There was a puree in which the local paste was the principal ingredient ; the frittura was of sweetbreads, admirably cooked, with fried potatoes; the stuffed capon had white truffles and a rich sauce. The waiter, when he set this last dish before me, paused to see whether I gave it due appreciation. People who had 26i Italy already dined addressed a word of advice to new- comers not to miss this delicacy, and it was evidently regarded by all the personnel of the restaurant as a chef d' oeuvre , which it was. Roast veal and potatoes and fruit completed the meal. I drank a small flask of the red wine of the house, Ruffina, a Cafe Expresso, and a glass of Anisette, and my bill was just under 1. 5. The full Tuscan dinner does not follow in the order of fish, entree, roast, piece de resistance , and game, but of boiled ( lesso ), fried ( fritto ), stewed ( umido ), and roast ( 'arrosto ). The boiled may be beef ; the fry, sweetbread ; the stew, fish ; the roast, pigeon ; but this order is always maintained, and the stranger’s disappointment at there being no fish after the soup is only equalled by his astonishment when it turns up in the fourth place. It is for this reason that the Tuscan bill of fare proves such a puzzle to the stranger with only a smattering of the language, for it is not made out under the headings of fish, entrees, joint, &c., but of lessi, fritti, umidi , and arrosti ; and fish, for instance, will be found under all four headings. Famous dishes at the Giappone are Spaghetti a sugo di came (gravy sauce), Risotto , with white truffles, Arselle (a small shell-fish) alia Marinara , Triglie (red mullet) alia Livornese , Fritto misto (mixed fry), Controfiletto con Aiaccheroni and the Piccoli Marmites , as good and five times as cheap as can be obtained at any restaurant of the French Riviera. The diner cannot do better than keep to the ordinary Vino da Pasto, and end with the delicious Cafe Espresso and a Val d’Ema (Tuscan Chartreuse) green or yellow. The best Tuscan mineral water is the Acqua Litiosa di S. Marco (from the province of Grosseto), and it deserves more than a merely local fame. If the traveller’s flask is not already empty, let him try some of its contents with this water, and he will have a pleasant surprise. The restaurant attached to the Hotel d’Angleterre- 262 ^The Gourmet's Guide to Europe Campari is also an excellent one. Why the hotel is called Angleterre, not Inglaterra, no one knows. The Angleterre, hotel and restaurant are owned by Via Vittorio Signori de Stefani and Clerici, the latter Emanuele Qf whom was jn London for a time at

AI-modernized reading of the original text

There was a puree in which the local paste was the principal ingredient ; the frittura was of sweetbreads, admirably cooked, with fried potatoes; the stuffed capon had white truffles and a rich sauce. The waiter, when he set this last dish before me, paused to see whether I gave it due appreciation. People who had Italy already dined addressed a word of advice to newcomers not to miss this delicacy, and it was evidently regarded by all the personnel of the restaurant as a chef d' oeuvre , which it was. Roast veal and potatoes and fruit completed the meal. I drank a small flask of the red wine of the house, Ruffina, a Cafe Expresso, and a glass of Anisette, and my bill was just under 1. 5. The full Tuscan dinner does not follow in the order of fish, entree, roast, piece de résistance , and game, but of boiled ( lesso ), fried ( fritto ), stewed ( umido ), and roast ( 'arrosto ). The boiled may be beef ; the fry, sweetbread ; the stew, fish ; the roast, pigeon ; but this order is always maintained, and the stranger’s disappointment at there being no fish after the soup is only equalled by his astonishment when it turns up in the fourth place. It is for this reason that the Tuscan bill of fare proves such a puzzle to the stranger with only a smattering of the language, for it is not made out under the headings of fish, entrees, joint, &c., but of lessi, fritti, umidi , and arrosti ; and fish, for instance, will be found under all four headings. Famous dishes at the Giappone are Spaghetti a sugo di came (gravy sauce), Risotto , with white truffles, Arselle (a small shell-fish) alia Marinara , Triglie (red mullet) alla Livornese , Fritto misto (mixed fry), Controfiletto con Rigatoni and the Piccoli Marmites , as good and five times as cheap as can be obtained at any restaurant of the French Riviera. The diner cannot do better than keep to the ordinary Vino da Pasto, and end with the delicious Cafe Espresso and a Val d’Ema (Tuscan Chartreuse) green or yellow. The best Tuscan mineral water is the Acqua Litiosa di S. Marco (from the province of Grosseto), and it deserves more than a merely local fame. If the traveller’s flask is not already empty, let him try some of its contents with this water, and he will have a pleasant surprise. The restaurant attached to the Hotel d’Angleterre- 262 ^The Gourmet's Guide to Europe Campari is also an excellent one. Why the hotel is called Angleterre, not Inglaterra, no one knows. The Angleterre, hotel and restaurant are owned by Via Vittorio Signori de Stefani and Clerici, the latter Emanuele Qf whom was jn London for a time at

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