). I suspect other Super HMart stores in Chicago should be offering them at similar prices.
Snails in black bean sauce?
Gosh, you bring back memories of New Lin Heong in the 1960s NYC Chinatown. It was my favorite place for late night noshing (and I'm not even Jewish!). It has long since changed names, some of which are not at all a propos of a restaurant. Stir-fried noodles were another hit there. the boss/greeter was "Sam". thanks for the great memory! Wish I knew where to send you for them here in Chicago area; we've had clams in black bean sauce here , but not snails.
Restaurant recommendation in Florence near Piazza della Signoria?
vini e vecchi sapori is located just off that piazza. Small place but excellent home-made food. Another is Antico Fattore on a small street right next to the Uffizi - try their gnocchi in black truffle sauce. Search this board for fuller reviews or comments on both places
Greek in the west burbs of Chicago
We have been very pleased with Basil's Greek Restaurant located in Westridge Mall (formerly Fox Valley Mall) in Aurora. Food is mostly cooked to order, very good, reasonably priced. You can get Restaurant.com certificates for the place (but not usable on some weekend nights)
Save me From Red Lobster in West Palm Beach
I guess we just didn't recognize any hipsters there, but some of the waitresses have tattoos. You "assum" the place is always the way your picture it. We're pretty staid folks and had no problem with the many families that were dining that night. We did like the food, especially the crab cakes.
Save me From Red Lobster in West Palm Beach
We just tried Howley's on S Dixie (about 4700 S) on Tuesday night. Had their crab cakes dinner - 2 big cakes full of good crabmeat. Lots of other good stuff on the menu. Just a bit north of Havana on east side of Dixie. It's like a retro diner but food is good. My 2 sides were Lima beans and spinach - spinach was in leaf form, not mushy, beans were tasty.
Restaurants near Vatican Museums
Dal Toscana is a restaurant we have enjoyed many times on trips to Rome. The address you give is not correct: it is Via Germanico 58. Excellent pastas, grilled meats, pleasant dining rooms, mostly local patrons. We recommend it.
Looking for an obscure cut of meat
Sounds to me like a leg of veal, which I haven't seen very often recently in meat markets. My mother (not Polish, not Jewish) used to roast it on a Sunday or holiday event. It used to be reasonably common, but maybe leg of lamb is just more salable these days.
Low and Mid Price Firenze (Florence) Suggestions for Student
Suggestions (prices my be higher since these reviews were originally written, but same value is still there):
VINI E VECCHI SAPORI Via dei Magazzini 3/R So small it's not easy to find at the end of this small street, just before you go into the Piazza della Signoria. Look for the word OSTERIA over the door and an oval sign in the window with the name on it. Seats no more than 16-18 people and you might have to share a table with others. Most of the clientele appear to be personal friends of the owners, so it is a very real Florentine place. If it’s full when you go there, come back in a half-hour and there might be seats for you.
Our primi were: tagliatelle con anatra (freshly made flat noodles with duck meat) and bucatini con carciofi (pasta with chopped cooked artichoke – not chunks of artichoke but little pieces blended into the pasta sauce). Both were priced at 8 Euros per plate in sizable portions, very delicious and flavorful. For secondo, we shared puntarelle stuffed with ground meat (veal and pork with spices and tomato pieces) – like cabbage rolls – but more subtle in flavors and texture (puntarelle is a winter chicory). Price was 9 Euros and we had enough for two to eat and enjoy.
This is a great restaurant to sample home cooking of good quality at a reasonable price. We would definitely go back for more.
TRATTORIA IL CONTADINO Via Palazzuolo 69-71r I posted on this place a few times and many chowhounders have posted that they enjoyed eating here as well. An excellent bargain: low price, very good food! Fixed price menu is 11 Euros and includes a primo, a secondo, bread, plus wine or bottled water. We had: freshly made fettucini with fresh pesto (best plate of fettucini I ever ate!) and spinach-stuffed ravioli in a meat sauce. Secondi: grilled swordfish (fresh and nicely grilled) and veal stew with tiny peas and potatoes. Both secondi came with side orders of vegetables so we shared a plate of mixed cooked veggies (potatoes, carrots, artichokes, green beans) and a mixed greens salad with radicchio, fennel, chicory, and lettuce.
