Le Porte - CALCI

Abbiamo cenato in due, con antipasto toscano e carne alla brace condita un po' troppo secca. Abbiamo bevuto mezzo litro di vino, acqua e un caffè, tutto a un prezzo di dieci euro a testa. Mi aspettavo di meglio.

This restaurant is well off the beaten track, but worth the drive if you are close to Pisa. The restaurant has rustic charm, is full of locals and little frequented by tourists unless they are taken by a local, or are off the beaten track as we were on our first visit! You need transport to get to this restaurant. They serve good typical Tuscan cuisine catering for the local population and their guests rather than a Menu Turistico nothing fancy, but good quality, large quantity fresh traditional Italian food with a great atmosphere of family fun and informal, rustic dining. You can take as much time as you need and you certainly need time with the large delicious portions that they serve! Dishes include cold cuts of meat antipasti and local cheeses, charcoal grilled fish, meats, fresh pasta with a choice of sauces including local porcini mushrooms and truffles when in season , pappardelle al ragu di cinghiale, pizzas from their wood fired pizza oven, wild boar sausages, char grilled cuts of cinghiale by special order and Tuscan desserts including tiramisù, torte della nonna lemon tart , cantuccini and panna cotta. We arrived on a midweek lunchtime to find the restaurant full, so we opted to dine al fresco in the garden which was also nearly full. The staff prepared a table for the five of us and when we asked for the menu the waiter said no, no , served us water and then disappeared inside. A few minutes later a lady came to us and told us in perfect London English that there was no menu, but she could suggest some dishes for us she was one of the Italian owners who had lived north of London for many years before her family moved back to Tuscany and bought the mountain restaurant . We had a selection of fresh pasta dishes papardelle, spaghetti and fettuccine with funghi porcini, tartufo, carbonara and ragu sauces, served with warmed focaccia bread, followed by char grilled fish served on a platter for the whole table, with dressed side salads insalata mista . This was followed by a mixed grill of meat: cuts of chicken, pork, lamb, and wild boar sausages on another platter for the whole table, served with patatine fritte thin fried potato chips . The four pasta dishes were ample for the five of us; fresh, hot and very tasty. The fish was fresh, perfectly griddled and in ample quantity. My wife was full after the fish dish! . Some of the meat was salted and air dried prior to char grilling, which was too salty for my taste, but my Swiss friends said it was very good again, in a large quantity. The food was accompanied by a carafe of house red and a carafe of house white wine, which were very palatable with the food, and plenty of water. We could not finish the volume of pasta, fish and meat served, so I recommend that you go with a healthy appetite. Only two of us had a dessert, and four had coffee served with cantucci biscuits. The all inclusive price was €125 in total, €25 per person , which was excellent value for money. We left a €15 tip and the staff were very gracious and thought we had over paid! We chatted to the owner and asked if they served char grilled cinghiale, which my Swiss friend and I were keen to savour. She said that they only served wild boar cuts to order; it was generally only available as sausages and in a ragu. So we decided to book the restaurant for later in the week and order char grilled cinghiale for two of us, while the rest of our party would have the normal mixed grill. The owner informed us that Friday nights were entertainment nights with karaoke and a DJ, so we booked the Friday night for our feast not because we like karaoke, but it was our last night in our holiday cottage, so this would be a fitting end our Tuscan holiday . I haven 't mentioned the location of this restaurant: it is located on the eastern outskirts of Pisa, on the Monte Serra mountain road 21km east of the centre of Pisa, and 18.3km north east of Pisa airport Galileo Galilei . The nearest village is Calci, a picturesque historic village on the eastern fringe of Pisa. The restaurant is 6km from Calci, where we were staying on an organic olive farm on the lower slopes of Monte Serra. Follow the Monte Serra mountain road out of Calci and the restaurant is 15 minutes drive up the winding mountain road, on the right hand side it cannot be missed in daylight hours. The address above is incorrect, the restaurant is not in Via di Bisantola, it is at Strada Provinciale del Monte Serra, Località Monteserra, 1 56011 Calci PI. Copy and paste this url for the Google map location: [hidden link] The drive up to the restaurant is through spectacular mountain scenery and views over the Pisan valley and Serchio River below. This is a training ground for serious cyclists and is also well known for nature excursions close to Pisa. There are lots of nature trails, walks and viewpoints here. We were in Tuscany at the time of the chestnut festivals sagra della castagna and there are an abundance of chestnut trees around the restaurant and on the approach road. Well worth a walkabout after a 2 to 3 hour feast! The restaurant is also known by variations of the name it is listed on TripAdvisor as Le Porte, but it is also known as Ristorante Pizzeria Le Porte, and the longer title of Ristorante Pizzeria Le Porte Di Paolo Degli Innocenti. Before you set off for the restaurant, I recommend phoning them or asking a local about their opening hours. There is ample parking in the grounds of the restaurant and in the clearing beyond the restaurant or on the roadside. We returned to Le Porte on the Friday evening where we were greeted like regulars and locals. Our table was reserved for us and the restaurant was packed out, including some al fresco diners in the chilly mountain air in October. The restaurant had a good selection of wines and we duly chose a Montepulciano and a Prosecco which were perfect. We had antipasti to start see the photo , followed by the char grilled cinghiale and mixed grill. The cinghiale was perfectly grilled, very tasty, but well salted and peppered, which is the Tuscan style. Plenty for 4 people, but only two of us devoured it. The mixed grill was similar to above, and included chunks of bistecca too. The grilled course was followed by stone baked pizzas from the wood fired oven, which were thin, crispy, rustic and delicious, including a giant sized calzone. The entertainment was hosted by a DJ well into his 70 's, but he had all of the equipment necessary for a small night club, including professional karaoke equipment. We were astonished at the talent in the restaurant, including two teenage sisters with their families, singing pop songs; an opera singer singing arias by Giacomo Puccini and other classical Italian operatic masterpieces. Two guys in their 30 's that looked like football fans, sang 1970 's Italian pop classics that had the whole restaurant singing along. A chef 's son is a professional singer and he sang some beautiful and moving Italian numbers, including duets with his mother, the chef. A local surgeon sang some Frank Sinatra classics and many others took their turn, of course, with the wine flowing, our table joined in too! Altogether a fabulous evening of entertainment, good wine, tasty rustic Tuscan cuisine and great company. Two of our group had the last of the delicious home made tiramisù, one panna cotta and two platters of cheese and biscuits followed by coffee. Fabulous fare, excellent value for money, with hosts that care and try very hard! We were offered brandy, limoncello and grappa on the house at the end of the evening, and we were astonished at the total cost of €150 for the five of us. We arrived at 8pm and left after 1am, when the karaoke was still in full swing for the staff, their families and friends. We recommend this restaurant wholeheartedly, and we will definitely return when we are in the vicinity. The staff and guests really make this place come alive!