Quattro Gigli

reviewed on November 28th 2004

Quattro Gigli is a restaurant/hotel that can be found midway between Florence and Pisa. It's located in the small town of Montopoli, which is perched above the Arno valley and affords some really wonderful views of the countryside. My husband, son and I left from Lucca and reached the restaurant in a little under an hour. The exterior of Quattro Gigli is a warm coral and the interior is filled with exposed wood beams and brick walls. The building dates from the 14 ^thcentury; as we visited at the end of November, this made for a very cozy atmosphere. The furnishings of the restaurant range from Etruscan style pottery to antique furniture and a functioning 1960's juke box. The ground floor of 4 Gigli has a lovely breakfast/tea salon that overlooks a valley filled with olive, lemon, orange and persimon trees. A truly beautiful view that can be enjoyed from every floor of the building. The overall atmosphere is quintessentialy Tuscan. There is also a vine covered terrace and small pool adjacent to the indoor dinning facility. The terrace looks out onto the same fabulous view and, in my opinion, would make for a great site to have a cocktail welcome party for newly arriving wedding guests.

Now, down to the nitty gritty, the food! When we sat down we were immediately served a crisp Spumanti and a slightly spicey cannellini bean puree that was delicious when spread over fresh bread. The wait staff was very attentive of my three year old son and took his order immediately and brought it out without delay. There was also a very unobtrusive flat screen tv at the back of the restaurant showing a medieval re-enactment event that appeared to have taken place in Montopoli. This kept our son on his best behavior and allowed us plenty of peace to enjoy our lunch.

I started with a dish of lightly parboiled shrimp covered in a tepid sauce of sauteed red onions and walnuts on a bed of radicchio. An excellent appetizer as the flavor of the shrimp was enhanced and not overwhelmed by the accompanyment. My husband chose a dish called Pici alla Pisana. Pici is an almost ramen-esque noodle that my husband described as very hearty. The noodles were served in a buttery sauce of porcini mushrooms and baby clams. A very flavorful and rich dish. My husband really liked it. I would only caution that this should be ordered when very hungry or when your main dish is fish as I found it to be very filling. That said, my husband followed this dish with a stewed wild boar and had no problem finishing his plate! The wild boar was stewed in a rich red wine sauce that had nice depth to it. My husband ordered roasted potatoes to accompany this dish ,which were fresh and delicious. The only problem was that they arrived 10 minutes after he received the wild boar, so he couldn't enjoy the two togethor as he would have liked. I chose a white fish called gallinella as my entree. It was served with a white truffle sauce and a squid ink sauce that were swirled on top of the lightly pan seared strips of fish. This was a really delicate dish that I enjoyed thoroughly. I had sauteed garlic flavored spinach which was simple yet delightful as my accompanying vegetable. We chose a bottle of red Chianti called Chianti Badia di Morrona 2003 for 10euros to accompany the meal. A very drinkable wine, light with a slightly peppery finish. A great value in my oppinion. The wine list was extensive but what I appreciated is that they had quality wine at every price range. We finished our meal with some excellent coffee and my son had a really great dessert called Zucchetta di Cioccolato, I think. This was a kind of dense chocolate mouse shaped like a triangle with a hard chocolate exterior covered in candied orange zest on a plate of raspberry and black cherry sauce. Perfection. I can't remember the last time I had a dessert that good.

A word about the menu. To my surprise, many of the selections on the menu were typical dishes eaten in the Renaissance. For those with an interest in gastronomy, this restaurant could be a great locale to organize a cooking class. The owner's son has already given classes to a culinary group in Miami, so it seems they are already organized to provide this kind of service.

All in all, this was a really pleasurable dinning experience. Our bill was 95.00 euros which I thought was reasonable for the level of quality we received. The staff was friendly and helpful. I would categorize the service as very professional. I did not visit the hotel rooms so I can't review that aspect yet but I'm certain that I will return again and have plenty of time to review the rooms. I think that this establishment would be a great venue for a rehearsal dinner or, in the summer, an outdoor cocktail party. If your wedding party is small enough and you are looking for a rustic Tuscan look to your wedding reception, then I would also reccomend this site as a wedding reception site for the summer months. I stipulate summer months because I did not see enough room for a dance floor inside the restaurant.

Links

Quattro Gigli web site
Montopoli in Val D'Arno (in Italian)