Santa Elisabetta In Firenze

A fantastic experience in this 2 Michelin star restaurant, being pampered in this location is priceless, it is located in an ancient Byzantine tower. The dishes have refined flavors that cannot be tried elsewhere. Alex was able to illustrate our tasting journey to us, step by step at each course with passion and extreme preparation in his work. Wonderful environment Advised!

With two Michelin stars, the restaurant is located on the 2nd floor of the hotel. You have to sit in the sofa area on the first floor of the hotel and wait until you arrive outside to take a table. The dining space is located in an ancient tower built in the 6th century AD and can only accommodate 7 tables. The decoration is simple and the lighting is almost only based on a table lamp. Although it is enough for eating, there is definitely no lighting design for you to take pictures 😂 The guests are entertained with a highly controlled politeness and restraint. They always serve the dishes at the same time, confirm each guest's choice, and ask the guests what they think of each dish. It seems that I have never experienced this kind of outhouse service in Taiwan (maybe the Paris restaurant is closer) The quality of the food is commensurate with the two stars, the techniques are delicate but not difficult to understand, the flavors are layered but not complicated, some echo the tradition, and some are novel in orientation, but in the end they do not break away from the essence of Italian cuisine. Even if a few dishes are a bit hesitant, the overall flaws are not concealed. Welcome drink Originally it seemed to be champagne, but after we ordered non-alcoholic drinks, the restaurant took the initiative to change it. It had the delicate aroma of white cantaloupe, the citrus flavor of grapefruit, and finally the herbal aroma of sage. It was a rather elegant start and seemed to hint at some Asian flavors in the later menu. Appetizers Goat cheese/grapefruit Grapefruit gel makes the goat cheese smell feel light Oyster/bell pepper sauce The oysters are delicious and plump, the sour and spicy sauce and the bright green oil are simply delicious. Amberjack ham/horseradish Horseradish’s bright, spicy and herbal flavor is a crowd-pleaser Bread/mackerel/yuzu The bread was a little too soft, but the aroma of cooked mackerel was strong and the citrus flavor was nice chicken liver pate Use berries to make a glass-like shell, and then wrap it in rich and smooth chicken liver pate. The light sourness and sweetness of the berry skin makes the liver pate much softer. bread There are five kinds of bread sticks, the bread sticks are crunchy, the pepper aroma is good, the seaweed nut crisps are full and salty; the taralli shortbread has the aroma of brown sugar and the spiciness of ginger; the small piece of schiacciata bread with pork back fat has a good fat aroma, but the bread tastes a bit soft and sticky; the main bread itself is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the olive oil and grassy bitterness when paired with it are wonderful Red shrimp/tomato bread/caviar The shrimp meat is soft and sweet, and the saltiness of the caviar adds a lot of color. The sweet and sour tomato wrapped in the crispbread roll in the middle is eye-catching, and the fresh aroma of olives and green oil at the bottom is also good. It seems simple but rich in flavor. The crispy cakes made with shrimp heads and shells on the side are basically shrimp cakes😆 Smoked amberjack/Bernaise sauce/lemon jelly/celery The smoky flavor of the amberjack is quite strong, but the flavor of the fish itself is not obvious. The egg flavor of the sauce is full, but a little too much. It is suitable for dipping into bread. Eel/Tosa vinegar/Almond/Tarragon A very Japanese dish, the eel skin is a bit crispy, the meat and oil are very delicate, but I don’t quite understand the logic of pairing it with almonds. The aroma of tarragon sauce is good, but it feels like it could be more, the balance is too Japanese. Duck/Peanut/Chestnut/Truffle/Raspberry The duck meat was a little dry, and the sauce was too much and the flavor was a bit mixed, especially the strong aroma of peanuts, but I really liked the sweet and sour taste of fresh berries. On the side is toasted crispy bread sandwiched with duck ham and liquid orange. It tastes good, but the main flavor is orange, and the ham doesn't have much presence. Straight noodles/seaweed cream sauce/bergamot/sea urchin/tuna roe The noodles taste great. The seaweed cream sauce has a rich seaweed aroma, followed by the salty taste of fish. Finally, it ends with the elegant aroma of lemon and bergamot. It should be my favorite dish today. Raviolo dumplings/ricotta cheese/Neapolitan meat sauce The meat sauce is rich in flavor and has a distinct tomato aroma. The dumpling wrapper has a good texture, but has a more traditional and earthy taste. Red snapper/sweet and sour basil sauce/onion sauce/garlic sauce Using bread to pretend to be fish skin is very clever. The bread is thick and crispy, wrapping the extremely tender fish meat. The contrast between the two is huge and eye-catching. The sauce base is a bit like canned mackerel in tomato sauce, but it adds a lot of depth with sweet onion sauce and garlic sauce. There are tomato-filled bread and mini waffles on the side. The bread is crispy, but the filling has too little flavor; the waffles are soft and paired with anchovy sauce. I don’t quite understand the purpose of putting them here. Squab/apple/teriyaki sauce/artichoke I also missed some notes here. I remember that the breast meat was a little dry, but it was paired with a lot of teriyaki sauce and applesauce, so it didn't matter. The pigeon legs on the side were cooked well, and they were paired with quinoa to add a crispy texture, and the leg meat was juicy. After the salty meal, the napkins and water glasses are replaced, which also reminds the guests to change their mood. I like this kind of thoughtfulness. Chocolate soufflé Let's go straight to the main dessert. It's a very big one and it's hot when served. The aroma of chocolate is full and rich. It's a straight-up dessert. But after the whole menu, such a portion is too much to bear 😂 Originally, the pre-dessert was moved to the end to clear the mouth, but I personally feel that it would be better to have it before the soufflé. I missed the note here, but my impression is that it is refreshing and delicious. There was tea at the end, but I couldn’t eat any more, so I packed it away. I gave five of them, including French fudge, chocolate, madeleines, etc. It was still delicious to eat the next morning.

