ravioli | The Good Eater

Agrodolce – Seattle, WA

Located in the old 35th Street Bistro spot in Fremont, Agrodolce has knocked it out of the park! The atmosphere is welcoming and charming and our server couldn’t have been more enjoyable which was very refreshing.

The food was to die for! I seriously would go back tonight for the exact same meal I ate last night. We started with the burrata with beets, a citrus honey gastrique and mint…as delicious as I expected! For my main course I chose the ricotta ravioli with roasted garlic, green garlic and stinging nettle. Everything about this dish was perfect! You would have thought I had licked my plate based on how clean it was at the end of the night. Do yourself a favor and go get this before they take it off the menu.We also got the seared broccoli, kale and brussels sprouts to share…all of which I would order again. For dessert we got the rice pudding fritters with a citrus honey, vanilla dipping sauce and powdered sugar. Nothing to complain about there!

Something notable about Agrodolce is how organic the menu is. It took us a bit to realize that the few things on the menu that are unlined are those ingredients that are NOT organic. Just to be clear, there are hardly any. Pretty impressive! Not to mention on the reverse side of the menu there are vegan and gluten free options. This isn’t something I’ve seen yet in Seattle but I think it will soon catch on.

Overall, Maria Hines has outdone herself and I can’t wait to go back!

Osteria delle Tre Panche – Florence, Italy

For those that love truffles, consider this place heaven! I have NEVER seen more truffles in my life! First off, this teeny little locals spot is about a 5-10 minute taxi ride from the center of Florence. Some have said they’ve walked but at night I would recommend the ride. Reservations are a must and don’t expect to see any tourists here. “Tre Panche” translates to three benches which is exactly how much space there is in this restaurant – it’s small! It’s truly a hidden gem.

Because we were only in Florence for a few nights, we indulged in every meal. We ordered way too much but I have no regrets. There are definitely dishes I would recommend, and others that I would say you can skip. For water, 2 bottles of wine (yes…we had 2 bottles of wine:)) and 7 dishes, our meal ended up being €148 which is about $192. The truffle beef tartare was exactly what you would expect – a delicious starter to the meal. The artichoke pie with truffles was very good! Large enough for a group to share and smothered with truffles. The cheese ravioli with fresh truffle was rich and creamy as it should be. Not something I could eat an entire plate of but perfect to share with someone. The cheesecake for dessert is a MUST!!! It’s unbelievable! I’m not even sure how to give it justice so just know that you need to save room for it:) Truly the best I’ve ever had!!!

Dishes to skip are any without truffles…well, maybe that’s just me:) As much as I love ragu, this one was over salted which was a shame because we probably would have eaten the entire plate no problem. I would probably give it a second chance though. The fried veal milanese was a disappointment. It was pounded so thin that after being breaded and deep fried – you couldn’t even taste the veal. I wanted it to be great but it was a definite miss.

Next time you’re in Florence, make this a must but shhh…don’t tell too many people about it!