Review Restaurant Benito in Orentano Tuscany
Review Restaurant Benito in Orentano Tuscany
Since I knew that our friends from Liguria would be visiting us in Tuscany over the long weekend, I called in advance in the restaurant Benito in Orentano (more precisely on 13 May, so about 3 weeks earlier).
I expressed myself more or less as follows: "We are 9 persons and a dog. On which evening over the long weekend of the 2nd of June do you have a free table". Yes, because in the restaurant Benito in Orentano, a small village, which is quite remote in the Tuscan countryside, it is not only advisable to reserva a table, but absolutely necessary! Once I called on a Monday in the wintertime to reserve a table for 2 persons, I was turned away. Therefore, I did not want to miss the chance to go back to the restaurant Benito in Orentano, part of the municipality of Castelfranco di Sotto, province of Pisa.
Unser Tisch im Restaurant Benito in Orentano war schön groß.
- You want to impress your party asking for the wine list, then spend a long time talking about the harmonious forest aroma and the deep red color of the wine.
- One of your table mates can not live without fries, sushi or turmeric from the Baltic Sea (if that exists).
- Someone in your party is not interested in good food and spends the evening tossing a lettuce leaf on the plate without eating it.
- You love to eat in restaurants with overbearing staff (in a restaurant review I once read "if you do not know them here, you will not be noticed." Well, they might ignore you, even if they know you!)
When we arrived we were given a nice big table. If you are told here, "This is our last free table", well that's true and not just so said to impress. The tablecloth is checkered and colorful, the crystal glasses and the cutlery are normal. The plates are rustic and go well with the place, which I think has been refurbished since my last visit. Anyway, I could not remember that Pompei red on the wall. Behind us there is a table with fresh fruit and wonderful ham, which I would gladly have taken home with me!
Menu 9½/10
A paper menu hangs, I believe, outside the restaurant. Maybe they have one somewhere, but I've never seen one here. Here I forget my motto "No menu - no party" and recommend everyone to put themselves into the hands of the waiter. Just give the staff only approximate information on what you would like and let them guide - then everything will be fine. Usually I always order antipasti (appetizer) and a tagliata (sliced steak) and, if I still have room in my stomach, a dessert. I tasted the pasta, which was excellent, and I'm sure that also the pizza tastes great. But the real reason to come here is: meat. My photographs are not very good this time. Everything looks so good here that we wanted to taste is as soon as possible, not waste time in taking silly pictures!
Some of the "antipasti" at Restaurant Benito in Orentano, Tuscany
Almost all of my friends follow the advice of ordering appetizers and then steak. The starters are very rich, so that I can not remember all: ham (excellent), salami and other sausages, crostini (roasted slices of bread) with meat sauce, with olive oil, with cheese (the one I could live without) and with tomato cubes, spelt salad, bean and onion salad, their indescribable shallots in vinegar, olives...
The stunning grill-oven for the steaks at Restaurant Benito in Orentano, Tuscany
I always advise not to eat the (delicious, it comes from Altopascio) bread while waiting for the appetizers. Leave some room for all the good stuff. some friends ordere cabbage soup and they are very happy with their choice. Same as those who have pasta. As already mentioned, Tagliata (the steak) is the real reason to come to Benito in Orentano. The portions are generous, so please never order 6 servings for 6, unless you are 6 very big eaters. Otherwise there will be something left over. Let the staff give you advice. The tagliata (actually there were two) is served with beans and boiled vegetables as a side dish. A dream!
The “Tagliata” (Steak) at Restaurant Benito in Orentano, Tuscany
Then we order some desserts (I had a sorbet) and espressos. To give you an idea of how correct this is, here's what happened on another visit: I was the only one drinking and I wanted to drink a glass of house wine made from the excellent Chianti Scopiccio. They gave me a full flask, telling me "Signora, do not worry, you will only pay what you drink!"
Service 6½/10
The staff is correct, fast and professional. That's it.. The waiter who took care of our table was exceptionally talkative, which is more of a rarity. You do not lose any time chatting or saying good-bye when you leave (really!).
Scopiccio, the wine of the house at Restaurant Benito in Orentano, Tuscany
Bill 9/10
My friends were very kind, they paid for my dinner, so I can't say how much we actually paid. As far as I know from previous visits, you can easily eat with 25 euro per person, a real treat!
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