Toscana & Chianti News
Restaurant
THE HOME OF FLORENTINE FOOD
Combining the joy of the taste buds and the eyes simply doubles the pleasure. If the food also lets you to rediscover the flavours of your homeland, then success is a given.
That's what happens at Angels, in Via del Proconsolo, 29r, in Florence's medieval heart, situated between Piazza Duomo and Palazzo Vecchio. Recently refurbished in a modern and elegant style, this place has two guises: the restaurant and American bar, with a bespoke cultural space for those in search of a relaxing time-out.
It's a cosmopolitan place, according to the owner and chef Simone Bernacchioni, where there's a merging of past and present and you can delve into native Florentine flavours and traditions. Taking a break at Angels is like diving into the very depths of Tuscan eating and its secret flavours, rendered with a touch of culture and sensitivity. The cuisine is typically Florentine, applying the zero food mile philosophy, and constantly and determinedly strives for quality.
Bernacchioni is a proud custodian of the Tuscan tradition and has been championing the short supply chain for years. "I decided to let the food take centre stage, to let the flavours speak for themselves in a city where it's increasingly difficult to eat Florentine recipes cooked as they should be," he explained to us. He buys everything that's served within a radius of just a few miles, from the nearby market perhaps, where he personally chooses the products.
This permits him to absolutely guarantee the quality and offer a top class menu in line with the seasons. Nothing is left to chance, not even the international wine list, and the oil is strictly Tuscan. The Angels' restaurant concept not only focuses on the food, but is based on a set of elements including service and interior design. Not to be missed: chicken liver toasts dipped in broth, home-made tortelli from the Mugello area, served in a meatless Tuscan sauce, cappelletti pasta in chicken broth, and rabbit wrapped in roast suckling pig. What's for dessert? Zuccotto alla fiorentina, of course! [A semi-frozen, chilled dessert made with cake and ice cream.]
For 2011 the prestigious American "Wine Enthusiast Magazine" chose Nipozzano Riserva 2007 by Marchesi di Frescobaldi as the wine of the year.
Food traditions love to follow in the footsteps of young Tuscan chefs. In this case, the chef actually has a name. We're talking about Paolo Fiaschi, owner of 'Papaveri Papere' restaurant in San Miniato.
He has paraded his total look around the world, from Dubai to Shanghai to the sumptuous Moscow show some time ago, but without ever forgetting his beloved Tuscany.
