Compagnia dei Vinattieri — Restaurant in Siena

As an appetizer I ate the low temperature cooked eggs, which had a good mix of flavors and consistency, though the crocant tasted slightly burned. For the primi I tasted the yellow squash malfati, which perfectly combined the strong flavor of the blue cheese with the sweetness of the squash and the almonds; and also had a small taste of the picci with black cabbage, which was not that great, the noodles where not al dente and the sauce was to neutral with no special flavor. For the secondi the choice went to the lamb carré, which was cooked to my taste (rare... though they did not ask, so if you don't like it rare this might be a problem), and the ricotta cream had a good consistency, but unfortunately the choice of caraway seeds to spice the lamb negatively takes over the flavor of all other ingredients. The mixed sweets of Siena could have come with a few pieces of fresh fruits; the banana mousse with chocolate was fantastic. All dishes were beautifully presented. The wine list is very extensive with very good wines to chose from. However it lacks an index at the front, and also lacks a lot more information about each wine (e.g grapes; if they are dry or semi-dry or fruity; a clearer indication of the year [one has to guess that the year is indicated by the 2 numbers in the column before the price]). We chose on our own a great 2016 Chianti Classico, but the positive outcome of this choice was partially out of luck and partially because I work in the wine business. Therefore, another important thing that they should have in a restaurant with the name "La Compagnia dei Vinattieri" (something like "the guild of the winemakers", and saying that they export wines to other countries), would be a sommelier to professionally advise the customers about the wines, and how to better match the wine and food. The existing waiters try their best, but are clearly very limited in the recommendations they give (e.g. the same wine was advised to different tables, with the customers at each table eating completely different things), and the owner who is the person in charge of buying the wines for the restaurant does not take over that task of advising customers. There is potential in the restaurant, but there are quite a few issues that need...

Despite not having a reservation we easily got a table for three by being there around opening hours. The atmosphere of the outdoor seating (as well as the indoor section) was calming, beautiful and the wait staff was very attentive.

Appetiser: The salmon tartar on ricecakes were incredible. A fresh and tasty break from the classic Italian palette. Wonderfully presented.

Main course: The lamb shoulder with potato was very good, the meat was juicy all though the portion was rather small. Paired with an appetiser it was enough though. The potato paste-y side was a tad strange in the texture but it did not get in the way of the rest of the dish.

For dessert I had the tiramisu (listed on the menu as strawberry tiramisu although there was no strawberry in it). It was creamy and delicious, opting for a chocolate bottom rather than the classic lady finger base.

All in all this was a wonderful meal. I do not drink, but the wine list was extensive and my mother who had a glass for each dish was very pleased with the staffs...

If you’re in Siena this is an absolute must visit. I know I give a lot of five star reviews but that’s because I only review places that I loved and I absolutely loved this restaurant. What did I love ? The service was exceptional, friendly and professional. Lots of restaurants could learn from the service in this restaurant. The food was simple and simply delicious. Really tasty, moderate portions, fresh seasonal ingredients. I had the open seafood ravioli which was exceptional, one of the best ever, and I live in Puglia, on the water, where exceptional seafood is pretty common. The piece de resistance however is the wine list. I’m a wine lover and have been lucky enough to enjoy some amazing lists over the years but this is next level wine list. More than ten closely typed pages on Brunello alone ! And then another 30 or 40 on every other wine you could think of. Epic and legendary does not do this wine list justice but also great value as well. No rip off markups. Fair price for a wine (by US or U.K. standards it’s...