need a replacement for taverna dei fori imperiali in rome!

i tried to make reservations for the above restaurant for the first week of september and they said they are not yet sure if they will be open as they may be closing for renovations. can anyone recommend another restaurant as a back-up for me, in case they are closed? the other two nights we are eating at la taverna dei monti and glass hostaria!

thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Il Ridotto or Al Covo?

okay, since alle testiere is closed on mondays - i am left with the choice of il ridotto or al covo for dinner on monday night. which would you choose and why? a little about us - i will try almost anything so i am not worried. my husband on the other hand is extremely picky - he likes more basic food and absolutely nothing that is raw! will one of these restaurants be better than the other for him? if i could see the menus this wouldn't be a problem but since i can't - i don't want to get there and either have nothing for him to eat or waste money on food that he hates! any help would be appreciated. we are eating at il refolo as our other dinner so that one should be fine for him!

nicole

niclaf77 in Italy

Osteria Alla Testiere - open Mondays???

thanks to everyone - those prices are fine! i just don't want to spend over $200 for a meal. it seems that either one of these places would be about $150 or so depending on what we choose to drink - not bad!

niclaf77 in Italy

Osteria Alla Testiere - open Mondays???

what am i looking at for prices at il ridotto for two people before wine? i was thinking about that in place of alle testiere since they are closed but was worried that it would be ridiculously expensive!

niclaf77 in Italy

Food & Restaurants in Lucerne - Help?

I have searched this board and found nothing regarding lucerne so i hope someone can help with some recommendations. We will be in Lucerne for two nights in early september. We have a couple of questions:

- what are some specialties of the area that we should not miss (chocolate, dishes, breakfast items, drinks, etc?)

-any recommendations for restaurants for dinner, quick bites for lunch or places for coffee/pastry in the morning?

thanks so much for any help you can provide!

niclaf77 in International

Great coffee and pastry in Florence?

thanks everyone for the replies and recommendations! and great website - i bookmarked that one for other references!

niclaf77 in Italy

Teatro del Sale or Trattoria Cibreo???

do you have any recommendations for other options that are in the same price range? thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Great coffee and pastry in Florence?

I have searched here and cannot find any posts that have to do with this. Can someone direct me or provide recommendations for places we can stop in the morning for good coffee and great pastries?

Thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Osteria Alla Testiere - open Mondays???

I am having a hard time with this one. I have checked several websites for this information. Rick Steves and Zagat say they are closed sunday and monday. Fodors says that they are only closed on Sundays. Their own website says nothing. I have emailed them to ask and to make a reservation but they don't get back from vacation until September 1st and I will already be in Europe and hope to have picked a restaurant that is open before I leave. Does anyone know if they are open on Mondays or where I can get an answer to this?

Also, just in case - can anyone recommend a place on par with this one in terms of food and cost that is open on Monday night? We already have a reservation for Il Refolo on Sunday night. Thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Il Ridotto - good for lunch?

i really want to eat here but in an effort to not spend a small fortune on dinner, i was thinking of trying it for lunch one of the days we are there. is the menu the same and will it be worth it for lunch? also, can anyone provide what the prices for two people would be for lunch versus dinner?

thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Teatro del Sale or Trattoria Cibreo???

If you had to choose between the two, which would you pick and why? one night we are eating at trattoria sostanza and need a dinner for another night - looking to choose one of these two. how do they compare/differ with regard to food, atmosphere, prices?

and does anyone know if il bussola is open at lunch time?

thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Paris Dilemna - please help!

I am having a dilemna and need to decide what to do. I will be in paris for three days and three nights but there are four restaurants that i would really like to eat at. i think that at least one of them may serve lunch but i need more info. the four restaurants i want to eat at are:
la varangue
le timbre
le florimond
l'atelier du parc

i think le florimond serves lunch - they don't seem to have a website so can someone confirm this and if they do - is the menu the same and what is the price difference between lunch and dinner. thanks so much.

also, does anyone know if either of the other three restaurants serve lunch?

thanks!

niclaf77 in France

Rome - Is this a good mix?

we will be having three lunches and three dinners in rome and after extensive research, i have come up with the following:

lunches - (can't imagine having two big meals a day so want to keep lunches light)
picnic supplies from antica salumeria
possible picnic from via andrea doria market on vatican day
pizza/sandwiches from la zozzone

dinners -
la taverna dei monti
la taverna dei fori
glass hostaria

are there any that aren't worth it or should be switched for something else? any wonderful things that should be ordered at any of the above and what are your experiences with the costs of dinners at the above? i know glass hostaria will be the splurge but want to be prepared for how much?

