All posts tagged: italian

MONTEVERDI TUSCANY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

As I’m sure you already know, Italy is my favorite place in the world. There is just so much to see and  the country has it all. As much as I am in love with the Amalfi Coast, I love Tuscany just as much in a different way. I’ve been to Florence and Tuscany a few times, but this time was extra special because I had my mom and sister with me- girl’s trip!  I was so excited to be in my favorite place in the world and bring my mom this time because I never get to travel with her. She landed in Florence and went straight to meet my sister and I at the train station to take the train to Chiusi, a town in the Siena region of Tuscany. From the train station in Chiusi, we took a 20-minute taxi ride to a tiny village called Castiglioncello del Trinoro, where we pulled up to one of the most magical places in the world-Monteverdi Tuscany.    Monteverdi is a beautiful boutique hotel perched on …

CINQUE TERRE, ITALY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Italy, my favorite place in the world. I’ve been several times at this point, but I still have so much  more to see there. This recent trip I decided to explore Cinque Terre for the first time. Cinque Terre is made up of 5 small seaside villages on the west coast of Italy. I bought train tickets from Milan to Riomaggiore on the last train out of Milan at night, and the whole trip was supposed to be around 3.5 hours total. I ended up getting off at the wrong station around Genoa and there were no trains the rest of the night, so I had to take a taxi from Genoa to Riommagiore which was around 1.5 hours and 200 EURO. Just my luck, but part of the fun, huh? I arrived in Riomaggiore around 2am (hours later than I was supposed to) and it was a ghost town. If only there was a hidden camera to see me in the middle of the night with two of my huge suitcases nearly sliding down …

LILIA RESTAURANT- BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Lilia is known to be one of the best restaurants in New York. It’s known for amazing Italian food and hard to get a reservation. I recently went and ordered a bunch of dishes off the menu to make sure I tried enough to make a fair judgement on the place, and I left feeling unimpressed. I had high expectations and it definitely didn’t live up to the hype in my humble opinion. Although nothing was bad, nothing was out of this world or mind blowing. I think it’s worth to visit if you have the chance but don’t have the highest expectations because I feel like you’ll leave a little disappointed. Anytime something is super hyped, I feel like it’s always a let down. See the dishes I ordered below. * My favorite dishes were the Squash Filled Ravioli, with Hazelnuts, Parmigiano & Sage, and the Crispy Shrimp with Parsley Aioli. Also the garlic ciabatta bread as an appetizer was delicious!

DA GRECO, BARCELONA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

One of the restaurants that was recommended  to me in Barcelona by a few people, was Da Greco for Italian food. I wasn’t particularly thrilled to be eating Italian food in Spain, but then again, I’m always down for a good pasta dish. Usually if a place is recommended by a few people, I always want to give it a try, it must be good right? I also heard that Jay Z & Beyonce go there when in Barcelona, so that was another incentive, lol. We had our hotel call to make a reservation, and they couldn’t get through so we decided to just show up. It was the day after the terrorist attack, and a lot of restaurants and businesses shut down for a few days, so we were expecting to show up at a closed restaurant. When we showed up the door to the restaurant was locked. We stood there in defeat, bummed that we couldn’t experience it, and started to look for other dinner options on our phone. A few minutes later, …

IL BORRO, TUSCANY

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I’ve been to Italy many times, but this was my first time visiting Tuscany. I absolutely loved it and couldn’t have had a better first experience. I stayed at Salvatore Ferragamo’s resort called IL BORRO.  Surrounded by vineyards and olive groves is the 700 acre estate in the heart of Tuscany known as Il Borro. The property is breathtaking, and it is one of those places in the world that is truly magical.  Il Borro was established more than a thousand years ago and has a lot of rich history. A lot of the ancient history remains a mystery, but it is known that the property was a lookout point on the Roman road “Cassia”which they built a fort due to its strategic location. Prestigious families owned the property dated back to the 12th century, until Ferruccio Ferragamo bought the resort in 1993 and restored the estate to what it is today. I stayed in one of their luxury suites in the quaint and charming medieval village. The village is untouched from hundreds of years ago, and it …

INTERVIEW WITH EXECUTIVE CHEF/OWNER OF BESTIA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

Located in an industrial warehouse in LA’s downtown Art District, I was intrigued pulling up to Bestia for the first time. It was not quite what I expected. But once I entered the restaurant, everything came to life and it all made sense. Packed and buzzing with fast-paced servers and cooks in an open faced kitchen, the restaurant felt alive in a way that most Los Angeles restaurants do not anymore. With brick walls, unfinished ceilings, and rustic decor, Bestia has a raw, urban aesthetic that is unlike any other restaurants in the city. Whether you choose to sit at the bar, in the middle of the restaurant (where you can watch dishes fly out of the kitchen), or in front of the wood-burning ovens at the pizza counter, you’re in for an exciting dining experience. I’ve been to Bestia a few times now and it never disappoints. Ori Menashe and his wife, Genevieve Gergis, are the duo behind the restaurant. Menashe is the owner and executive chef, offering rustic Italian dining with an eccentric …

CARBONE, NYC

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I went to Carbone for dinner after the NBA All Star game in New York this past Sunday. My sister who lives in New York, made a reservation for Carbone a month in advance. It’s not easy to get in. I was sitting court side at the All Star Game and had to leave at half time and give up my court side seat to make it in time for our 10:15pm reservation! You might think I’m crazy to give up my court side seat, but if you know me, you know how I take food very seriously so I wasn’t going to let this reservation go to waste. During halftime, I FINALLY had the chance to meet Jay Z (which I’ve been waiting my whole life for), so I was coming off a high. I felt like my life was complete, so it made leaving the game a little easier (ha). Before talking about the food, I have to mention that our table was a foot away from Nas at Carbone. We chatted through out dinner and …

BESTIA | DTLA

Published by Nicole Isaacs

I finally had the chance to eat at Bestia in Downtown LA. I’ve heard so much about this place from other foodies and seen a lot of write ups about it online, so I was really excited to finally have dinner there the other night. Everything was good, but one thing we ordered was exceptional. If you go to Bestia, you must try the Roasted Bone Marrow. It is served on top of Spinach gnocchetti, crispy breadcrumbs with aged balsamic. You scoop the marrow off the bone and mix it into the Spinach gnocchetti and it’s just off the charts…the flavor and texture together make the perfect dish . The flavor in each dish really takes this place to the next level. You could really distinguish all the different ingredients and spices everything we ordered. The menu is very unique and the presentations are innovative and creative as well. I have to head back to try their different pizzas, I heard they’re amazing. Other things we ordered: Burrata Salad, Mussels & Clams (spicy!), Cavatelli alla Norcina, Spaghetti Rustichella & the coffee & donuts for dessert.