Here is a report on our last lunch on our Tuscan sojourn. It was eaten in Lucca, a town we had no plans to visit pretty much till we went there. We’d thought our last full day in Tuscany would be spent in either Montepulciano or Montalcino, or both. But in the morning we decided against driving to towns whose principal attractions include wine and drove north instead. We weren’t sure what we would make of Lucca and so had no firm plans. We figured if it wasn’t our favourite, we would cut and run to some other small town nearby. As it happens, we loved Lucca and stayed there the entire day. Which meant we needed to figure out a spot for lunch. 5-10 minutes of googling led me to Osteria Cantine Bernardini. The reviews I read indicated an easy going place that serves updated takes on Tuscan classics and we decided to give it a go. And I’m very glad we did: this was hands-down our best meal in Tuscany and among our best meals of the trip as a whole.

They are located in a very old building in the center of town. The building dates back to 1586, and the year shows up in their full name as well. The main restaurant is indoors and downstairs (in the cellar of the building). There is, however, ample outdoor seating as well, and at lunch that day everyone seemed to be eating outside. Or maybe we as the first customers set an example. At any rate, I expect there are more people indoors at dinner. Outside, you are by a quiet street and it’s all very charming.

As we sat down, we were given little welcoming pours of sparkling wine to accompany perusal of the menu and then an amuse and excellent bread while we waited for the food to come out. That menu, which changes frequently, is brief. Five antipasti, five primi, five secondi. From the first we selected the beef tartare and a grilled eggplant millefeuille. For the mid-course we got the gnocchi (tossed in tomato sauce, topped with buffalo mozzarella and baked), the tortellini (gratinated with ragu Bolognese and bechamel), and their take on the classic Tuscan bread, tomato and seafood stew, cacciucco. Just one secondo to follow: the grilled mackerel, served with cannellini beans. Every single thing was at least very good. The eggplant, the tortellini and the mackerel were excellent.

We did not pass up dessert on this occasion. We got their panna cotta with strawberries marinated in balsamic vinegar and their apple torta with fior di latte ice cream. Both were excellent as well.

For a look at the restaurant and what we ate, click on an image below to launch a larger slideshow. Scroll down for thoughts on service and to see how much it all cost.

Service was very warm, friendly and present when needed (and everyone was also quite fluent in English). Price? With a couple of soft drinks, a few bottles of much needed cold water and the coperto/cover charge, the total was 129 euros. Which is just a steal for the quality (and quantity) of what we ate. I’m sure there are higher-rated restaurants in Lucca but I have no reservations about recommending Cantine Bernardini highly to any visitors looking for a good meal (and I really recommend going to Lucca, whether you eat at Cantine Bernardini or not). Speaking of reservations, we didn’t have one and it wasn’t an issue. But if you’re going for dinner, or deeper in the tourist season, it would not be a bad idea to make one.

Okay, that’s Tuscany in the bag. From here we went north for the last leg of our trip. Coming up next weekend will be the first of several reports from Padua and Venice. Before that I’ll have a report on another of our Twin Cities favourites on Tuesday, and another report from Dublin on Thursday.