Those Italians know how to eat, drink and make new friends

Dear Reader,

I've been working on taxes for two weeks and was going through my travel receipts yesterday. Among them I found a receipt for one of my favorite restaurants in all of Italy, Il Latini, in Florence. This restaurant is definitely on the tourist radar being in all of the major guide books and I know some people are put off by this but all I can say is you don't know what you're missing if you don't try it.

John and I have been to Florence many times and seen many beauties and also enjoyed many fabulous meals. Afterall, Florence is one of the culinary capitals of Italy. Their famous Bifstek Fiorentina alone is worth the trip. In fact, there are so many wonderful restaurants in Firenze that it can be hard to choose, but no matter how many times we visit, we always make time for Il Latini because it is a special event besides providing a great meal.

We first went to Il Latini on our first trip to Italy. It was all new and exciting to me and when we arrived we found a crowd on the sidewalk pouring into the narrow lane. I was afraid we wouldn't get in but "The Bull" came out immediately to do a head count and then wnet back inside. John followed him inside and asked if he didn't want our names. The Bull said, "No, I remember you.". A few minutes later he came outside with a tray of what looked like small water glasses filled with white wine. We each took a glass. Then he returned with fresh but prosciuto and parma cheese. This was so delicious and went perfectly with the wine.

While we waited and ate and drank wine we talked to other people around us and found very interesting companions. They had come from all over the world, as far away as Australia, and as close as France. They came from everywhere it seemed and we had a very lively conversation. Every now and then The Bull would come outside and point at people, "You, you, you and you" and then walk back inside. It was kind of like winning the last tickets on the plane out of Casablanca and the chosen would get very excited.

When we were called we were the only ones and said goodbye to our remaining friends. They seated us at a long picnic table in the main part of the restaurant where the prosciuto and garlic strings and Chianti bottles hang from the ceiling. John has to duck to avoid hitting his head on them. It's a very lively and loud room. We sat with some guys from Australia and a couple from Spain and I think some Germans. We were truly international that evening. The open bottles of Chianti in the baskets were already waiting. Then the platters of antipasti started arriving. More prosciuto and cheese and peppers and mushrooms, artichoke hearts, and on and on. It was a ton of food and we were just getting started. Amazingly, if you wanted more all you had to do was ask and they would bring more.

This was followed by soup and salad and then your choice of pasta dishes. It was all good. Then finally the main course which was recited to us rather quickly in a thick Italian accent which included Bifstek Fiorentina, a pork loin, chicken or fish. This varies from week to week. Everyone seemed to have something different but we all enjoyed our main course tremendously.

Then came the deserts and the digestifs. There were several desert choices including zambiglione, a cheese plate a fruit plate, profiteroles and something like a rum drenched cake. Who could eat all of this? But we didn't care because we were having so much fun. Then they brought out the Grappa to top it all off. This really helped to relieve some of the bloating feeling after such a huge meal.

As people got tired and started saying their goodbyes, John and I continued to sit and drink Grappa and blab loudly to each other about anything and everything before we realized that it had gotten quite late. Finally our waiter came to our table and asked us to leave because he wanted to go home. We asked if he would take us home with us because we had no idea where our hotel was. I believe he actually considered it for a few minutes and then we all laughed. But what a great evening it was! We talked about if for years and years, it was that memorable.

On another visit to Firenze we were seated in the same part of the restaurant but while we had been waiting we had met a group of four British gals who were whopping it up on a long weekend trip to Florence. That right there makes me extremely jealous. To think they can just hop on a plane and be in Florence in 2 hours is simply not fair. But they were fun and interesting to talk to so we made fast friends. We were hoping that we would all get seated together but that was not to be. The Bull decides and he took just John and I so we said our goodbyes again. This time we sat at a picnic table with a couple from Atlanta, Georgia, a couple of German guys and a couple from Brugges, Belgium. They were very nice but a bit restrained at first. It was up to John and I to liven up the table and get everyone going. By the time our second course was brought we were all laughing and having a great time. The menu was similar and still good and once again we were the last ones to leave. Strangely enough, we had the same waiter and this time he sat down at our table and asked if we were leaving soon. We love to respond with "We've been thrown out of worse places than this." a Steve Martin favorite line of ours. So we were kind and left.

It seems that several years passed without eating at Il Latini for various reasons. Once we couldn't find it. Florence is a bit of a maze and it's easy to get turned around. Another time we ate too big a lunch and just had no appetite for Il Latini. You must be starving before eating there. Finally we were so determined to eat there that I included Firenze in my itinerary just for dinner at Il Latini. We decided to go on a Monday because we had had a light lunch and low and behold they were closed! How shocking. It never crossed my mind to check their hours. I just thought they were open every day. John was truly despondent and complained about it for the rest of the trip. I determined that I would never make that mistake again and made a note of it.

Last May when we were in Italy I once again included Firenze so we could dine at Il Latini. We even walked over to find it during the day and checked their sign and hours. Previously Il Latini had always served dinner from around 7:30PM until 11:00 or so and you would just show up and wait for The Bull to call your name but I guess fame has caused the restaurant to change their methods. They now have only two dinner seatings: 7:30PM and 10:00PM. They also take reservations now. This was all unknown to me when we showed up to get in line and I was really surprised by the huge crowd already crammed around the front door waiting for it to open. I overheard people in lthe crowd and gathered that they had reservations. Oops, I thought. This could be tragic, for me that is, if we didn't get in.

When the door opened, there was an elegant lady at a podium checking reservations. There were people in large groups together and I overheard people saying that without a reservation you won't get in. Oh no! This can't happen. So I told John to just try to stay close to me because I was getting us in that restaurant. Up to this point I had been allowing people with reservations to cut in front of us continually so they could get to the front door. Then I decided to hell with that, and joined in the rest of the crowd pushing strongly forward towards the door. I finally made it inside and when asked if we had a reservation I said "No" expecting to be turned away but instead she said "Follow me.". We were taken into a separate dining room which was much fancier than the old room. There were no hanging hams and no picnic tables. The tables seated four people only but could have extra chairs added and all had white table cloths. Our dinner companions were a very nice Swiss couple from Neuchatel, near the French border so we spoke French most of the time. We all ate something different and a lot of Chianti, which I noticed was really loosening them up, and we four got a little crazy. I mean we were all thinking the same things and making jokes about the waiters and the mass quantities of food and how serious other diners were. It was hilarious to meet people so much like us, albiet much younger. They stayed through desert and digestifs and lemoncello and we had a rip roaring good time.

I still have their names and addresses somewhere and one day I will come across it and shoot off an email hoping they remember us. This happens a lot when you are open to meeting new people and sharing a table. We also have the names and addresses of the British ladies we had met years before. We should really look them up next time we go to London.

All of these happy memories came flooding back to me simply by looking at that receipt yesterday. The total for dinner for the two of us was 90.00 Euros which isn't cheap by any means but it certainly is worth it. I can't think of a better way to spend an evening and 90.00 Euros than by having a wonderful and long dinner with new and interesting friends. Il Latini is worth every penny.

It makes me sad to think that there is a group of people out there who are so serious about their guide books and recommendations that they refuse to try Il Latini just because it has become touristy. They don't know what they are missing. Afterall, we are tourists, aren't we? We are also ambassadors of the world and as such it is our duty to represent our nation and share a commonality. What better way than over dinner?

Arrivaderla