teatro del sale

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

Last year I had the occasion to meet and photograph the Italian whirlwind that is Fabbio Picchi. Picchi is the mastermind behind Cibreo, Trattoria Cibreo, Cafe Cibreo and  Cibreo Teatro del Sale, all located in the  Sant'Ambrogio neigborhood of Florence, quite near the Mercato di Sant' Ambrogio. The trio of restaurants are just doors apart, creating a little gastronomic empire.

All the restaurants are worth a visit but the most interesting is Teatro del Sale, the private dinner club and theatre. Teatro del Sale is a members-only restaurant/theater/club housed in a former convento. Patrons are required to become a member for a minimal one time fee and then are treated to an interesting spectacle of food and theatre. The theatre part comes after dinner when the room is transformed and all chairs are pointed towards the stage.  The entertainment, which is organized by artistic director Maria Cassi, a famous Florentine actress (and Picchi's wife), can range anywhere from comedy, to a lecture on Bob Dylan's Music to the 1970's children's film, Pete's Dragon. It is ever changing and completely fascinating. Picchi and his staff in an open glass windowed kitchen, are somewhat of a show themselves as guest sit at long communal tables eagerly awaiting his food. In the kitchen they whirl around one another seamlessly preparing the evening's unique menu until suddenly and without warning Picchi charges out of the glass windowed kitchen and announces with great gusto and force whatever the primo piatti may be! Guests then rush the buffet table . After several courses and dessert, at 9:30 or so, the room is cleared for the theatre portion of the evening. Once you have become a member, you are part of the club for life barring that you don't lose your membership card which entitles you to private breakfast lunch or dinner at Teatro del Sale. You may feel free to stop by during the day to have a coffee or a pastry or lunch and to sit in the many comfortable chairs and just relax or eat. The shop is open to the public but you must be a member to partake in breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

While at Circolo, pick up one chef's shirts or pants or handsome silk ties designed Picchi himself. There are also beautiful wine glasses from old recycled wine bottles for sale in his emporio/ piccolo store (and they ship!). His shop is full of sea salt and marmalades and pickled vegetables he has made himself!

If you go to Caffe Cibreo in the morning after the market, do not miss the ciambella, an italian donut. There was a warm and enticing pile of them sprinkled with sugar when we were there. They are quite delicious. If you want to feel Italian you can order a caffe doppio and cornetto integrale con marmelata. 

Try to go ahead of time to make a reservation and to join the club. Dinner is quite hectic and quite a draw so you should definitely cover the logistics well in advance!

a note on Picchi's other resturants...

Cibreo was his first restaurant, opened in the early 1980's . He does a lot of classic Tuscan dishes at Cibreo but no pasta, so be forewarned. If you want pasta go to Trattoria Cibreo, it is less formal and less expensive. 

Don't miss the neighborhood hardware store in the square, it sells everything but the kitchen sink!

Cibréo ristorante            Via del Verrocchio, 8r Firenze Tel. : 055 234 11 00 Fax : 055 24 49 66  Chiuso Domenica e Lunedì. ( closed Sunday and Monday) e-mail : info@cibreo.com                cibreo.fi@tin.it Cibrèo trattoria (detta il Cibrèino)  Via de' Macci, 122r                  Firenze Caffè  Cibrèo Via del Verrocchio, 5r Firenze Tel. : 055 234 58 53 this week's menu

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È ARRIVATA LA PRIMAVERA- COZZE BANANE ZUCCHERO E LIMONE INSALATE DEI NOSTRI CONTADINI ZUCCHINE TRIFOLATE CON LA MENTA PURÈ DI MELANZANE CREPES MAROCCHINE CON PATATE E PORRI ACCIUGHE DA LIVORNO BACCALÀ FRITTO CAVOLFIORE FRITTO POLPETTINE DI MANZO RIPASSATE CON CAPPERI E ACCIUGHE FRAGOLE VERE QUANDO SI TROVANO ECC...ECC...ECC... breakfast....... PANI CALDI CON LE NOSTRE MARMELLATE SCHIACCIATA CALDA CON LA MORTADELLA TORTE - LATTE E BISCOTTI - YOGURT TEA E CAFFÉ LE FRITTATE PIÙ BUONE DEL MONDO E TANTISSIMO, TANTISSIMO, TANTISSIMO

For a complete Florence list see the file cabinet... where I will be adding a list of things to do in Florence over the next couple days.

