Italy-Places to eat

Your question couldn't possibly be more broad.

Maybe start with a tour guidebook - also Chowhound is useful.

Thank you...I know this is broad. Just putting it out there to see if anyone had favorites we should try.

I used to research restaurants to places we were going to visit. After finding popular places too expensive or unappetizing, I quit planning ahead.

Just ask your hotel clerks what they suggest, and they can point you to local restaurants.

Here are a couple of fun lists to get you started. Also, use the Fourm search function as this topic has been addressed COUNTLESS times.

Guardian 10 Best Venice

Guardian Rome recommendations by cabbies

Rick's recommendations were really good when we were in Italy. In tourist areas a crowded resteraunt was rarely a sign of a good meal. You will run into a lot of other travelers with blue books but that was more fun than bothersome to me.

There are apps for the 'big three' titled Eat Venice, Eat Florence, Eat Rome by Elizabeth Helman - previously Elizabeth Minchelli. I have used all three and been very pleased with the recommendations. They are apps that can be accessed without wifi or use of data while in Italy.
I also agree with the Chowhound recommendation but sometimes they are really over priced.
Katie Parla has a blog with restaurant recommendations plus other info about Italy that is really nice.

We have found over the years that just heading down side streets and looking for more local restaurants work the best. As RS always says don't pick the fix priced menu that is geared toward tourist. We have tried some of his recommendations in the past and they are very good. Some times especially in Italy it is hard to find the location of these small places he suggests. Restaurants seem to be in every nook and cranny. Spot places while you are out and about and try. Hotel suggestions can be good, but we have been sent to restaurants that maybe owned by a friend and is OK.

I'll give you 2 for Florence:
On our first day we had lunch at Trattoria 4 Leoni on a side street near the Pitti Palace. Via dè Vellutini, 1r 50125 Firenze Italy
I had an excellent Gnocchi with mushrooms and my wife had black cabbage pesto pasta. Both were great. I would make it a point to go back to this place next time we are in Italy. I've heard dinner can be busy, so have reservations. Was the perfect way to start our trip to Italy and very well priced.
Gelato: Don't waste your time with the "mounded" gelato you see at every other store on every street. Unless its to set the bar low. Look for the artisinal or "artigianale" stores. We ate at Parigine, at Via dei Servi, 41/r just north of the Duomo, on our last day in Italy. I had a scoop of dark chocolate and a scope of pistacchio. So sad I wasted so much time on substandard gelato.
Also, Gelateria Artiginale La Strega Nocciola on Via de Bardi(on the Pitti Palace side of Ponte Vecchio) looked promising, but we did not try any as we were on our way to lunch.

Rome: If your looking for a big splurge: Jardin du Russie

Have drinks at the hotel bar, Stravinski Bar, then dinner at the the restaurant. Took my wife there for her 38th birthday. Dinner and service was incredible. Started with Roman style artichoke, then I had Ossobuco and my wife had John Dory with artichokes. We did not order dessert but they brought us a plate of small samples which were incredible. Wine was superb.

Here are my tips for finding a good restaurant in Italy:

1. Avoid the ones that have someone outside trying to lure customers in. The good restaurants don’t have to do that.
2. We’ve found that restaurant recommendations from a hotel are NOT to be trusted, esp. the larger hotels. Too often, there seems to be an arrangement with the restaurant to get a kickback for any customers sent to them by the hotel.
3. The places that aren’t right on the tourist thoroughfares tend to be better than the ones right on the popular piazzas, but that’s not a guarantee. A few restaurants are tourist traps and make money off scamming their customers. Those are almost all right in the busiest spots since they don’t have to worry about establishing repeat customers. Eat there at your own risk. In general, it’s much more profitable to go down one of the side streets away from the crowds.
4. Always try to order one of the daily specials, if they have one. The specials are made from whatever was fresh at the market that day.
5. The shorter the menu, the better the food. Avoid restaurants that have page after page of items. There’s no way that they know how to prepare that much food well.

Wow thank you so much everyone! This was exactly what I was looking for! Great suggestions to help us out!! Very much appreciated!!