Some changes from original posting: the restaurant décor has been spiffed up, but still plain and clean, fixed price no longer includes dessert and coffee, many more Americans eating there. It was once more of a working man’s restaurant with few foreigners. BEST PRICE/QUALITY VALUE IN FLORENCE
IL PALLOTINO Via della Stinche 1/r (across from small Ukrainian church on corner of Via Vigna Vecchia) Found this little place when others nearby were not open. They offer a “menu degustazione” at only 8.50 Euros and it was quite good: penne in a simple butter and black pepper preparation, followed by a grilled slice of pork with carrots and zucchini. Wife ordered risotto with speck and radicchio and found it a real delight. Rice turned red from being cooked with the radicchio and the speck gave it a nice extra flavor (8 Euros). Unpretentious good restaurant at a budget price. Mostly Italian families eating there.
NERBONE in Mercato Centrale Many Chowhound folks go to this food stand at the Market for the beef or pork sandwiches which are reasonably priced. But most ignore the daily menu posted behind the counter. Ribollita we ate there was one of the best we had. Pasta dishes are quite good, as are all soups. Daily menu items are quite low in price and you can have a good and filling lunch for a very modest price (their wines are also inexpensive).
Boynton Beach
Anyone have input on GOL Brazilian in Delray Beach? worthwhile or not?
Rome restaurants - distants
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/562340
Visit the above posting.
This will offer you information about another restaurant quite near your hotel. Sometimes you get tired of running all over to find a named restaurant. You might tuck this info away in case you have a night in which you want to just walk to a good place near where you are staying.
Florence: Seeking Casual Dining
Re your note about disliking Nerbone: I usually mention that Nerbone serves other very good hot dishes in addition to the meat sandwiches and suggest those going there try them. It's for the very reason you cite -- if you don't like the sandwich, you don't like Nerbone. But I've had an excellent ribollita there and several pasta dishes that please us. Their prices are very reasonable, as you learned. If you go to the Mercato Centrale again, try other dishes from Nerbone's daily menu on the chalkboard.
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Nerbone
Via dell'Ariento, 87r, Florence, Tuscany 50100, IT
Rome restaurant near Hotel Majestic via Veneto
Maureen, I read your post as if someone should go looking for some way to find fault with Vladimiro, though I know that's not your intent. My family, neighbors, friends, and CH readers to whom I have recommended this restaurant have by and large found it worthwhile and fairly priced. Folks staying in the Via Veneto area also find it most convenient after a day's worth of sightseeing or shopping in Rome. The replies from CH readers who ATE THERE were overwhelmingly positive and I am grateful to shoeluvr for re-iterating her experience -- note that she's been there several times, not just once (wife and I have eaten there on every Rome trip, going back to when it was named Marcello). As for the guitar, that might have been on a weekend or at holiday season. We were present once just before Christmas and the guitarist entertained a sizable group of Italian ladies who were in celebration mode; haven't seen him in the last 2-3 visits. He also used to play outside on their sidewalk dining area during warmer weather.
What "others who live here" think is a bit condescending. I recommend this place for visiting tourists who want an excellent dining experience at reasonable prices in a neighborhood near their hotels. Ex-pats living full-time in Rome may have other yardsticks to judge a place to their liking, but Vladimiro is a good place for those I mention above. But who knows -- you might like it as well!
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Vladimiro
Via Aurora, 37, Rome, Lazio , IT
Visitor looking for Good Chinese Buffet
Regardless, the Crazy Buffet is excellent. First time we went, their sushi was unremarkable, but in a month or so, it went way up in quality and flavor. the seafood buffet is excellent and well priced at $20. The place is just west of I-95 on south side of the blvd a short distance past La Quinta hotel
Help! Need Restaurant in Florence for Large Group--Moderately Priced
Explore Antico Fattore. They have 2 dining rooms and might be willing to provide you a whole room for your party. It's right next to the Uffizi and just off the Piazza della Signoria. Another thought it to try Teatro del Sale where a group that large should not be a problem. You woudn't have to worry about servers, as there are none - meal is self-serve from a copious communal table and includes wine, waters, tea, coffee. Not right in center, but a short electric bus ride from there.
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Teatro del Sale
Via Dei Macci, 111/R, Florence, Tuscany 50122, IT
Corelino's Coal Oven Pizza
Ate there earlier this year on Super Bowl Sunday. Pizzas were excellent, although pricey for the size. Would go back again. Strange thing that day: outside menu board touted their special of the day as veal Marsala, but a single man client came in to order it and they told him they ran out of Marsala (they suggested he wait for 1/2 hour so they could get more, but he left). One should always be sure to have ingredients for one's specials of the day.
