[.ca] Food Lovers Guide To Florence (ISBN 1580084354)

I admit it - I stole this book from the hotel library!:
My excuse is I looked all over Florence and could not find it in a bookstore. Once I opened the book I couldn't live without it. Emily Wise Miller is a superb guide to one of the world's best food experiences. We were in Florence at the end of the grand tour of Italy and wanted to savor our last week, but our favorite places were too expensive and touristy in high season. Using this guide we discovered real Florence and delighted in amazing Tuscan cuisine. Every trattoria, cafe, and gelateria was exactly as described, and the recommended dishes were fabulous. Truly a food lover's guide, it covers regional food and wine, markets, shops, even local cooking classes. If you are going to Florence, don't leave home without this book, and don't miss lunch at Trattoria Mario at the Central Market. I'm sending a copy back to the hotel to clear my conscience, and I can't wait to go back to Florence.

Great book but could improve on organization:
This is so far the BEST Italian food guide that I've read. The book is organized in different chapters such as Restaurants, Gelaterias, Pizzerias, Pastry Shops..... Each chapter devotes a intimate description of the different establishments and each establishment is traced to a grid on the Florence map provided at the back. The writing style is very intimate and you feel that the author has definitely personally experienced all of these places and took a lot of notes. The improvements I would suggest are that the index should be better thought out. (1) Reference food dishes to establishments in index. For example, say if you are looking for the dish "Osso Bucco", it is not found in the index and it would be great if the author could trace the dish to the restaurants that it's served. (2) Restaurants by Location Index. The restaurants are currently organized by type and price but not by location. It would be great if there is an index to list the various restaurants by map location,have an food indicative rating system next to it and a reference back to the main writeup. That would make planning the restaurant visits so much easier. (3) Also, the Tuscany culinary excursions section are very short (only 30 pages)and I think could be expanded to be more comprehensive. Having said that, I still think this is one of the best and most intimate writing I have read on this subject. If only the author would also write for other regions such as Rome, Venice, Amalfi....

Buy It, Read It--and Take It With You:
By Bill Marsano. Frankly I've always wondered why people go crazy about the splendid leather goods available in Florence. Yes, they're stylish, well-priced and well made--but can you eat them? To each his own, however. You want to buy shoes and handbags, or go to museums--help yourself. When I'm in Florence, I'm going to eat. The only things I buy to take away is food I want to smuggle back into the U.S. I go to Italy three to five times a year (and I'm always hungry), and Florence is one of the best cities forrestaurants, pizzerias, wine bars, specialty shops and gorgeous markets piled with fresh produce. I have lots of scribbled notes and crumpled business cards, but this book does a much better job. If I've succeeded in whetting your appetite, then grab this book before you go on your own trip. Emily Wise Miller is a good writer and an outstanding guide to the gustatory city. She hits the high spots but doesn't neglect the little-known spots that aren't smack downtown; she knows the regional specialties (the unsalted bread, the magnificent lard); she also remembers that some amongst us are vegetarians and health-food devotees. And when she's got you positively salivating, she closes her book with chapters on cooking schools and culinary tours. All you really need to do is check the photo facing the introduction. It shows a newspaper headline that freely translates as "Delicatessen Clerk Condemned! Sold Prosciutto Different from the One the Customer Asked For!" That alone will give you an idea of how seriously Florentines take their food--and how well-tuned-in Emily Wise Miller is. (Bill Marsano is an award-winning writer on travel and wines and spirits.)

Brilliant foodie guide:
This is a great guide to Florentine restaurants - on a 5 day visit it was our bible. Her recommendations are spot on, with only one out of 7 restaurants we ate in being a dud. We wouldn't recommend I 13 Gobbi - they treat the locals differently from tourists so beware! Try instead some of the lovely, unspoilt restaurants in authentic Florence south of the river.