a birthday dinner

So Sunday was my birthday. The entire weekend was quite relaxed without much planned. On Saturday (which had to have been the coldest day we've had here so far), we took a walk around town bundled in our coats, scarves, and gloves. We peeked inside a couple of restaurants that we've been wanting to try, to find a good place to go that night for an early birthday dinner. We decided on the restaurant, Il Rifrullo, located in one of our favorite Florentine neighborhoods, San Niccolo. We frequent the bar here on Sunday afternoons for a caffe', as we enjoy taking a bike ride or long walk to this area on the weekends. We've also stopped in right before the apperativo hour, and I've commented on how good it looked. On Saturday afternoon when we were scouting for a place to eat later that night, we stopped in for a caffe' at Il Rifrullo, and after glancing that that night's menu, decided to make a reservation.
You can check out this small video about the restaurant

The dinner was absolutely lovely. Everyone there was very friendly, and the atmosphere was a great mix of casual, Tuscan, and modern pop. The large majority of the patrons seemed to be local, and our entire night was conducted solely in Italian. Before even ordering, the cameriera (waitress) brought us two glasses of frizzante (Italian sparkling wine) for a welcome drink. For an antipasto we shared Fried Polenta Cakes with Sauteed Mushrooms. Chris ordered Risotto with Champagne and Leeks for the primo piatto, while I got a Tuscan Bean Soup with Homemade Croutons. For dessert I thoroughly enjoyed a Chocolate Souffle; and Chris savored a Creme Brulee. We will definitely go back, and plan to recommend it to guests as a great place away from the shuffle of tourists. It also offers an eclectic mix of menu items from very traditional Tuscan dishes to other international cuisine options.

On Sunday we mainly relaxed and then took our normal passeggiata, and then stopped in what is soon becoming my favorite place for a caffe' (especially on Sundays as it is one of the fewer amount of places that stay open), Chiaroscuro Cafe. We went here a couple of weeks ago with some friends after several people had recommended it. Unlike the traditional Italian bar, this cafe offers many types of flavored caffe' (even with flavor infused cremes), and teas. It's always quite busy, and seems popular with locals as well as tourists that pass by. We plan to go there sometime for the apperativo which I've heard only good things about!
You can check out this small video about the cafe