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In florence,

Il Porcuspino (the porcupine) is delicious. We had an amazingly fun time with the waiters, and had the best bread and white bean soup i have ever had.

Also I would recommend the city of Florence in general. You cannot beat the art in this city. Fiesole is a small town up in the hills just outside of Florence, it is gorgeous and I they have this outdoor theater where they do opera and orchestra in the summer.

I am very jealous. Hope you have fun!

Haven't been to Rome but the melon gelato in Venice was so good and I usually only eat chocolate!

I would advise you to obtain Rick Steve's guide to each of these cities- he has impeccable restaurant recommendations.

a cocktail is served in a cocktail (martini) glass and can be served with appetizers. mixed drinks are multi-shapes and can be served with anything. (all cocktails are mixed drinks. not all mixed drinks are cocktails.)

I don't like lobster at all, but my SO hearts "stuffed lobster" - usually it just has lobster meat, extra butter, herbs, onion, scallion, and buttery crumb topping but there are versions where the lobster is stuffed with other shellfish (crab, scallop) as well.

lobster corn chowder is good--the soup nazi used to make a great version. Lobster is so delish though that I hate to see it in anything but plain.

you could go Asian with it: Lobster Cantonese, where you saute minced pork with garlic, fermented black bean and ginger, add stock, then the hacked lobster pieces which have been flash fried to "set", then finished with a beaten egg to add a smooth, velvety finish. Scallions to garnish.

Or Black Pepper Lobster, where the flash fried pieces are tossed with an onion, jalapeno and coarse black pepper oil.

I'm with NanaJoie.
But Ina just did a lobster pot pie that looked really good.

Lobster Pot Pie
1999, The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook, All Rights Reserved

Prep Time:30 minInactive Prep Time:30 minCook Time:1 hr 30 min
Level:
Intermediate
Serves:
4 to 5 servings
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onion (1 large onion)
3/4 cup chopped fennel (1 fennel bulb)
1/4 pound unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups fish stock or clam juice
1 tablespoon Pernod
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 pound cooked fresh lobster meat
1 1/2 cups frozen peas (not "baby" peas)
1 1/2 cups frozen small whole onions
1/2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley
Pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 tablespoons cold fresh lard, diced (1/4 pound)
8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1/2 to 2/3 cup ice water
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water or heavy cream, for egg wash
Directions
Saute the onions and fennel with the butter in a large saute pan on medium heat until the onions are translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add the flour and cook on low heat for 3 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly add the stock, Pernod, salt, and pepper and simmer for 5 more minutes. Add the heavy cream.

Cut the lobster meat into medium-sized cubes. Place the lobster, frozen peas, frozen onions, and parsley in a bowl (there is no need to defrost the vegetables). Pour the sauce over the mixture and check the seasonings. Set aside.

For the crust, mix the flour, salt, and baking powder in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Add the lard and butter and pulse 10 times, until the fat is the size of peas. With the motor running, add the ice water; process only enough to moisten the dough and have it just come together. Dump the dough out on a floured surface and knead quickly into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow it to rest for 30 minutes in the refrigerator.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Divide the dough in half and roll out each half to fit a 9 or 9 1/2-inch round by 2-inch high ovenproof glass or ceramic baking dish. Place 1 crust in the dish, fill with the lobster mixture, and top with the second crust. Crimp the crusts together and brush with the egg wash. Make 4 or 5 slashes in the top crust and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the filling is bubbling hot.

Funny, I love lobster but I'm not a big fan of eating it with butter, never have been. I love mine steamed with ginger and scallions, with a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce.

Butter chicken or chicken tikka are very good starters. They actually are Brit versions of Indian food. Go to a store that has indian foods. Take a look at what they have. Ask questions then go get a book. I got a Mdhur Jaffrey book and a Julie Sahni. Julie's book takes you down to the ingredients and the why and how. Read some then go back to the indian grocery. Enjoy the experience. You are going to love it.

Madhur Jaffrey's memoir, CLIMBING THE MANGO TREES, has amazing recipes in the back and she walks you through them carefully and reasonably. I feel like I'm always writing about this book, but I love it and my copy is stained with garam masala and ginger juice at this point! If you live in NYC go to Kalyustan's on Lexington Ave and talk to the (admittedly grumpy) owners/shopkeepers -- they have every ingredient and spice that you will need and a good selection of cookbooks behind the counter.

Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking, by Raghavan Iyer. Before you scoff at the Betty Crocker label, let me tell you this book is amazing. He makes it easy and sensible, even offering substitutions for ingredients you may not be able to find if you are not near an Indian market (as a result of Iyer going to college on the Minnesota prairie).

If it gives me any more cred, I am Indian and my mother's attempts to teach me to cook did not work, but this book did.

(Iyer also has a few other books I love, including the Turmeric Trail, which has these great stories to go with each recipe, and his latest book 660 Curries, which has 660 curries, including a few cool fusion ideas, but is more than 660 recipes thanks to other accompaniments. It's thick as a phone book but amazing.)

India. ; D