waiter and two underlings manage to serve all fourteen tables, which is a wonderful feat of waiting, but which has its disadvantages in that everything has to be done by the three men at express speed. There is no quiet talking over the carte de jour , with sug- gestions made and hints given as to the best dishes, and if one once misses one of the servitors on his round one has to wait till he rushes past again, moving in his eccentric orbit. If one wishes to obtain some hints as to Tuscan dishes, it is well to go early into Melini’s, before people arrive for a meal, and secure a table beforehand. The head-waiter, then in a state of com- parative quiescence, is quite ready to be obliging and give one any information. There is a long list of dishes of the day at Melini’s, and those which are printed all have French translations opposite to them. It is only those Italian dishes scribbled hastily in violet ink, which lead one into the deep waters of ignorance. There are two set dinners at Melini’s at 1. 3.50 and 1. 4.50 respectively, and a quarter of a litre of wine, red or white, is included for these sums. The plats de jour on the bill of fare are generally priced at 1. 1.20. Another restaurant in the Via Calzaioli well worth a visit is the Toscano. You will find comparative Toscana, Via quiet in its series of dining-rooms on Calzaioli the first floor, and the fish there is always fresh, for the proprietor has a branch establish- ment at Leghorn, and a daily supply of fish is sent him from that port. If you dine in the first of the series of rooms take note of the border of the paper, a border which consists of paintings of bunches of vegetables treated in decorative style. The Toscano has a certain dignity of its own, and its portieres of silk and old gold are mighty grand. Its napery and its cutlery are, however, not up to the grandeur of its portieres. A plated cradle for a big flask of Chianti Italy 255 stands on each table. The waiters are the usual friendly Italians, pleased to chat on any subject. The head- waiter thinks that he talks French. The clientele at the Toscano is of the middle classes, and you may see there daily families of father, mother, and daughters bringing in the son, serving as a N.C.O. or as a private in one of the regiments, to give him a real good mid- day meal and to hear all his news. There is a lengthy list of dishes a la carte , but most of the customers seem to take the lunch of the day of three dishes at 1. 2.50, and the dinner of the day at 1. 3.50. Bonciani’s, in the Via Panzani, on the way to the station, is a restaurant which is much patronised by the middle-class Florentines.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

waiter and two underlings manage to serve all fourteen tables, which is a wonderful feat of waiting, but which has its disadvantages in that everything has to be done by the three men at express speed. There is no quiet talking over the carte de jour , with suggestions made and hints given as to the best dishes, and if one once misses one of the servitors on his round one has to wait till he rushes past again, moving in his eccentric orbit. If one wishes to obtain some hints as to Tuscan dishes, it is well to go early into Melini’s, before people arrive for a meal, and secure a table beforehand. The head-waiter, then in a state of comparative quiescence, is quite ready to be obliging and give one any information. There is a long list of dishes of the day at Melini’s, and those which are printed all have French translations opposite to them. It is only those Italian dishes scribbled hastily in violet ink, which lead one into the deep waters of ignorance. There are two set dinners at Melini’s at 1. 3.50 and 1. 4.50 respectively, and a quarter of a litre of wine, red or white, is included for these sums. The plats de jour on the bill of fare are generally priced at 1. 1.20. Another restaurant in the Via Calzaioli well worth a visit is the Toscano. You will find comparative Toscana, Via quiet in its series of dining-rooms on Calzaioli the first floor, and the fish there is always fresh, for the proprietor has a branch establishment at Leghorn, and a daily supply of fish is sent him from that port. If you dine in the first of the series of rooms take note of the border of the paper, a border which consists of paintings of bunches of vegetables treated in decorative style. The Toscano has a certain dignity of its own, and its portieres of silk and old gold are mighty grand. Its napery and its cutlery are, however, not up to the grandeur of its portieres. A plated cradle for a big flask of Chianti Italy 255 stands on each table. The waiters are the usual friendly Italians, pleased to chat on any subject. The head- waiter thinks that he talks French. The clientele at the Toscano is of the middle classes, and you may see there daily families of father, mother, and daughters bringing in the son, serving as a N.C.O. or as a private in one of the regiments, to give him a real good midday meal and to hear all his news. There is a lengthy list of dishes a la carte , but most of the customers seem to take the lunch of the day of three dishes at 1. 2.50, and the dinner of the day at 1. 3.50. Bonciani’s, in the Via Panzani, on the way to the station, is a restaurant which is much patronised by the middle-class Florentines.

The gourmet's guide to Europe