It seems to be a bit of a random list but in compiling the 101 Best Restaurants in the World 2012, Newsweek editors consulted dozens of noteworthy chefs (many of whom are American) on their picks and seven of them chose restaurants (or food stands) in Italy.
Here is a quick recap of this group’s choices best places to eat in Italy:
- Tim Love, Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Fort Worth, Texas chose Caffe Duomo in Florence for its spaghetti carbonara.
- Brandon McGlamery, Prato, Winter Park, Fla. says Hosteria Giusti in Modena is “ a classic, family-run Italian restaurant that everyone should try when in the region.” (We recommended the related salumeria in our article on food in Modena.)
- Heather Terhune, Sable Kitchen & Bar, Chicago raves about the chestnut ravioli and chicken-liver mousse at La Buccacia in Cortona (Tuscany).
- Terhune also can’t get enough of the porchetta food truck (call 39-349-60390) on the streets of Cortona.
- Lidia Bastiniach is a huge supporter of her home region of Friuli and says if you are at Lu Subida in Cormons in the fall, “have that polenta served with sautéed porcini mushrooms and braised wild boar.” (We have an extensive review of Lu Subida in our article on dining in Friuli.)
- Jaime Oliver can’t get enough of the polenta for sale in Bari, the capital of Puglia, telling Newsweek,“There is a very old woman—I think she has just one tooth—and she sits on a low stool with a pile of polenta that looks like a stack of gold bars. In front of her is a cauldron of hot oil. She clanks up one of the bars, deep-fat-fries it, and serves it in a paper cone with sea salt. Amazingly delicious.”
- Fergus Henderson, St. John, London votes Trattoria Sostanza in Florence for the best Florentine steak.