American Food Gifts to bring to French Family
We've always found that male French friends greatly appreciate a bottle of good American Bourbon Whiskey. Not exactly food, but they sure do like it.
Restaurants near Vatican
Girarrosto Dal Toscano at Via Germanico 56 (between Via Ottaviano and Vis Vespasiano) would serve nicely. Good food, reasonable prices, mostly local clientele. Grilled meats, excellent pastas.
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Dal Toscano
Via Germanico 58,, Rome, Lazio 00192, IT
Chateauneuf du Pape Visit
Patrice Magny is a great winemaker in CDP but has no tasting room except in his basement. We did see his wines on sale at the Chateau des Fines Roches store at reasonable prices.
Lombard Area week of Aug 15
I vote for Parker's. I'm fond of their bouillebaisse, although it is not up to French standards. They do have discounted "bar food" on certain weekday nights and probably worth checking out.
Honeymoon in Provence - Off-the-beaten Path Ideas?
Suggest you re-consider your plan to stay in Fontaine-de-Vaucluse if you are staying in the town itself. Parking is not easy or cheap. If you just mean a hotel or B&B nearby, that's a different story.
Please help me decide on my Florence meals
We've often seen single diners in dining rooms of Antico Fattore (just off Uffizzi courtyard). We enjoyed their pici and gnocchi in black truffle sauce.
I agree with Db Cooper above on Sostanza - try either the bistecca OR the butter chicken since you are alone. You might try Sostanza for the chicken and another restaurant for your bistecca. Give some thought to having a dinner at Teatro del Sale, which is a few doors away from Trattoria Cibreo (but run by the same family) - it is an unusual dining experience in that it is a self-serve buffet, but what they provide to eat may really amaze you (and wine is included in the price).
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Cibreo
Via Andrea del Verrocchio, 8/r, 50122, Florence, Tuscany 50122, IT
Teatro del Sale
Via Dei Macci, 111/R, Florence, Tuscany 50122, IT
Sostanza
Via della Porcellana, 25, 50123, Florence, Tuscany 50123, IT
Open restaurants near Trevi / Via Condetti in August
Palatium is in that area. Have you checked to see if it is open that night?
Need Thai restaurant recommendation for western suburbs
In downtown Naperville, you will find The Bangkok Village on East Chicago Ave., right across from a city parking garage just west of North Central College. It's been there for many years (owners changed) and still gets good marks from diners. Not sure if they have a table for 7-10 people but you can contact them using their website and view their menu.
Also in downtown is Kuma's Asian Bistro, which offers a variety of Asian dishes, including some Thai. Located on South Washington St. Check their website.
On south side of Ogden Ave, about 1/2 mile west of Naperville North High School is Lemon Grass Thai in a small strip mall. Room is not huge, but they might be able to set up for a group like yours if planned in advance. Haven't been there in a while, but it was our "go to" place for Thai for many years. Check their website also.
On the corner of Route 59 and Aurora Road is Le Siam (in strip mall near Hollywood Movie Theater. Never been there but it has devoted customers and has lasted for a long time.
You don't have to go far from Naperville to find Thai food.
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Le Siam
376 S Route 59, Naperville, IL 60540
Asian Bistro
65 W Golf Rd, Arlington Heights, IL 60005
Bangkok Village
22 E Chicago Ave Ste 122, Naperville, IL 60540
Recommendations for a group dinner in Florence next week
I would second the recommendation on Paoli and add to it Antico Fattore, which is right next to the Uffizzi gallery. Both would be in the range for what you requested - nearby, good, comfortable, reasonably priced.
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Paoli
Via dei Tavolini, 12r, Florence, Tuscany , IT
Feeding a Family in Florence
I've recommended Il Contadino for several years and agree that you will get a very good meal for a low price. You should also go to the Mercato Centrale and eat lunch at Nerbone. Food is very good and very inexpensive, You can also shop for food there before or after lunch. Don't go only for the hot sandwiches (although I recommend them) but also try their daily menu selections. we found their ribollita among the best in Florence and very inexpensive.
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Nerbone
Via dell'Ariento, 87r, Florence, Tuscany 50123, IT
Centrale
piazza 6 Dicembre 9, Enna, Sicilia 94100, IT
