APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

Pound for pound, Bordeaux boasts some of the best gastronomy and wine in all of France...or the world for that matter.

Code 23, a fabulous bar with live music and a cozy vibe, is less than 15 minutes walk from the property.

Le Petit Commerce, one of the greatest, most unpretentious seafood houses in all of the region, is 15 minutes walk away from Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta.

Boulangerie Jocteur, an outstanding bakery, is a brisk 5 minute walk from the hotel.

Chartrons and its great homes and bistros are 15 minutes by tram.

Cite du Vin is less than 25 minutes by tram.

Bassins des Lumières, in a WWII submarine bunker also to the north of town, is less than 45 minutes by public transit.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta Front desk staff was excellent about giving tips on shopping/dining.

It also complied with my standard request to get the room farthest from the elevator and to have an extra flat sheet in the room.

I certainly used the coffee maker, as well as the fridge to store leftover gourmet food -- and the stove and microwave to reheat said food.

St. Catherine Street -- billed as the longest pedestrian shopping street in all of Europe, is footsteps away.

Garonne River, muddy but the spine of the city for centuries, is 10-12 minutes walk away, as is the famous Place de la Bourse with its giant reflecting pond and wondrous architecture. Bordeaux is a great city.

APARTHOTEL ADAGIO BORDEAUX CENTRE GAMBETTA

MODERN BUILDING WITH GALLEY KITCHEN FOOTSTEPS FROM TRANSIT

When first considering several properties, I thought Aparthotel Adagio Bordeaux Centre Gambetta might be out of the center.

Turns out it's in the center.

And right on the edge of the UNESCO World Heritage part of the city.

It's the best of both worlds -- modern, updated and quiet as it is not near any wine or other bars or nightclubs.

But Gambetta is a great area, flush with hip restaurants, wine bars and grocery stores.

One of the tram lines is 5 minutes away.

Also within a 5 minute walk is the G bus that connected with historic Saint Jean train station, where I arrived from Paris. 

IF THANKSGIVING IS ABOUT FRIENDS, FAMILY AND FOOD…

 …NOTHING CAPTURES THAT SACRED TRIO BETTER THAN EL CONTENTO RESTAURANT IN NEW YORK’S HARLEM

Steve Wright with Yannick Benjamin -- Contento

A handful of things define my purpose in life and what gives me joy.

Exquisite food is on the list.

Travel to experience new place and people is right up there.

Design that is universal, inclusive, equitable, warm and wheelchair-accessible is on the mountaintop too.

I have had the great fortune to make friends, work on planning projects and sample unique cuisine of more world cities than I can count.

Yannick Benjamin -- Contento -- accessible outdoor dining

On the Thanksgiving weekend, I want to highlight Contento.

It thrives on fresh ingredients, fabulous seafood, a nod toward the cuisine of Peru, a world class curated wine list and access for people with disabilities – from the outside tables to inside dining to a lowered bar to a fully-accessible unisex restroom.

The cozy, convivial space is in a hip location – close to the northern end of Central Park and in the heart of El Barrio – the colorful, historic East Harlem.

Many people contribute to the amazing team that is Contento. Yannick Benjamin -- master sommelier, entrepreneur, activist and leader who uses a wheelchair for mobility, heads to collection of veteran restauranteurs. 

He’s always at the front of the house, recommended a daily special, pairing it with a rare and perfect wine, making sure everyone is comfortable and happy.

Steve Wright with Oscar Lorenzzi -- Contento

Executive Chef Oscar Lorenzzi oversees the compact but powerful kitchen – turning out fresh approaches to ceviche, wonderful grilled octopus and sinful olive oil cake with fresh berries.

The wonderful thing is that while many national publications have noted and praised the wheelchair access and inclusive design – they are NOT evaluating the hottest restaurant in town simply in terms of accommodating people with disabilities.

No, everything from the New York times to Eater has heaped praise on Contento for its luscious cuisine and notable wine list – by the bottle or glass.

On this day of thanks, I am thankful for counting Yannick and his team as friends.

Yannick Benjamin -- Contento -- accessible indoor dining

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 6

 

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

We rewarded for breaking our return visit rule.

Owner David Gardner himself happened to be in the house and the wait staff pointed us out as repeat visitors during our all too brief stay in Florence.

He was very concerned about wheelchair access and made sure that we knew one water closet was 100% barrier-free (we did, having used it a week before on our initial visit.)

Gardner chatted us up between fielding phone calls and quizzing his staff how breakfast went at his adjacent Cafe Baldobar -- which is one of prettiest and tastiest breakfast options in all of St. Croce.

Before bidding us goodbye, Gardner mentioned that his Villa Bordoni has wheelchair access.

Villa Bordoni is a small hotel, lauded by Travel and Leisure, in Greve -- a tiny town in the heart of the Chianti region know for famed Italian red wines.

Greve is halfway between Florence and Siena (a hauntingly beautiful and history hill town about an hour south of Firenze)

Villa Bordoni has a restaurant and cooking classes as well as barrier-free access.