We went here for Christmas brunch and it was outstanding. Everything is closed on Christmas day and Florence is a ghost town. Great time to wander and take photos. Highly recommend.

[Florence Restaurant, Santa Elisabetta] ⠀ I visited Santa Elisabetta, which I had been looking forward to the most during my food tour of Florence. It is a restaurant that has maintained its reputation since it received 1 star in 2020 and 2 stars in 2021. It feels like a restaurant that protects the pride of Florence along with the undisputed No. 1 in Florence, Pinchiori. It is located in the heart of the city, so it is easily accessible, and it has a good wine list, so I had my eye on it since I was planning my trip. Oh, when I made the reservation, I was told that a window seat reservation would cost an additional 50 euros, so I clicked my tongue and thought, ‘Why are they selling all this for money?’, but I ended up sitting at the window seat... (I couldn’t resist my wife’s strong encouragement... haha) ⠀ When I arrived at the restaurant, it was a small restaurant with only about 7 tables. I was guided to my seat and I was glad that I reserved a window seat. The ceiling was low and the space was narrow, so if I had sat somewhere else, I would have felt a little stuffy, but at least the seat with the window was open and had a good sense of openness, so I think it was less stuffy. Since the building itself was used as a prison in the 12th century, I think it was inevitable that the interior structure would feel stuffy. I chose the full course (9 courses) for the meal, and while the food up to the 7th course was fixed, the 9th course was an omakase-style menu recommended by the chef. ⠀ Next, I asked for the wine list. By the time I was traveling to Florence, I was already halfway through my 3-week trip to Italy, and I had been to numerous wine shops and restaurants, and I had a deep-rooted distrust of the Italians who sold their wines at high prices. So I didn’t expect the price-to-performance ratio. However, I opened the list with the thought of ‘what if…?’ and it was as expected. All the wines were more than double the price of the searchers, and I couldn't help but think, 'Wow, this is so expensive...' and I really missed the French Michelins... After thinking about many things, I decided that I had to drink BDM since I came to Tuscany, so I chose Coldorcia Poggio Alvento 95 Vin. It was a wine that appeared in Drops of God, and it was a wine that I had not had in a long time, so I think it brought back vivid memories. To borrow the expression of Drops of God, it is said to have a feeling like a 'serious samurai who commits reckless acts with youthful energy', but well,,, I don't really know what a samurai is, but the storage condition and bottle condition were perfect, so it was very delicious. ⠀ And then we had a meal,,, the food quality? Hmm... Overall, it wasn't that impressive. I think it would be more honest to say that it was a series of disappointments. From the amuse bouche that was nothing special to the dry bread condition, and the dishes that lacked newness... While eating, I thought, 'Do I not understand Italian cuisine well?', 'Is this a taste that I have to force myself to feel?'. I went to Il Convivino, a 1-star restaurant in Rome a few days before visiting Elisabetta, and it was disappointing even at Elisabetta, so I feel regretful that I won't have the courage to challenge Michelin in Italy in the future. The only thing I remember was the pigeon breast dish, which was very soft and moist, and the meaty flavor that tore through the texture was more edible than I thought, so it was fun. My wife sitting next to me was also like, 'How can you eat pigeon? It's scary...' at first, but she ended up eating it all without leaving anything behind.. ㅎㅎ ⠀ In summary, I think I can summarize it as 'The food is not up to expectations, but it's a place where you can enjoy wine without any problems.' BDM Olvin bottle condition was good, but more than anything, the sommelier meticulously controlled and served the wine. As if he had the belief that 'not even a single chemise is allowed for a lady', I saw that there was no chemise in my wife's wine glass, even in the last drop, and I thought, 'Ah, is this the sweetness of Italian men...' Insta @nathan_jnjw