we also plan on gelato from a variety of places (so many to choose from) plus coffee/pastries from tazza d'oro and san eustachio - any more recs?

thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Florence - How is this plan?

out of each place that we will be visiting - florence is the only one that i seem to have a plan with regard to our meals. i have decided on these places based on recommendations here and other sites but would like to know if this is a good plan or if i should switch out any for somewhere better (in same price range). also, any must try items at these restaurants? thanks!

friday - lunch at teatro del sale
dinner at la bussola (definitely want to have pizza here but what else?)

saturday - lunch in tuscany on wine/cook tour
dinner at trattoria sostanza - (seems we should order bisteca and chicken in butter - anything else?)

plan on having alot of gelato but have been given many names - which would you recommend and any special flavors at each place?

lastly, any other special food items we should make sure we try or great places to get coffee and pastry in the morning?

thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Help me choose restaurants - Rome/Florence/Venice!

thank you for your replies! i do like the idea of eating fresh meat and cheese out in the fresh air rather than sitting in a restaurant for both lunch and dinner but i am willing to try anything good and will eat somewhere if it is the only way to fit in a place that i really want to try.

here is a dilemna i am having and maybe you can help. i was thinking of il ridotto as a definite but also came across great reviews for alle testiere. if i want to eat here, i have to do it on a monday as they are closed on sunday (there are our only two nights). so the pub crawl for cichetti cannot be done on sunday b/c most of the places are closed. can i do cicchetti on monday for lunch - is this something that is done for lunch? if so, anywhere great you recommend and then do i eat at il ridotto on sunday night or somewhere else? thanks!

niclaf77 in Italy

Spring "fast food lunch"???

i have seen this mentioned here and have some questions. is this fast food lunch of lobster sandwiches, fries - only served on saturdays? when reading reviews it seems that on other days, you eat whatever he wants to serve that day and i don't want that, i am looking for this lobster sandwich lunch. if it is only on saturdays - does anyone know the following: time this is served, do you need a reservation and approximately how much for two people? do you sit in the restaurant or by "fast food" do they mean you take it out to eat it? thanks so much!

niclaf77 in France

Paris for three days/nights - Help with Food Choices!

We will be in paris for three nights in mid september and are looking for some great food that won't break the bank. after research here and on trip advisor, we have a few options for dinner but need some help deciding. also, we have no idea for breakfast/lunch.

for breakfast, we are looking for some cafes that we can get great coffee and pastries/croissants. which places would you recommend and are there any specific items that you would order?

for lunch, we are looking for the best place to collect items for a picnic (it seems like rue cler may be a good option) - any other recommendations? and any other recommendations for lunch places would be very helpful!

for dinner - we are looking to spend around $100 per couple and willing to go somewhat above that for a great meal! right now we have two that really got us interested - le timbre and la varangue - any thoughts?

others on our list to think about are:
le tastevin
la maison du jardin
le relais de l'isle
auberge de la reine blanche
le florimond
L'Atelier du Parc

are any of these good choices (or not) and are there any not on my list that deserve a look?

thanks so much for any advice you can offer!

niclaf77 in France

Help me choose restaurants - Rome/Florence/Venice!

i could definitely use some help in choosing restaurants for rome (3 nights), florence (2 nights) and venice (2 nights). i have several places that i am leaning towards but not enough for each night.

Rome - I really am lost when it comes to rome, i need some places to have lunch (pizza, sandwiches, picnic items). i was thinking antico forno one day, and possibly picnic items from testacchio market another day. are those good choices? then i will need one more place for lunch.
Dinner - i was thinking armando al pantheon but not sure if it is a good choice. also, need some more recommendations for restaurants for dinner.

Florence - for lunch - one day will be in tuscany and will have lunch during a cooking class. the other day i was thinking about going to pegna for lunch items but would like some other recommendations for lunch (great pizza? - how about bussola?).
Dinner - high on our list is sostanza. other recommendations for the second night are vini e vecchi sapori or teatro del sale - are these worth a visit and was is the price range for two people? can someone explain what teatro del sale is like - it seems that it is not a sit down dinner? any other better recommendations?

Venice - for lunch - choices right now are il refolo for pizza and items from rialto market another day?
Dinner - il ridotto is a definite - what is the price range and do they offer a fixed menu (price?)
was thinking that the second night we would do cicchetti - any recommendations for the best place and time for this?

i would appreciate any feedback on the above or better recommendations. i don't want over the top expensive meals but want nice dinners. probably about $100 for two people but willing to check out some that may be less or a little more! thanks in advance for your help!

niclaf77 in Italy