Baldovino address: Via San Giuseppe 22r, next to Santa Croce Basilica
 

Phone: 055 241773
 

Website: www.baldovino.com

Website for small hotel in Greve:  www.villabordoni.com

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 5

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

Baldovino has wheelchair-accessible seating outdoors and a barrier-free entrance to its lovely indoor dining. 

The restroom is one of the most accessible in Florence.

We can report that on our last day in Firenze, we broke our own rule about patronizing the same place twice -- when there are so many fresh options to sample.

We went light.

Heidi noshed on a salad Toscana with mixed leaves, pecorino cheese, pear, celery, walnuts.

I went veg again with the fab Giardiniera pizza of fresh tomato, mozzarella, mushrooms, bell peppers, olives in onions.

The red peppers really put it over the top, as I downed the whole pie, save for a small slice shared with my bridge.

I begged to disrupt the natural harmony of the Giardiniera pizza, asking them to hold the onions.

Two visits and two perfectly-prepared meals at Baldovino.

BALDOVINO REVIEW CONTINUES 

TOMORROW -- JULY 26

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 4

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

The house red was the perfect accompaniment to both my meatless pizza and Heidi's hearty Papardelle with boar ragout.

Just when I thought things couldn't possibly get better, our flawless waiter asked if I would like to try some hot olive oil.

I like it hot and he delivered a succulent olive oil spiked with dried, crushed red peppers.

The fiery (but not damaging) oil was the perfect thing to dip my pizza crust in (whether that was breaking any Tuscan dining rules or not).

We didn't have room for more, but our brilliant server tempted us with word that Baldovino takes great pride in its baked goods.

Soon, we were sharing torta a ciccoloto con panna  -- chocolate torte with panna cotta (cooked cream).

Since Baldovino has an extensive wine list, we let are sharp server suggest an excellent  dessert wine to end our main courses and east our way into the delish chocolate.

BALDOVINO REVIEW CONTINUES 

TOMORROW -- JULY 26

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 3

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

Hoummus Toscana -- cannellini, sesame and garlic dip served with Arab bread from Baldovino's wood oven  -- started ear evening out perfectly.

Heidi, wanting to sample Tuscany's famed game meat, went for Papardelle with homemade wild boar ragout, scented with juniper.

Certainly, boar tastes a bit wilder than beef, but the dish was an outstanding main course for a hungry traveler.

While Baldovino's menu has expanded far beyond pizza, I couldn't resist choosing from the dozens of fresh and inventive creations on the menu.

I settled on the Siciliana -- with mozzarella, sundried tomatoes, olives and melted parmesan.

The pizza was big enough to share, but I gorged on the whole thing down to the last bit of crust. 

The moz was brilliant and fresh.

The sundrieds were sweet, fruity, zesty.

The black olives earthy, briny taste were a perfect contrast to the sundried tomatoes.

Fearing too much of a good thing, I almost asked our outstanding and attentive server to hold off on the crispy melted parmesan on top of the pizza.

Too much cheese can sink an otherwise perfect pizza.

The parm was perfect -- divinely crispy and salty to play off the mild mozzarella.

BALDOVINO REVIEW CONTINUES 

TOMORROW -- JULY 24

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 2

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

You can still sit outside at a lovely sidewalk cafe setting (the interior of Baldovino is even more beautiful), you just won't have a full view of Piazza Santa Croce. 

For that small trade, you will pay unbelievably low prices for amazingly authentic and straightforward Italian bistro cuisine.

Monolingual English speakers will also be rewarded by Baldovino's attentive and well-trained servers, who speak flawless English.  

That should come as no surprise as their boss, David Gardner, is a longtime expat from Scotland.

Gardner first molded Baldovino into a pizza and wine joint and the pizzas are still spectacular.

But over the years, he has expanded the menu to include Tuscan treats throughout -- whether it is a fresh salad made with ingredients from the countryside, pasta with local wild boar or a unique hummus made of Tuscan beans.

BALDOVINO REVIEW CONTINUES 

TOMORROW -- JULY 22

BALDOVINO TRATTORIA & PIZZERIA -- PART 1

DAVID GARDNER PROVES A SCOTSMAN CAN CREATE GREAT TUSCAN CUISINE IN THE HEART OF FLORENCE

The best advice I could ever give to a person seeking good food and a good price in Florence is to walk a beat off the beaten track.

There may be a couple good chefs still practicing within a perfect view of the Uffizi, Duomo, Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Vecchio, or grand Piazza.

But far too many have gone the pre-fixed tourist menu, with barkers shamelessly luring weary visitors into a land of rotgut red wines and microwaved pasta.

You don't have to go far. 

Just a long block off the main piazza will do the trick.

Do a little research before the trip.

Look up Trip Advisor, Virtual Tourist, Frommer's, Lonely Planet and Zagat online.

You will be rewarded with a finding a gem such as David Gardner's Baldovino Trattoria & Pizzeria. 

It's located on a narrow street about 100 meters from the front of the art- and history-filled Basilica Santa Croce.

BALDOVINO REVIEW CONTINUES 

TOMORROW -- JULY 22