Nice hotel, ambience at table could have been better as I was staring into a wall while my fiancé looked out a window. Did like the minimalist decor. Service was attentive but painfully slow — dinner took 3.5 hours, and we had to take the petit fours home. (In contrast, just had a 6-course Roman Michelin tasting menu in <2.5 hours). Food was good — but not life-changing. Liked the pigeon and eel a lot, the signature fish (red mullet?) was a miss, as the meat was tender but extremely fishy.

I visited in the evening and wanted to try the meat menu, so I ordered a 7-course meal with wine pairing. The seafood dishes were very delicious, but the meat (duck, pigeon) seemed a bit ordinary. The dessert also lacked a bit of impact for me. That's not to say it wasn't delicious, but compared to other local Michelins, it felt a bit disappointing. I felt like one of the paired wines had a character that I didn't like, so I asked if I could exchange it, and they gladly exchanged it, so I was able to proceed with the course happily. Thank you, I had a great time thanks to Santa Eliza Beta!

Overall, it was beautiful food and great flavor! I think the wine pairing also went well with the food. Although all dishes tasted above average, considering the expectations of a Michelin-starred restaurant, the desserts and 1-2 dishes (e.g. duck and ravioli) were average. The service was overall friendly and we were grateful that they did not forget to congratulate us on our honeymoon.

Very good service and one of the best 2 stars I've tried. Bold bit flavours with balance.

Cuando decidimos visitar Italia, también nos comprometimos a probar una serie de restaurantes con estrellas Michelin (disfrutamos, y tenemos suerte, de tener una serie de lugares excelentes aquí en Chicago). Hicimos reservas para seis (! ) restaurantes, dos cada uno en Nápoles, Florencia y Roma. Santa Elisabetta es un restaurante íntimo (siete mesas) de dos estrellas en una torre de piedra de aproximadamente 1 , 500 años, ahora parte de un hotel de lujo. El comedor tiene relucientes pisos de madera, sillas de cuero, mantel blanco cubierto de mesas con una pequeña lámpara; parte de las paredes están expuestas, mostrando la antigua cantería. Ofrecen menús degustación de 5 , 7 , y 9 platos. Como siempre, seleccionamos el menú con más platos, junto con el maridaje de vinos estándar. El "Chef Experience" de 9 platos incluye elementos de los otros dos menús. No tenemos alergias alimentarias, pero no somos particularmente aficionados a las palomas. Esta ave estaba en el menú de 7 platos, seguro que también estaba en el 9. Respetuosamente, preguntamos si podría haber una sustitución y afortunadamente el chef podría hacer cordero en su lugar. Como era de esperar, tanto el servicio como la comida fueron excelentes durante las 4 horas y media que pasamos allí. Los maridajes de vinos eran realmente elevados cada curso, y estaban muy centrados en los vinos de toda Italia. Nuestro servidor (ojalá pudiera recordar su nombre) pasó mucho tiempo describiendo los vinos y enólogos. Quedamos tan impresionados con su conocimiento y entusiasmo por estos vinos, que le preguntamos si podía preparar una breve lista de tiendas de vinos. Esta fue la primera vez que hicimos una solicitud de este tipo. Encontramos el camino a una de las tiendas y compramos seis botellas.

We visited at the beginning of March to celebrate my husband's birthday, and it was an absolutely incredible experience. The food was stunning, so creative and delicious, and the service was impeccable. I can completely understand why the restaurant has 2 Michelin stars, extremely well deserved. We had the 7 course menu with wine pairings, and we were particularly impressed with the service from the sommelier Federico, he is so knowledgeable and interesting, he did a fabulous job explaining all the wines to us.