Beautiful location on the tiny piazza in Montecatini Alto. Unfortunately we had trouble finding it as we couldn't read the name on the outside menu, and we walked by without recognizing it several times. Well appointed and gorgeous to the eye. Unlike many restaurants we had visited in Venice from where we had just come, we were greeted with more distance than warmth.
We asked for a recommendation for a bottle of Vermentino, and the waiter suggested one that was labeled as "bio" on the wine list. When he poured it, however, it was so sulfurous we couldn't possibly drink it. (Note: I have been associated with the wine business for half a century and today write wine columns.) Another staff member came over and took it back, but implied that we were not appreciative of this kind of wine. So he recommended another bottle, this one from Antinori, which was rather simple and soft but at least not loaded with sulfur.
Two of us had the veal chop, the third member of our trio the polpette. The veal chop was huge, cooked medium and tender. My companion really loved it, but I thought it somewhat on the salty side. The polpette came on a thin layer of mashed potatoes and, like the chop, seemed overly salted to me.
La Torre has an excellent wine list featuring all the top Tuscan wines -- e.g. Sassicaia, Ornellaia, etc. -- but also a very good selection of less expensive wines by the bottle and glass, including Rosso de Montalcino, Chianti Classico, Bolgheri and Vino Nobile di Montepulciano. read more