Nourish the Budding Lotus

Brac: Eating Vegetarian in Florence

“Vegetarian?  How can you be a vegetarian living in Italy?”  I stopped counting the number of times that someone asked me this question during the 5 years that I was living in Florence, Italy, but lets just say it was often…  People were shocked, and some were not very supportive…but I survived   Quite well actually.

It might have been just a little easier in Florence than some other cities in Italy because I found that there are tons of “contorni” (side dishes) that are delicious and vegetarian.  Sure, I confused a few waiters when all I would order was a selection of contorni but I also mastered the ability to let their judgment roll off my shoulders and enjoy my meal…

While I was able to find vegetarian options in most conventional restaurants, I was also quite excited to visit the few vegetarian restaurants in the city because it is a rare occasion when I can actually choose anything on the menu!  Being a libra, that is not always a good thing for those who accompany me because it takes a lot longer to make a decision, but it makes me excited to have so many delicious options in front of me.

During my most recent visit to Florence, I was pleased to find out that there was a new veggie restaurant to try out.  Brac is a modern art bookstore, cafe and restaurant with a delightful atmosphere and a delicious menu.  I went with 2 friends on a cold November evening and we were all very excited.  We entered into a cafe and bookstore and were led through an open courtyard with outdoor seating for aperitivo hour, and ended up in the cozy dining room.

We were all so impressed with the menu choices that it was tough to choose.  The best part…we didn’t have to!  They have a mixed plate where you can choose 3 elements off of the menu (salad, first dish and second dish) so that you get a little of everything.  I chose the fennel and orange salad which was refreshingly delicious, the zucchini flower risotto (yum!) and the “pizza” on flatbread with tomato and eggplant.  Everything was amazing.

My only regret was that I didn’t find out about this restaurant sooner so that I could go back again before I left!  If you make it to Florence, I definitely suggest it.  I will surely return next time I am in Firenze.  Next time I promise to take photos!  It was too good to pause for photo ops…