alle murate - firenze (florence), italy. 

my absolute favorite meal was at alle murate, a gorgeous two-story restaurant in florence. the ambience was striking - minimalist and modern decor juxtaposed with fresco ceilings. champagne was served alongside a sprout of grissini (breadsticks). a pastry filled with swiss chard and a tiny cheese flan were excellent complements of the chef. for my entree, i had torelli enveloping pureed peas and topped with spoonful of chunky organic tomato sauce. the dough of the pasta was thinner than that of ravioli and was perfectly al dente.

after tasting this pasta, almost every single italian dish i’ve had in u.s. seems completely unauthentic. in italy, there is no cheese overload the food doesn’t make you feel grossly greasy. it’ll be tough to find anything that beats real italian food.