Capalbio
Casale Nuovo

Casale Nuovo

Strada Pedemontana, 58, Capalbio, Italy, 58011

Caffè • Pizza • Pasta • Carne


"We went to this restaurant for dinner, as a few weeks ago it was listed as being No 1 on Trip Advisor among all the restaurants in Capalbio. Well, I have to say, I don't agree with that. Having tried other restaurants in the area (two, in particular, spring to mind , this one, while being of acceptable quality, was the worst of the three. I would like to say, however, that we only had pasta/risotto dishes, followed by vegetable dishes and dessert, so I can't speak about the meat. The pasta and risotto were good enough, but not exceptional. The choice on the menu was nothing special there was not much that was really original. We were particularly disappointed with the choice of vegetable side dishes (we don't eat meat and we know that in Italy we can usually find lots of interesting vegetable dishes but not here . The roast potatoes we ordered were cold and hard (i.e. not good and I actually left some on the plate (unknown for me! . The grilled aubergines/courgettes were OK, but nothing special. I don't remember exactly what desserts we had, but that in itself means that they were probably nice, but not exceptional. We also had a bottle of wine recommended to us by the manager. The menu boasted about having organic (bio and biodynamic wines, so we asked him for advice about a good organic wine. We accepted his advice. However, I did not like the wine very much (it had an odd taste, very home made tasting . When I looked at the label, it did not state that it was organic (bio , so I can only assume that it wasn't. I wanted to ask the manager about this, but we never saw him again (he never asked us how we liked the wine, for example . Apart from this, we found the service good (polite serving staff and fast service . Lower than our expectations (but the price was higher the most expensive of the restaurants we visited in Capalbio . Would not go back."

Il Tortello

Il Tortello

Localita' Pescia Fiorentina, Capalbio, Italy, 58011

Caffè • Pizza • Pasta • Italiano


"We arrived early to visit the nearby sculpture park, the Giardino dei Tarocchi. The restaurant was quite hard to find, tucked at the back of an inner courtyard parking lot and not well signed. It was not open for service when we arrived. Never the less we were seated and served coffee and chilled mineral water, and as soon as the kitchen was ready, our orders were taken, about 40 minutes before the scheduled opening at 1245 hrs. The menu was quite extensive, (with a convenient English language version) with the traditional central Italian cuisine and featuring wild boar (cinghiale) in a variety of dishes. We sampled the olive all 'ascolana (olives stuffed with meat, coated with bread crumbs and deep fried), a regional specialty. I had grilled young pork, (the crackling was perfect) and my wife had a very flavorsome and generous dish of grilled chicken. We added a dish of traditional Italian grilled vegetables (egg plant, peppers and zucchini) and some delightful French fries (cooked in very clean and sweet oil) for a very satisfying and tasty lunch. Finally we were tempted by Crema Catalana , the Catalan version of creme brulee. The flan mix was covered with a generous layer of raw sugar, doused with a liquor I didn 't identify, then set on fire at our table, where it happily burned for about five minutes, caramelizing the sugar topping. The single serving was more than enough for two! Altogether a delightful experience. This is the type of restaurant I always seek, but so often I am disappointed to end up in a crass ersatz tourist trap. Not this time. The service was polite and prompt. Everything was very tasty. The variety was impressive, the components fresh and appealing, the presentation unpretentious. This is the real thing, you feel you are eating in Momma 's farm kitchen. Not fine dining, but the best of country cuisine in an homely setting. Select your meal carefully and take your time. I wish I had an excuse to go back there."