Italy 2012 – Italy Travel Tips – Ensuring an Excellent Meal
Italian food.. that is, food in Italy, is generally exceptional. I still can’t think of an Italian restaurant at home that compares to the quality of even a basic cafe here in Tuscany. That said, there are a few rules you should follow when dining in Italy. Before I go through the rules, I think I should give a little background.
Most restaurants in Italy are family owned, small, and unique. Big chain restaurants are few and far between. Italian restaurant owners think of their restaurants like their own home kitchens. The goal of a restaurateur/chef is to create memorable food, and that’s all. Ambiance and service are secondary if not tertiary to the food quality when it comes to overall experience.
Now, think about how you might treat a friend or family member at their home who has offered to cook dinner for you. Would you berate their food? The service? Would you ask for everything to be cooked in just the way you like it or would you allow your host to cook it in the way they think is good? This is how Italy works — the chef is your host, and the restaurant their home, which they are sharing with you. If you act accordingly you will do fine.
Okay, the rules….
1.) First, request your courses in the correct order. Vini, Antipasti, Primi, Secondi. Insalata (salad) comes after the main course and is optional. Asking for your Insalata out of order is a surefire way to receiving bad service.
2.) Don’t ask for any modifications to the dish you are ordering. The chef has spent time and energy thinking about how to best prepare the dish and any modifications you ask for mess that up. Asking for modifications is the surest way to receiving inferior food.
An example of this occurred next to us at dinner the other night. We had received our bread, wine, and water as desired, while the group from Atlanta, Georgia next to us were waiting for theirs. The women ordered steak, rare, as well as salad to come before the steak. Not only did the waiter “forget” their bread and water, it’s clear they received an inferior cut of meat as well. There is only one way to order a meal, the chefs way! Remember this!
3.) Never complain about the food. In the same way that you would not complain to your friend that he/she overcooked the meat, do not tell the chef his/her food needs fixing. Complaining about your food is the next surest way to more inferior food.
4.) Never complain about the service. Italians view service differently from Americans. In the US, we treat quality of service, and quality of the food, as separate things. In Italy, the quality of the food is directly related to service. A chef believes that he/she has provided you with exceptional service if the food was excellently prepared with fresh ingredients. You will also get service, at a pace that works for your restauranteur and his wait staff, but it may not be brisk, and it may not be extremely cordial. An Italian restaurant has succeeded when it has provided good, fresh, well-prepared food. Period!
5.) Service is interesting in Italy. As I mentioned above, the primary definition of good service is good food. The wait staff is available, and you’ll get you want you need/want, but they are not falling over you like some would in the US. When it comes to paying the bill, Americans will think about the service they received and decided whether to tip 10%, 15%, or 20%, depending on the level of attentiveness they experienced. The general rule of thumb for tipping in Italy is.. don’t. Italians themselves never tip.. And I’m serious. Everyone is paid to do a job, and they do it, and no tip is required nor expected. Tipping by Americans is expected in a way, since we have a habit of it, but no one will feel bad if you don’t tip them. As Giovanni put it, no one in Italy pays their bills with tips. 10% is a very large tip!
Okay, to sum up, order what sounds good on the menu, trust the chef, and you will have a great culinary experience in Italy. I hate anchovies, and tripe sounds strange and gross, however both were SO good in the hands of our talented chef at Ristorante Ambrosia in Cortona.
Another thing, reservations are very important in Italy. Normal dinner time starts around 8:30pm and dinner usually lasts 2-3 hours. Also, many restaurants only turn their tables once a night. Ie: if they have 8 tables, they will only serve 8 parties all night. Be sure to make reservations early in the day or the day before or you may not find an open table come dinner time.
Always order the dessert (Dolci) since it is usually fantastic.
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