Trattoria I'cchè c'è c'è - Florence, Italy Restaurant Review

Trattoria I'cchè c'è c'è

Via de' Magalotti 11/r - Firenze

Intro: A friend from business school recommended that we try this place out, so on our last night in Florence (Sunday June 23) we glammed up and went out. (Obviously this is GrubGirl talking, GrubDaddy doesn't "glam.") The restaurant is located in the historical center of Florence, but on a quiet unassuming street which was a nice escape. Prices are mid range - primi piatti (pastas and appetizers) are €10-12 and secondi piatti (main dishes) are €16-20.

To start, GrubDaddy and I shared the Ribollita (tuscan bread soup).

For the main dish, I ordered the Spaghetti alle vongole veraci e pomodori "datterino" (spagetti with fresh clams and "datterino" tomatoes). 

GrubDaddy got the Ravioli ripeni di ricotta e spinaci in salsa rosé (ravioli with spinach and ricotta in a rosé sauce).

As a side, we shared the Ceci cotti al forno (chickpeas cooked in the oven).

Taste (10) 

GrubDaddy (GD) - 8

GrubGirl (GG) - 9

Thoughts: 

(GD) the ravioli was delicious, but the serving was a bit small. Or maybe I just have a big appetite. 

(GG) I loved the soup - it was as if they ripped off hunks of Italian bread and soaked it in vegetable broth (which I do with soup anyway). The spagetti was cooked perfectly and the clam sauce was very flavorful. I didn't like the chickpeas - I thought they would be roasted and crunchy - but they just tasted like they were quickly sautéed in garlic and oil. Try a different side dish if you go.

Presentation (5)

GD - 3

GG - 4

Thoughts:

(GD) nothing special, but plating was clean.

Service (5)

GD - 5

GG - 5

Thoughts:

(GG) service was exceptional - our waitress was very friendly, responsive, and never left us waiting (a huge plus especially in Italy where we have waited over 30 min for the conto (check)). The owner (and head chef) also came out at the end of our meal to ask how everything tasted which was a very nice gesture.

Atmosphere (5)

GD - 4

GG - 3

Thoughts:

(GG) It was kind of small inside (you could see right into the kitchen) which made it intimate, but a little too much so. The bathroom was also a little dirty (easily fixed with a little cleaning, but not up to snuff just yet).

Grubpoints (5)

GD - 4

GG - 5

Thoughts:

(GD) Similar to other restaurants in Italy, the pasta was made daily and produce was very fresh. The owner came out to see if the meal met our expectations and even the house wine was one of the better wines we've had. 

(GG) Similar to other places in Italy, there was a "cover charge" for the table (pane e coperto). At I'cchè, the cover charge was €2 but you got not only bread, but also a glass of champagne and some delicious fried dough. I'm giving this place full Grubpoints because they exceeded coperto expectations (which I normally just find annoying).

Overall (30)

GD - 24

GG - 26

At an average of 25/30, we would definitely recommend Trattoria I'cchè c'è c'è to readers. It's a solid northern Italian meal in a place that doesn't make you feel like a super tourist, in a city full of tourists. 

Gelateria Santa Trinita - Florence, Italy

If you haven't picked up on this already, GrubDaddy and I are quite partial to food establishments in the immediate vicinity of the apartments we rent. Gelaterias are no different and in Florence we hit the jackpot with Gelateria Santa Trinita (http://bit.ly/10ToQmx). It is located in the Oltarno neighborhood on the "other side" of the river (cross the Santa Trinita bridge - it's the bridge right before the Ponte Vecchio). 

Anyway, onto more important things - like the flavors. Talk about variety...GrubDaddy and I went three times (ahem during our three day stay in Florence) and you get two flavors per small - so quick math - together we tried 12 flavors. There must have been over 30 flavor options available. Plus at 1,80 euro for a small, it's a great deal.

My favorites were the cioccolato fondente (dark chocolate) and the caffe (coffee), but I give major GrubPoints to the sesame nero (black sesame) and the fico (fig). Yowzahs. 

Here's the bacio (chocolate hazelnut) and sesame nero.

GrubDaddy went with his go to pistachio and added crema which tasted like vanilla frosting. It was gone within a few minutes so I think he liked it.

I recommend sitting on the Santa Trinita bridge to enjoy your gelato and the views. You can watch all the tourists throwing elbows on the Ponte Vecchio. We've tried our fair share of gelato throughout Italy and so far nothing tops Gelateria Santa Trinita. Go check it out next time you are in Florence - you won't regret it.

Signing off,

GrubGirl

Chez Prune - Paris, France Restaurant Review

So, being that this is a food blog, the next logical step is to review restaurants. GrubGirl and I go to a lot of them, so we figured, why not?

