My wife and I arrived in Florence by Bullet Train from Rome on Sunday, March 23rd. A well appointed king suite on the 5th floor of the luxurious Hotel Berchielli would be HOME for the next 4 days. Hard to beat that view of the picturesque River Arno ! Arriving back at the hotel after lunch at a cafe across the bridge I happened to ask the reception staff for a recommendation for dinner that night . . il Paiolo was the response I heard one of them say. We headed out to grab some craft beer and stopped by il Paiolo to have a look inside . . very nice, our kind of intimate Italian restaurant. A very sweet server named Nina suggested we make a reservation if we planned on dropping in for dinner that evening . . so 6pm it was.
Walking over here from our hotel we were amazed to see how many people were out and about. We arrived for dinner a few minutes before 6 pm and the restaurant looked pretty busy. NICE WELCOME ! And Nina who turned out to be our server showed us to a comfortable table. A couple of glasses of Prosecco arrived promptly courtesy of Nina. My wife doesn’t drink but hey I like it. We asked Nina for glasses of iced water, some artisan bread and a craft beer. I love to start my dinner with artisan bread and good beer.
Nina suggested a bottle of German Paulaner Weissbier – 5.5% abv which arrived with a tall stem glass soon after. GOOD ENOUGH ! It tasted fine . . similar to an American pale ale. I enjoyed some fresh baked artisan bread with my ice cold beer while we checked out the dinner menu. With Nina on hand to offer her valued input my wife selected Tagliatelle ai Funghi Porcini ( flat noodle with porcini mushrooms ) and I decided on Pappardelle al Ragu di Cinghiale ( large flat noodle with wild boar meat sauce beef ) . . after Nina assured me it does not taste gamey. The restaurant had a certain elevated charm inside . . part decor, part layout, part the self assuredness of our talented server.
FAST SERVICE ! Our meals were on the table by 6.15pm and looked truly mouthwatering. My wife . . a true lover of porcini mushrooms enjoyed her pasta dish immensely. FIRST TIME ! I’ve never eaten wild boar in my life but my meal tasted absolutely sensational . . obviously very slow cooked to maximize the flavor and tenderness. DESSERT ! With everything a winner so far we thought some dessert would be worth a try. My wife asked Nina about the Torta della Nonna ( Traditional Grandmother Cake ) and decided to order it. I love Cheesecake so that’s what I asked for . . with Strawberries. We were more than happy with our well made desserts which rounded out our very enjoyable dinner nicely.
THERE’S MORE ! I went for a walk to use the restroom at the rear of the restaurant and discovered there was another large dining room . . and it was already packed out at around 7.30pm. Our ever thoughtful server Nina brought me a glass of Limoncello . . I have to admit the Italians are getting me addicted to this palate cleanser. We loved our dinner experience here . . the relaxing ambience, top tier service, good drinks and sensational food. TAKE A BOW ! Thank you Chef Denis Mucaj for delivering excellence !
