During our four years in Italy, we spent an accumulated “many months” in Florence. These three restaurants consistently delivered world-class food and were the favorites that we returned to again and again.

Il Cibreo

Il Cibreo is THE restaurant that you have to go to in Florence; it ranks as one of our favorites in all of Italy. We prefer the trattoria, over the more formal ristorante and café across the street (the formal ristorante & café are very good, but very expensive, and a little stuffy); in any case, they all use the same kitchen, the only difference being that the trattoria menu is more limited. Il Cibreo’s menu is based on traditional Tuscan cooking, before the introduction of pasta. The menu sticks by classic dishes — e.g., polenta, papa al pomodoro — but they are typically done with concentrated flavors in a more sophisticated way than your typical Italian restaurant. Note that the Trattoria does not take reservations, so keep this in mind, because you will likely have to wait for a bit to be seated.

Il Cibreo Trattoria: Via dei Macci, 122R; Ristorante: Via dei Macci 118r; Telephone 055/234 1100; closed Sundays and Mondays.

Cavolo Nero

Cavolo Nero is our go-to restaurant in Florence. Located off-the-beaten-path (in the oltr’arno), this charming and elegant restaurant serves excellent, fresh food that changes with each season. Cavolo Nero’s super-friendly staff is happy to help you navigate the menu and its wine list. Another plus? The wine and food are very reasonably priced.

Cavolo Nero. Via dell’Ardiglione, 22; S.Frediano; Telephone: 055/294 744; closed Sundays (call to confirm).

Coco Lezzone

Coco Lezzone is the place to sample a real Florentine steak (bistecca fiorentina), cooked slowly on a grill; you must to call one day in advance to reserve una bistecca fiorentina (priced by the kg, that is, 2.2 lbs). Also try their delicious ribollita (traditional vegetable bread soup). The food in this unassuming family-run restaurant is excellent. When being seated, request to sit in the older front room as it is has a more authentic (old-school) feel and you get to watch the family interact with guests and each other.

Coco Lezzone (no website). Via Parioncino, 26/r, Telephone 055-287178; closed Sundays and Tuesday evenings.

Tips on Eating in Italy

We have definitely found that it is necessary to make reservations for dinner. Walk-ins are not as welcome. A reservation, made even a couple hours in advance, goes a long way and usually gets you a better table. Also, locals eat dinner around 20:30 (8:30 pm) in a city like Florence; however, dinner times may vary in small towns, so it is always best to ask someone what is typical for the area.

For more information on what to eat in Florence, check out our Approach Guide to Italian Food.

Shopping in Florence

No trip to Florence would be complete without dedicating at least some time to shopping. For those shopping-focused days, here is a list of our favorite stores that offer the best shopping experience in Florence - our list includes shops that sell unique items that you most likely won’t find outside of Italy or even Florence.

Do you have a favorite restaurant in Florence? Tell us your favorites in our comments; we would love to hear your recommendations!

Thalis are one of the most delicious and inexpensive dishes that you will encounter throughout your travels in India; however, they can be intimidating if you don’t know how to eat them. Our friend, Surya, generously gave us a few lessons in how to approach eating thalis – we hope that this guide helps you as much as it did us. Enjoy!

The thali is typically served on a round plate (or more traditionally, a banana leaf), with small bowls (including vegetables, curries and curd) lining the periphery; in the center of the plate is places a heap of plain rice, which is replenished as you move through the meal.

Although thalis can now be found in the north and south of India, the thali (Hindi for “the plate”) has its origins in South India, given its orientation around rice (as compared to the north’s orientation around wheat).

Fingers, please… A thali is traditionally eaten with your fingers, and only with the finger of the right hand, specifically. Use your left hand only for pouring the curries onto your rice and to grasp your drinking glass.

Rice is central to the dish. The rice sits in the center of the plate; you divide off a portion of the rice and place the different curries or vegetables on top of that portion (rather than pouring the sauce over the top of the whole pile of rice on your plate). Mix the sauces in with the rice with your fingers to get a good spread throughout the rice.

