You meet a lot of characters when you travel. Some of them you get to know while others are just recurring people you see often enough in the streets or in shops that you develop a sense of familiarity. We’ve found several such characters on our trip thus far. One of the more colorful is Tony. He’s the owner of Trattoria San Lorenzo.
Last Friday, when our dinner plans were disrupted due to the bus strike, we found Trattoria San Lorenzo on TripAdvisor. It was ranked 25th of the 800+ eateries in Florence. (Keep in mind that 5 of the top 20 eateries are actually gelaterias – and we’ve eaten at all 5 of those.) The trattoria is right on the Piazza San Lorenzo with large windows all around. The first floor is long and narrow, with the bar on the left and a row of 2-person tables along the right side wall. There are additional tables in the back and upstairs. We went back for lunch today too.
The place is nicely decorated with a collection of old coffee pots running along a ledge on the right side wall and another collection of old tins above the bar on the left. There are also collections of ice cream scoops along one wall and spurs on another along with some pictures of horses. A large frame by the door holds napkins signed by celebrities in the 60's and early 70's. The trattoria has only been opened since May, but it’s crowded and lively atmosphere gives you the feeling it’s been a part of Florence for many years.
At the center of it all is Tony. We first met Tony last Friday. We had finished our dinner and were sitting there talking when a flambé cart was wheeled into the tiny restaurant with an older man at the controls. The two waiters went around asking the guests if they wanted Crepes Suzette. After a little salesmanship by the wait staff the orders were in (Cinzia ordered one) and the show began. We later found out that the man at the cart was Tony who owned the trattoria. He looked comfortable with the task – working the liquors, forking the oranges, using his forks to manipulate the crepes, and then setting the whole thing aflame. They were served with 2 small scoops of vanilla ice cream and a couple pieces of cooked banana.
The place is nicely decorated with a collection of old coffee pots running along a ledge on the right side wall and another collection of old tins above the bar on the left. There are also collections of ice cream scoops along one wall and spurs on another along with some pictures of horses. A large frame by the door holds napkins signed by celebrities in the 60's and early 70's. The trattoria has only been opened since May, but it’s crowded and lively atmosphere gives you the feeling it’s been a part of Florence for many years.
At the center of it all is Tony. We first met Tony last Friday. We had finished our dinner and were sitting there talking when a flambé cart was wheeled into the tiny restaurant with an older man at the controls. The two waiters went around asking the guests if they wanted Crepes Suzette. After a little salesmanship by the wait staff the orders were in (Cinzia ordered one) and the show began. We later found out that the man at the cart was Tony who owned the trattoria. He looked comfortable with the task – working the liquors, forking the oranges, using his forks to manipulate the crepes, and then setting the whole thing aflame. They were served with 2 small scoops of vanilla ice cream and a couple pieces of cooked banana.
Cinzia said it was the best dessert she’s ever eaten. Tony walked around to each table introducing himself and asking where the diners were from. He spoke English too and told us he had relatives in Boston. He was 72 years old and has been in the restaurant business 55 years. He was at the Savoy in London in the 60's and made Crepes Suzette for Charlie Chaplin, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, and Sophia Loren. He went on to say that French food was all the rage back then and you had to have a French head chef to attract the stars. The Savoy had an 80 year old French chef who dressed in his chef whites and sat in the restaurant. His name was displayed prominently on the menu, but all the cooks in the kitchen were Italian.
Tony also spent time in Butte, Montana, trying to get an Italian restaurant up and running. He’s worked in or opened restaurants all over Europe. He opened Trattoria San Lorenzo 4 months ago and knew exactly how he wanted the restaurant to look. He designed everything down to the painted tiles adorning the bar which he proudly showed us. He also told us it was his collection of ice cream scoops (“I got this one in Montana”) and coffee pots (“That blue one is my grandmother’s”) and tins (“I got those two in America”). He had limoncello sent to our table as we chatted. He was quite the charmer.
