La Tana Degli Orsi - Pratovecchio

The exhibit on Jacopo del Casentino in 2014 was the occasion for our visit to Pratovecchio, and we made our reservation at La Tana degli Orsi a month in advance. The menu offers a wide selection and there were specials too. The choice was not easy. While we awaited our first course, we looked around at all the teddy bears on the shelves. So that’s where the name comes from! The hostess, Caterina, brought a delicious small tortina with cheese and nuts. We had been tempted by the fiori di zucca as our first course but decided that we had to have tortelli since we were in the Casentino. They were splendid. The delicate homemade pasta, like large hand-cut ravioli, was filled with pigeon meat and diced zucchini and served with butter and sage. One of our seconds was the spiedino di fattoria, which included pork, beef, veal, and chicken, all tender chunks just off the grill (and not overcooked), with a salad of olives, tomato, and potato. The other secondo was the scaloppa di baccala baked in aluminum foil with tomatoes, capers, black olives, and yoghurt. We did not order dessert but were served small coffee custards instead. Any visit to Pratovecchio MUST include La Tana degli Orsi, but advance reservation is essential. The management wisely restricts the number of diners to what the small staff can handle. We saw close to twenty people (not including the 35 teddy bears) but there was room for at least ten more. Nevertheless, during our meal the hostess politely turned away half a dozen people at the door.

We spent a week in Pratovecchio July 2014. The villa owner indicated that this was one of the best restaurants in town and that we would need a reservation. We decided to check it out for my wife's fathers birthday dinner. We reserved for the earliest time (7:00 PM) so that the kids would be ok. We arrived right at 7:00 and the front door was locked. We walked through town for a while and came back, but the door was still locked. There was small button on the right of the door and I pressed the button and someone appeared to unlock the door within minutes. There must have been a separate entrance somewhere? Overall the food was good. The wait staff did not speak much English which is not a problem for our family since we are always willing to try something different. However, my wife's parent are less flexible on dietary surprises and had trouble getting details about what was in all the dishes. In the end the atmosphere and food was great. We did not have a bad meal in the area.

We have visited La Tana twice during our stay in Casentino. The food is fantastic: the hamburger di chianina is was reallt the best I have ever tried in my life. Delicious starters, very good meat, original and yummy dishes. They serves local vine amazing! It also worth to try deserts and grappa. Friendly service and atmosphere. Better to reserve a table in advance.

Posto molto riservato, molto bello e accogliente. il menu è ben pensato e non eccessivo la lista dei vini è da intenditore. prezzo medio alto, ma cmq da provare.

Ampia scelta di piatti. cucina tra tradizione e rivisitazione, ma sicuramente eccellente e con tratti di eccellenza. ampia scelta di vini