Just some basic points about our reviews:

1) we are, in no way, shape or form, professional critics. Basically, we're relatively easy to please, and that's the way most people view restaurants. Just like the original blog, this is for the normal person and our reviews will follow the same theme. 

2) our scale is out of 30. 10 points for taste (because that's the most important) and 5 a piece for presentation, service, atmosphere and other, aptly named "Grubpoints."

3) Grubpoints can be anything else about the restaurant like uniqueness of menu, drink variety, a funny sign at the door...whatever. 

4) neither GrubGirl, nor I, know enough about drink pairing so we will not rate the drinks, though a good beer could receive some Grubpoints. 

5) full and half points only. I don't like decimals, especially adding them up, but sometimes, a place wasn't a 7 but not quite an 8, so 7.5 it is. 

6) either one of us, or both, can review a restaurant. We will always have one comment to justify our score, but both might not comment. 

Since our reviews are out of 30, essentially a 20 or above means we definitely recommend it. 15-19 means its OK, but there may be other options and below 15 means it can't even satisfy a fat guy so you should probably just close. 

Since we're still in the middle of our European adventures, we'll start off with Chez Prune, located at 36 Rue Beaurepaire, Paris, in the 10th right along the canal. 

Intro: GrubGirl and I went for lunch, as the prices were reasonable, for Paris (€15-25). From what we saw, dinner was similar, just more expensive, so we decided on getting more for our money. I got a steak skewer with pineapples, sweet potato mash and some veggie slaw. 

And here is GrubGirl's lunch, salmon, haricot vert, cole slaw and rice. 

Taste (10) 

GrubDaddy (GD) - 7.5

GrubGirl (GG) - 8

Thoughts: 

(GD) delicious meal, would have liked a little more seasoning on the meat, and maybe an extra pineapple as it was cooked very well. The sweet potato mash was excellent.

(GG) full plate, fish was cooked well, rice was a little bland on its own, loved the red sauce for the fish (some kind of tangy tomato sauce)

Presentation (5)

GD - 3

GG - 4

Thoughts:

(GD) food was presented nice with colorful seasoning, but looked as though the skewer was just thrown on top at the end. 

Service (5)

GD - 4

GG - 4

Thoughts:

(GG) service was good for American standards. Almost forgot we were in Paris. Persians must think this service was a 27...out of 5. 

Atmosphere (5)

GD - 4

GG - 4 

Thoughts:

(GD) the place was cool with funky light fixtures and a great outdoor area. 

Grubpoints (5)

GD - 4.5

GG - 3

Thoughts:

(GD) the food was fresh and local, the drink menu was good and reasonably priced and oh yeah, this was our dessert. (Some sort of apple tart which was very good)

Overall (30)

GD - 23

GG - 23

Coincidently, we both gave Chez Prune a 23 out of 30, for a place that we'll recommend to our readers, especially for lunch. The food is good and while never packed, there were always a healthy amount of people both inside and outside. 

Chocolate Almond Croissants

Oh chocolate almond croissants - how I love thee. My obsession with chocolate almond croissants started the last time I was in Paris in 2010. I sadly found out upon my return to the US that bakeries at home have not realized the power of this combination. Chocolate croissant, yes. Almond croissant, yes. A chocolate almond croissant, [insert confused look here]. Needless to say, when GrubDaddy and I arrived in Paris on June 10, the search was on for the best chocolate almond croissant in the city. Here are the highlights and of course the winner...

The chocolate almond fake out - delicious, but only almond inside. After this experience, GrubGirl learned how to say - c'est cette croissant avec deux chocolat et aux amandes? Asking if this croissant has both chocolate and almond. 

The heavy hitter - this baby must have weighed at least a pound. It had a good chocolate to almond ratio, but it was way too dense. The perfect chocolate almond croissant needs to maintain a flaky and crispy outside with a soft and delectable almond paste and chocolate combination inside. Close, but not close enough heavy hitter.

The First Tried, Never Beaten, Gold Medal Awardee 

Les Delices de Parmentier

142 avenue Parimenter (11th arr)

Near the Goncourt metro stop 

How could it be? The patisserie closest to our apartment in the 11th arr. ended up knocking all the other chocolate almond croissants out of the park. It was the first place we tried, and it should have been the last. The croissant shell was incredibly flaky and crisp, and it had the perfect sprinkling of powdered sugar and sliced almonds on top. Inside was an amazing injection of almond paste with multiple sticks of chocolate (none of this one stick of chocolate garbage). 

If you are in Paris, you must go. Try one of everything at this patisserie. Especially my favorite. GrubGirl insists.

Signing off,

GrubGirl