 

 

 

fiddleheads and greens

 

The weather in New York City yesterday really made me feel as though Spring had arrived. The balmy wet day gave me hope that I could soon traipse through the upstate New York woods and gather ramp and fiddleheads, a favorite springtime ritual. I am bound and determined to pickle some ramp this year. So yesterday, with the season at our door, I came across some spring greens from another country far from here. They are from a market in Burma, a very simple but beautiful market. I remember that the vivid greens seemed really exotic to me when I came across them in the wet Burmese market. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were not so exotic after all, just gorgeously fresh and seasonal! There was Thai basil, mint, tamarind, baby cucumbers, fiddleheads, kafir lime, coriander and one delicate thin lily pad-like green used in soups apparently, as I was told by the ladies selling the greens. They thought I was really funny as I walked along and picked up this and that. They laughed and smiled as I bought small bunches of greens tied with a little straw thread. When I got to the lily pad green they yelled "SOUP! SOUP!".

The greens in Burma are often grown hydroponically along the waterways and canals. I have never seen such beautiful and intricate gardens. In the humid market the greens are sold in giant piles. The women call out their wares creating a melodic cacophony echoing under the shade of the wet tents.

Whenever I am in a foriegn country, I always seek out a green market.  Both the market in Burma and the market in Jaipur India made me want to hole up for a month or two, rent an apartment and do nothing but cook and eat. I am always so eager to try out all those beautiful fruits and vegetables. People the world round are excited by food and the shift of seasons. Spring greens, whether at the greenmarket in Union Square or the market in Burma, excite all of us in the same way. Take this change of seasons to welcome in one seasonal dish that is an old favorite, or better yet, to make a  seasonal dish  you have never tried!  

Though I have lived through many Springs, I am still excited by finding the first wild ramp in the woods, and I can't wait to see what this season unfurls... 

 hydroponic gardens

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

the organic market of san antonio, mira flores, lima, peru

 

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

In the tiny neighborhood of San Antonio, located in Miraflores, in Lima Peru, there is a small organic market on Saturday mornings. The market rotates around Lima so if you don't catch it in Miraflores, look for it in other locations.

The market is an organic local Peruvian food market. A market of this kind is still something of a rare thing in a country totally obsessed with food. I imagine as the Slow Food movement takes hold and people start to see the value of local and organic, these kinds of markets will become easier to find. Our Peruvian chef, friend and Slow Food member, Gonzalo Angosto took us to the market in his neighborhood of San Antonio. The market is only 3/4 of a block long but is jam packed with fruits and vegetables, organic eggs, Peruvian coffee, local honey and Peruvian street food. Oh, and I can't forget the most delicious little sweet caramels individually wrapped by nuns! I think Peruvians are obsessed with these salty, nutty little caramel treats as I saw them in many incarnations across Peru.

I bought some brilliant yellow canary beans (frijol canario) and a mixed bag of organic beans ( (frijol pusacc punuy) as well as some red (quinua roja) and black (quinua negra) quinoa and a couple dried peppers (aji and aji amarillo) and some pink sea salt.

The dried goods are beautiful, easy to pack, make great gifts and travel well.

We had to buy some pecans with caramel covered in chocolate, and wrapped in individual little blue and white papers. These had to be consumed immediately as it was too hot for them to travel... but there were no complaints. Go to the market early, if you can, and have a local peruvian coffe and some street food. There are many kinds of Peruvian pork breakfast sandwiches and they are absolutely not to be missed! (more on this later)

Wander a bit and pick up some things to take home, once you are back you will be happy to have them and I guarantee it will make the trip that much sweeter.

A note.

I always bring honey and sea salt back for my own pantry and for friends because it is a unique gift and you can virtually find it anywhere. The Peruvian sea salt is a soft pink and very strong in flavor, so if you get it use just a tiny amount at a time!

link to Gonzalo's hostel

owl goes to tulum

 

 Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

As the last vestiges of Winter dusted the city this morning, We headed out to a sunnier place...Tulum!

I was really happy to discover that the Jet Blue terminal at JFK has both a Muji outpost and Balthazaar Croissants! I think I am really into Jet Blue!

So it was, with the usual flurry of early morning confusion, airport security and seat appropriation...We were finally off.

The smallest of us in years is Odette, and she is turning out to be a great traveler. I brought a little owl cupie doll that she is obsessed with. A new toy never before seen is an essential item when traveling, for just those moments when there might be a small meltdown.

After what seemed like the shortest flight possible, Odette's tiny voice said "we are landing..." and next thing we knew she and owl were skipping happily towards the ocean.

far and away. the kingdom of bhutan

  All Photographs Copyright © 2011 Andrea Gentl all rights reserved

to see a full gallery of images of bhutan go to; http://hungryghostfoodandtravel.com/photo-archive/bhutan/