Restaurant suggestions!!!!

Try All'Antico Vinaio in Florence. It's ranked #1 restaurant in Florence on TripAdvisor and is popular with Florentines. Not to mention, it's very cheap. Ok this is not a restaurant, but I heard good things about Ca D'Oro gelateria in Venice.

As it just so happens...the host of this very forum has a book full of very good restaurant recommendations. I found that by cutting out the sections for the various locations and carrying the pertinent section with me during the day I could find something close by and convenient. Since I am not a very experienced Euro traveler it really helped maximize my time there. When I just took a chance on what seemed to be some place popular I was more often than not disappointed. There is a big overlap with other guide books as well and a reason the better restaurants are all listed.

I've got to say that Rick's restaurant recommendations are much more uneven in quality than his recs for lodging and sites. Tripadvisor is one place you can go for reviews of restaurants in any given area. Ignore reviews by people who have only posted the one review. They might be fake.

Holly, In Florence I'd highly recommend Trattoria Icche c'e c'e' (Via dei Magalotti, 11). It was suggested by one of the other regulars here, Roberto, and I wasn't disappointed! I don't perceive it be "gourmet", but rather just excellent quality Italian food. Have a look at the reviews on Trip Advisor for more opinions: www.tripadvisor.ca/Restaurant_Review-g187895-d4288364-Reviews-Trattoria_Icche_C_e_C_e_Florence-Florence_Tuscany.html I also enjoyed two others, Trattoria Katti and Lo Stracotto (you can check the ratings if you're interested). Buon Appetito!

For Chi-chi, I only went in Milan (legendary) for your destinations, the simple rule of leaving the tourist district, find a place without an English menu, that has lots of locals should serve you pinnacles of traditional. For the modern, find the yuppy neighborhood or where the hipsters love, or the high rent district, and again, see what's appealing and has locals.

We enjoyed Trattoria Za-Za in Florence.

Not a restaurant, but Grom has some of the best gelato I had in Italy. They have shops in many major cities. There's one about a block from the Duomo in Florence, and I seem to remember one near the Frari in Venice. The dark chocolate is amazing.

We are in Venice right now & quite enjoyed Rosa Rossa. I knew about it from my pre-trip research but then our hotel also suggested it. Johnny Depp also eats there when in town & became friendly with the owners. The prices are very reasonable too. We tried to eat there again last night but it was closed because it was Sunday so keep this in mind if you'll be in Venice on a Sunday. I'm trying to also make it to La Zucca. It has also been recommended on this forum & also by our hotel. We have noticed that Venice is a little tricky to find a lot of good food. Have a great time! We are loving Venice!

Holly, I posted a list just for questions like this that I gt from friends, visiting colleagues and virtual strangers :-) all the time. Here is my grab bag for Rome - the good, the not-so-great, and everything in between. Laurel's Restaurant Guide..

Thanks everyone!!!!

For Rome you might want to check out Katie Parla's blog @ http://www.parlafood.com She also has some recommendations for other places in Italy as well as an app for your smartphone (for Rome). Also has info on other countries. Don

Trattoria def Pallaro in Rome wss one of my favorite meals ever, and it was simple Roman classics done grandmother style and at great value. It's a fixed price menu and you get what they are making that day. The highlights were the carbonara and also pork loin.

A couple of tips: 1. The shorter the menu, the better the food. 2. If the restaurant has people out in front trying to get you to come inside, walk quickly away. Good restaurants don't need to drag customers in.
3. Order one of the specials. It's almost always fresh from the market that day.