He asked us how we decided to come to his restaurant and we told him we found him in TripAdvisor. He said a lot of people were telling him that, so he had someone look on “this TripAdvisor”. He saw his newly opened restaurant was #25. He didn’t know how this could be. He also didn’t quite understand how several gelaterias could be on the list. I tried as best as I could to explain to this 72 year old Italian how TripAdvisor worked. He remembered that all of his comments were positive with the exception of one guy. He remembered that the guy had dinner there, enjoyed it, and returned for lunch later in the week. He arrived at 2:45pm and the restaurant closes at 3:00pm. Tony told him he could make him pizzas, pastas, or anything from the counter, but some items on the menu took too long and the kitchen was closing. The guy got upset, left, and posted a negative review. I told Tony he could contact TripAdvisor and respond to the guy’s comments. We told him we’d leave him positive reviews.
During the conversation he said everyone called him Tony #1. He was proud of being Tony #1. There were three Tonys in his family and he was #3. He wanted to be #1. Now that the other two have died he’s risen to the #1 position. I told him I could relate to the issue of having multiple Tonys in the family.
We returned for lunch today. Cinzia had asparagus risotto and I had the spaghetti San Lorenzo which Tony #1 had recommended the previous week. He said he takes cherry tomatoes and mixes them with his secret blend of herbs and spices in a little olive oil for 24 hours, then just adds them to the cooked pasta. He was so proud he had one of the guys bring out his jar of secret herbs and spices to show us. What a character. Once lunch ended Tony #1 send over 2 glasses of Vin Santo and cantucci (Cinzia was thrilled as she saw it being prepared at the bar and commented to me that she might want some – now she got two!) The hand painted Italian ceramic plates once again showed us how he attended to every detail as they displayed his name proudly on the bottom: “Tony #1”.
Tony also spent time in Butte, Montana, trying to get an Italian restaurant up and running. He’s worked in or opened restaurants all over Europe. He opened Trattoria San Lorenzo 4 months ago and knew exactly how he wanted the restaurant to look. He designed everything down to the painted tiles adorning the bar which he proudly showed us. He also told us it was his collection of ice cream scoops (“I got this one in Montana”) and coffee pots (“That blue one is my grandmother’s”) and tins (“I got those two in America”). He had limoncello sent to our table as we chatted. He was quite the charmer.
He asked us how we decided to come to his restaurant and we told him we found him in TripAdvisor. He said a lot of people were telling him that, so he had someone look on “this TripAdvisor”. He saw his newly opened restaurant was #25. He didn’t know how this could be. He also didn’t quite understand how several gelaterias could be on the list. I tried as best as I could to explain to this 72 year old Italian how TripAdvisor worked. He remembered that all of his comments were positive with the exception of one guy. He remembered that the guy had dinner there, enjoyed it, and returned for lunch later in the week. He arrived at 2:45pm and the restaurant closes at 3:00pm. Tony told him he could make him pizzas, pastas, or anything from the counter, but some items on the menu took too long and the kitchen was closing. The guy got upset, left, and posted a negative review. I told Tony he could contact TripAdvisor and respond to the guy’s comments. We told him we’d leave him positive reviews.
During the conversation he said everyone called him Tony #1. He was proud of being Tony #1. There were three Tonys in his family and he was #3. He wanted to be #1. Now that the other two have died he’s risen to the #1 position. I told him I could relate to the issue of having multiple Tonys in the family.
We returned for lunch today. Cinzia had asparagus risotto and I had the spaghetti San Lorenzo which Tony #1 had recommended the previous week. He said he takes cherry tomatoes and mixes them with his secret blend of herbs and spices in a little olive oil for 24 hours, then just adds them to the cooked pasta. He was so proud he had one of the guys bring out his jar of secret herbs and spices to show us. What a character. Once lunch ended Tony #1 send over 2 glasses of Vin Santo and cantucci (Cinzia was thrilled as she saw it being prepared at the bar and commented to me that she might want some – now she got two!) The hand painted Italian ceramic plates once again showed us how he attended to every detail as they displayed his name proudly on the bottom: “Tony #1”.