Culinaria de Gustibus Bistro In Firenze

12/08/2024: In Florence, I got super lucky in that Santa Elisabetta was a 5 min walk from my hotel, and that they had reservations available the next day for lunch, so I booked a table for one. The restaurant is located in a tiny space (just 6 tables) within a 13th century stone tower. There was only one other person in the restaurant during the entire duration of my meal - which meant that both my server and the 'overall server' were pretty focused on us the entire time. My server even escorted me up to the restaurant once I arrived at the location. I don't mean to sound too hyperbolic, but it feels like I ascended to a higher plane of existence when it comes to dining. I ordered the Carte Blanche option, which was a 3 course tasting menu of whatever the chef chose from the main dishes. The meal consisted of 7 separate sections, each with their specific parts. Firstly, it started with an amuse bouche, which consisted of 5 separate small dishes - there was chicken liver, prawn, oysters, and so on. It was in this very first meal that I realized I was going to have a meal that far exceeded the quality of anything that I've had before. Next, the bread came out, and this bread was just astounding. I was seeing types of bread I've never seen before. My favorite part of this was what looks like the focaccia, with lardo on top. The first main course was raw red prawns and caviar. It was my first time trying caviar, which I absolutely loved Next came what might be the best food I've had in my life - a spaghetti made with 3 different types of algae butter, and sea urchins. I can't even describe how good this pasta was - from the noodles, to the meat, to the natural, earthy flavors Before dessert, there was a mood cleanser of hibiscus tea and chocolate mousse. Dessert consisted of yogurt froth, kiwi, and namaleka, and was so good it exceeded a melt-in-your-mouth feeling. I thought I was done at this point, but they brought out another set of 5 smaller pastries - compliments of the pastry chef. These included a pistachio cream lollipop, french biscuits, madeleine, and more The cost of the Carte Blanche that I ordered was 159 euros, and I also got a glass of champagne for 25 euros I spent over 2 hours at this restaurant - way longer than I thought it would actually be. Like I said, this was my first fine dining experience of any kind, so I really had no idea what to expect. I was absolutely blown away by this experience and consider it to be 100% worth the money. For me - this felt like every single part of this experience was perfect. Everything I ate here was a massive step above any food I've had in the past. The quality is unreal. The variety is unparalleled. There are ingredients used here that I've never seen before - and stuff I didn't even know was edible. The amount of different food I got to try was like nothing I've experienced before. I left the restaurant incredibly full and completely satisfied Overall, this is an all-time experience. 10/10

07/08/2024: Exquisite dining experience at this top-notch ⭐️⭐️ Michelin starred restaurant ..... enjoy the splurge!