Babette - CASTIGLION FIORENTINO

My husband I live in Italy and don 't venture out alot for 'fine dining ' however a business acquaintance suggested we visit while over in that area the day before. What wonderful food, the presentation was quite unlike any I had seen outside of a 5* hotel, we opted for fish and how they had such fresh delicious fish so far from the sea is quite beyond me. Although pleased with the choice there were other things on the menu which looked great as well. The setting was lovely looking over the swimming pool to the twinkling lights of Cortona, the wine perfect and the service was as you would expect in a top class restaurant. This is a hidden gem. Price was on the higher end but worth it. Even the music was to my taste

We visited this restaurant mostly based on the very nice pictures of the food and the fantastic reviews. However, we were seriously disappointed. The good: The scenery around the restaurant is absolutely fantastic. Very beautiful. The bad: I ordered a cube of panchetta for starters. I am no expert in panchetta, but I expected something like bacon. What I received was a cube of lard. I am not one of those fat frightened types, but this was just too much. Not delicious at all. My main course was a steak. It was big and juicy, but the surface was burnt to a black crisp on the underside. To me, a clear sign of a chef who does not care about his job. It was a 50 EUR steak. We waited an hour for the main course and when it arrived they had forgotten to cook my wife's meal. It was not a busy night. Except for a lone couple, our party were alone in the restaurant. The food looks nothing like the highly styled pictures here on Trip advisor. The waitress was smiling and friendly, but not very attentive. There was a very loud and very annoying sound about every 5 10 minutes or so. We were told it was from the oven. Why anybody would run a restaurant without fixing this is beyond me. To be fair, some of the meals served were decent, but nothing special. Not recommended!

Prior to our visit to Tuscany we had discussed some new restaurants in the area with our local friends Bianca and Enzo. They had mentioned a place had opened but they have not tried it yet. So prior to leaving Lori decided we are all going to Babette. Locate in the Casale di Brolio outside the small town of Castiglion Fiorentino. This is remotely located but the roads are good and it’s easy to find. We arrived at Babette and it was a very quite evening because of the rain and the time of year, Tuscany really starts to slowdown in October. It’s an attractive place with clean Tuscan appearance. We started the meal with an amazing amuse-bouche of foie gras. It was nice to have four of us dining so we had a chance try many dishes. Our appetizer was scallops that were perfectly seared and presented with several sauces. I’m not sure how I felt about the Foie and scallop combination. The Pasta course was Pici a local hand rolled thick spaghetti with Wild Boar ragu its was excellent and on my list of must have again dishes. I had a really interesting suckling pig in a Chocolate sauce, Lori had a perfectly prepared Sea Bream, Bianca an amazing Monk Fish and Enzo his standard Beef Fillet which was so tender no knife was required. We did of course save room for desert, this is a good plan!! The deserts were on par with any Michelin 3 star restaurant. The presentations were amazing and they tasted even better than they looked. The Tiramisu was absolutely the best!! Perhaps my favorite all time desert! When in Tuscany or even within a 12 hour flight don’t miss a dinner at Babette. The service was excellent and they do speak English well for those that are concerned.. This is truly fine dining in Tuscany.