There is an order to the progression of thali eating:

• Begin by eating any of the vegetables (in both curries and dry form) on the plate. You can also eat the vegetables throughout as an accompaniment to the rice and sauce courses to follow.
• The fiery lentil-based vegetable sauce called “sambhar” is next to be eaten (it is added to a portion of rice as you desire).
• The chili- and tamarind-based “vathal kozhambu”, the spiciest of the three sauces, is eaten next with rice. Note that this sauce is not always given.
• The “rasam”, mixed with rice, is always eaten last of the sauces. It imparts a tomatoey and peppery palate.
• Curd (yoghurt) mixed with rice is always eaten last, to cool your palate and aid with digestion. The roasted dry chili can be added for balance.
• There is sometimes a sweet for dessert added as well.

Then again, you could just wing it! Just pretend like you know what you are doing and all will be well….Enjoy!

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Jamón for Sale at Ibericus in Reus, Spain

I have just returned to NYC after a fabulous visit with my family who lives in Reus, Spain. As usual, when I visit Spain, I seek out and gorge myself on Spain’s famous delicacy: Jamón Ibérico de Bellota – a delicious, acorn-fed, salt-cured ham.

Although this jamón is now available in the US, it is extremely expensive and often cut too thick, masking some of the delicate flavors that you get with thinly sliced jamón (nevertheless, it is still worth trying if you have the option; we recommend Boqueria (restaurant) and Despaña (specialty food store) in NYC).

We have created the guide below to help you understand the different types and classifications of Spanish jamón, so that on your next visit to Spain or to a Spanish restaurant, the only information you will be missing is how to speak Spanish!

There are four things you need to know to know when buying jamón:

1. Type of Product
   1. Jamón – the hind leg of a cured ham (fattier; higher quality); and Paleta – the foreleg or shoulder of a cured ham (less fatty, more intense flavor). As these two are cut, cured and eaten in the same manner, for the rest of this entry, I use the term “jamón” to refer to both the leg and the shoulder of the ham.
   2. Embutidos (other cured meats/sausages) – lomo (loin), chorizo, etc.
2. The Pedigree
   1. Ibérico – breed: Iberian; a black pig with black hoofs – sometimes referred to as pata negra
      1. Ibérico Puro – both parents are pure Iberian pigs
      2. Ibérico – at least one parent is a pure Iberian pig
   2. Serrano – breed: Landrace or Duroc Jersey; a white pig
3. The Diet
   1. Bellota – free-range pigs that feed on acorns (bellotas) and graze in forests/meadows (dehesa) filled with cork and oak trees. As you might have guessed, this is the highest quality diet.
   2. Recebo – free-range pigs that feed on acorns (bellotas), graze in forests/meadows (dehesa) filled with cork and oak trees and receive additional commercial feed
   3. Cebo de Campo – pigs live in an open-air pen and are fed only commercial feed
   4. Cebo – pigs remain in a closed building and are fed only commercial feed
4. Appellation (based on geographical location, quality and production)
   1. Jamón Ibérico
      1. Dehesa de Extremadura – the “best” – refers to jamón produced from pigs that live and graze in the cork and oak tree forests of the Badajoz and Caceres provinces in the Extremadura region of Spain (on the border with Portugal)
      2. Jamón de Guijuelo – Jamóns produced in the southeast province of Salamanca, just north of Extremadura on the border with Portugal (Castile-Leon).
      3. Jamón de Huelva – Refers to jamóns that are matured in the mountainous Sierra de Huelva region (in the western portion of Andalucía, just south of Extremedura, also along the border with Portugal). Jabugo is one of the most famous towns in the Huelva province.
   2. Jamón Serrano
      1. Jamón de Trevélez – Trevélez is located in the High Alpujarra (in the province of Granada, Andalucia) and sits over 1,200m above sea level. Curing hams at this altitude requires less salt, giving it a unique and sweeter flavor.
      2. Jamón de Teruel – The province of Teruel is located in Aragon (northeast Spain). Hams are cured at 800+ m above sea level, which also requires less salt than hams cured at lower altitudes.

How to purchase jamón: In Spain, they price jamón by the whole piece and by 100 grams (roughly 3.5 oz). 1000 grams (1kg) is equal to 2.2 pounds.  Buy and eat as much as possible!

How to eat jamón:

• For lesser quality jamón, put a slice on top of a piece of pan con tomate (toasted or untoasted sliced bread rubbed with garlic and tomato, drizzled with olive oil and finally sprinkled with salt).
• For top quality jamón, simply eat it with your fingers and let it melt in your mouth.