I don’t make a habit of eating in hotels. I think this bias dates back to my days driving around Europe with my father in the back of our Fiat 128. Although I was only 12, I was already the master of learning how to navigate our family to the best places to eat using the Michelin Red Guide. I knew all the arcane symbols by heart, and could usually yell out several possible lunch or dinner stops to my parents in the front. The one thing I learned, early on, was to stay clear of hotel restaurants.
Back then, hotel restaurants meant three things: Fancy service, high prices and boring food. In other words places for non worldly tourists who were too scared to venture off the beaten track and explore where all the good, authentic food (at good prices) was really going on.
Although a lot has changed since then, I find myself having to deal with my ingrained bias all the time. I admit it: when I think of where to go out for dinner the restaurants located in hotels are just about last on my list. For no good reason at all.
Over the last 15 years or so there has been huge changes in Italy regarding hotel restaurants. And in fact, you can’t even really call them hotel restaurants anymore. They are more like destination restaurants that feature starred chefs with truly cutting edge, exciting cuisine. And they just happen to be located in hotels.
While the food has changed oh-so-much for the better, the fancy service and high prices have pretty much remained a constant though. Which helps explain, at least a bit, why you won’t find me there very often.
And let me take a moment to explain a bit about how I work when it comes to writing about restaurants on my blog and on my apps. When I go to a restaurant to try it out, I only end up writing about it if I like it and I think you would like it too. I don’t write negative reviews of a place since I think it’s a waste of my time as well as yours. If you want to know where to go it’s easy: just follow my advice. If you can’t find mention of a place on my blog, books or apps I either a) haven’t been there or b) been there and don’t like it.
Another thing: I pay for 98% of all my meals myself. I don’t get comped on a regular basis, but when I do, I make that very clear. I get invitations to restaurants almost every day, which I turn down almost every day. But every so often? I do accept an invitation. And mostly they are to places which I have heard are very good, but are at the expensive end of the spectrum and so are way out of the range of my daily budget.
And this is where hotel restaurants come into play.
So, yes I do accept these invitations. But if I don’t like them? Even though I was a guest? I don’t write about them. End of story. In other words, you can’t pay me to write about your restaurant.
So now that I’ve explained way more than you asked for in terms of where I’m coming from, let’s get down to business.
Recently I had the pleasure of dining at two restaurants that happen to be located in hotels in Florence.
And I loved them both.
Il Palagio
Il Palagio is, arguably, one of the best of this exciting new breed of hotel restaurants in Italy. Located in the opulent dining room of the Four Seasons Hotel, it is expertly overseen by one of Italy’s best known chefs, Vito Mollica.
Between the two of us, Domenico and I were able to try some of his most well known dishes. Before we got started the amuse bouche of lentils and octopus summed up the approach to the entire meal: humble, local but top notch ingredients combined in new and creative ways that insured each bite was perfect.
I started off with a dish as fancy and delicious, as it was beautiful: carpaccio of sea scallops with fois gras and caviar. My favorite dish was one of the most memorable plates of pasta I’ve ever enjoyed. Chef Mollica outdid himself. Linguine pasta ‘Benedetto Cavalieri’ with garlic, butter and chilli pepper, raw scampi and Cetara anchovy sauce. Really extraordinary and beautifully plated.
For dessert I couldn’t resist the Crunchy Caramel Bar with hazlenut gelato which I could easily have eaten two of instead of sharing my one portion with Domenico.
With one of the best cantina’s in town, we had a truly excellent pairing of wines chosen by head sommelier Marco Lami who chose expertly, and always surprisingly, introducing us to wines by small producers we had never heard of before.
Irene
I had a completely different kind of hotel meal during the heat of July at Irene, located in the Savoy hotel. Although I tend more towards the rustic when I’m in Florence for the day, I figured that enjoying a bit of pampering and air conditioning was in order for a hot summer’s day.
Irene is the chic and stylish bistrot in the Hotel Savoy that has been given a complete overhaul about a year ago. The design is now refreshingly retro (and by retro I mean mid century modern) and the menu has been designed by star chef Fluvio Pierangeli.
This is not the place to go if you are in the mood for rustic Tuscan fare. It is, however, perfect if you are looking for something lighter, more vibrant and just a bit different. I was there with a couple of friends and so we started out with several of appetizers to share. The crudo di ricciola con sorbetto di lime was cold, perfect and served atop a slap of pink himalaya salt was pretty to look at too. I also loved their spin on Vitello Tonnato, which tender and served with extra tonnato sauce on the side (that won my heart).
The Ravioli stuffed with pappa al pomodoro was a great idea, and actually worked deliciously. And the salads (remember I said it was hot out, so this was about all we could handle for a main course) were full of fresh greens. My only critique was the lack of real vinegar to dress the salads. I know most foreigners prefer balsamic, but if you’re going to aim this high then you should have true vinegar as well, right? But I didn’t let it make me that cranky. Because, well, we were well into an excellent bottle of rose’.
I’d actually been to Irene over this past winter, with my friend Georgette, to share a few cocktails. And while they do make all the classics it was fun diving into some of their house creations as well.
