ITALY - Best of Europe 2014 - page 1206

Trattoria Sostanza-Troia, characteristic and well established, is famous for its beef.
Hearty steaks and pastas are splittable. Whirling ceiling fans and walls strewn with old
photos evoke earlier times, while the artichoke pies remind locals of Grandma's cooking.
Crowded, shared tables with paper tablecloths give this place a bistro feel. They offer two
dinner seatings, at 19:30 and 21:00, which require reservations (dinners for about €30 plus
wine, cash only,lunch Mon-Sat 12:30-14:00, closed Sun,closed Sat off-season, Via del Por-
cellana 25 red, tel. [phone]).
Trattoria13Gobbi (“13Hunchbacks”)isatrendyandslightlyself-importanteatery,at-
mospherically cluttered and glowing with candles around a tiny garden. Romantic in front
and more kid-friendly in back, it serves beautifully presented Tuscan food (they're enthusi-
astic about their steak) on big, fancy plates to a mostly tourist crowd (€10-12 pastas, €14-19
secondi, daily 12:30-15:00 & 19:30-23:00, Via del Porcellana 9 red, tel. [phone], En-
rico).
Near the Mercato Centrale
(See “Florence Restaurants” map, here . )
The following market-neighborhood eateries all have a distinct vibe. They're within a few
blocks of each other: Scout around and choose your favorite.
Trattoria Zà-Zà is a fun, characteristic, high-energy place facing the Mercato Centrale.
It offers a family-friendly festival of standard Tuscan dishes such as ribollita and bistecca
allafiorentina, plusavarietyofbig,splittable€8salads.Thoughit'smoretouristythanever,
the food is still great, and everyone's happy. Arrive early or make a reservation. Choose
between the folkloric interior or the fine outdoor piazza. Understand your itemized bill, and
don't mistake their outside seating with the neighboring restaurant's (€8-10 pastas, €10-16
secondi , daily 11:00-23:00, Piazza del Mercato Centrale 26 red, tel. [phone]). Their
bar/osteria, nearby, has a similar menu (with a few differences, including more of an em-
phasis on seafood and taglieri —cheese-and-meat plates), a trendier-feeling interior, and a
smaller, more open outdoor-dining zone.
Trattoria la Burrasca is Flintstone-chic. Friendly duo Elio and Simone offer a limited
menu with good-value seasonal specials of Tuscan home cooking. It's small—10
tables—and often filled with my readers. If Archie Bunker were Italian, he'd eat at this trat-
toria for special nights out (€6 pastas, €7-15 secondi, no cover or service charge, Tue-Sun
12:00-15:00 & 19:00-22:30, closed Mon, Via Panicale 6, north corner of Mercato Centrale,
tel. [phone]).
Trattoria Lo Stracotto is a truffle-colored eatery with sophisticated ambience just steps
away from the Medici Chapels. It's run by cousins Francesco and Tommaso, who serve up
tasty, traditional dishes such as bistecca alla fiorentina and ribollita (based on grandfath-
er's recipe), and good chocolate soufflé. Enjoy the candlelit ambience and soft music as