Il Palagio
Four Seasons Hotel
Borgo Pinti, 99
Florence
Tel: +39.055.2626450
Irene Firenze
Savoy Hotel
Piazza della Repubblica 7
Florence
+39.055.2735.891
I was a guest of both of these restaurants.
For more information on dining in Florence and Italy download my app, EAT ITALY. EAT ITALY is a free app, and contains guides to Venice, Milan, Rome, Florence and Umbria (and an ever expanding list of regions and cities) available as in-app purchases for both iPhone and iPad
After your stay in Florence, if you are heading out on a road trip through Tuscany (and why wouldn’t you be?!) there is here the perfect itinerary, courtesy of Avis. (sponsored link)
Thanks for defense of wine vinegar. Its become an uphill battle here in California: so much so that I now carry a small bottle of the stuff in my back pack.
Oh, reading the first paragraph made me smile …
We used to travel the same way in those pre-internet days, driving through France in summer and Italy in fall on the roads less travelled – always scanning the map for the smallest towns and the big red book for the Bib Gourmand icon (= exceptional good food at a moderate price)
My dad recently gave me a reprint of one of the original editions from the 1950’s I think. It just about brought tears to my eyes. It was my madelaine.
Elizabeth you have given me the confidence to check out a hotel resto! Cause like you, avoid them like the plague! And the menu items you had at Il Palagio not only looked wonderful but your descriptions made them even more desirable. Love the ring BTW!!! You seem to wear jewellery I like…I have gotten more comments about the Colesseo ring than you can imagine! We also really appreciate a good wine person who can recommend wines we don’t have any idea about…actually how we discovered Mt. Etna wines…the sommelier at Settembrini gave us so many samples to try and selected wonderful wines to go with our menu choices!
So glad that Luca at Settembrini helped you discover new wines!!!
Back a few years ago you mentioned a function or something that you had been to and at the event a dish made by a Chef at the Hassler Medici was one that you raved about. I tracked the recipe down, found it in Italian and make it at least 4 times a year for dinner parties. Scallops, mozzarella, celery leaves and garlic cream sauce. The first time I made it I understood your rave. So once in a while, I agree, dining in a hotel (not the same as hotel dining) is a good thing. I also agree that it is usually $$$$ as opposed to $ or $$. Thanks again, as always.
I wish scallops were easier to find here, then I’d be making it too.
I just read your newsletter & saw the news of 2.new.books. How exciting! I hope that the life style book will include a source for the checked tablecloths you use on your outdoor table in Todi. They are different than the checkered tablecloths you find in the states – more understated, less “country”.
Thank you! And yes, there will be many resources for tablecloths and more!
So glad you detailed how you rate restaurants and were super transparent about invites. I think the writing community gets on their high horse about “freebies” and my view is this:
Unless pubs start giving budgets to people like back in the good ol’ days then I think we should take off our judgement pants- some freelance writers weren’t born with a silver spoon in their mouth. Personally, I have the same approach as you where I go out to eat a lot and write about them after if I like them. My time (and meals out) is valuable and frankly I’d rather eat at home then have to hear some restaurant’s spiel and pay for it later at the gym.
Writers should be transparent when something is comp’d or if they’re friends with the establishment they are promoting. I often wonder, that even if one is “paying their own meals” at their local favorites (especially if mgmt knows them and knows they are promoting them online), that they aren’t being taken care of either in extra wine, drinks or discounted tabs.
I’ve been to Irene, now I’ll have to try Il Palagio. Although recently a friend raised a good point about freebies- even if we as food writers focus on the food and will not rate a place if the food sucks, the experience will be different because of the service. Most people will have a dining experience ruined by service even if the food was phenomenal. Would love your thoughts on that!
Usually, the only time I accept comps, is when I can’t afford to pay that much, and that is almost always in a hotel setting. And frankly, whether the food is good, bad or great, the service is almost always excellent in those places. Even if hotel restaurants don’t always know how to do food well, 99.9% of the time they get the service right and then some. And for that reason, if for no other, I often give these places a break because certain kinds of people value service and comfortable setting over the food. While that is not my cup of tea, I realize that a lot of people who read my reviews are tourists. But again, I always do make myself clear. Also? to your other points, after way too many years doing this (stopped counting) I know when I am being taken special care of, and am able to figure that into anything I write.
“Even if hotel restaurants don’t always know how to do food well, 99.9% of the time they get the service right and then some” That’s what I imagine too!
“And after way too many years doing this (stopped counting) I know when I am being taken special care of, and am able to figure that into anything I write.” Thank you and agreed- If only all could figure that in and just be honest! I just see a lot of blogs/site boast/beat their chest “I pay for my own meals” while I quite appreciated your approach better, i.e. casually mentioning how you rate/attitude towards comps in a non-self righteous manner. Pardon the heavy opinionated tone- and thanks for taking the time to respond! x
I just realized I never commented on this even though I thought I did! Thank you Elizabeth for the kind mention and also for such a well-balanced review of your experiences at both places. Honestly hotel restaurants have come a long way and it’s nice to see this demonstrated in seasonal cuisine.
thank you, perfect recommendations