"Every region in Italy has its own unique regional dishes, and we chose Baralla specifically for the farro bean soup, which is well known in Lucca and throughout Tuscany. As it turns out, the traditional bean soup was beyond excellent, and so was everything else. Here's what we enjoyed: Mortadella Di Prato The very thick slices of mortadella weren't something we see often. This isn't the inexpensive kind of mortadella that you commonly see in sandwiches or in the deli case at your local Italian-American deli. You could noticeably taste the good quality of the meat! The pairing of the pecorino made it even better. But the winning trifecta was the addition of the figs, which took this platter to another level. These figs were amazing!!! They were so ripe, and so easy to eat because they were practically pre-peeled and ready to go. Everything about the platter was so beautifully presented and tasted even better than it looked. Excellent! Zuppa di farro Lucchese This is what we came here specifically to have, and it exceeded our expectations. We love faro, and we love beans, so this sounded like a great concoction. It's a soup well known in Lucca, which started out as a poor person's soup, because of its simple and inexpensive ingredients. Since then, it has been made by moms and nonnas forever. And now I got to try it IN Lucca. I just wish I grew up with an Italian nonna. The soup had a perfectly creamy consistency. Not a bit too watery or overly thick. I mean perfect! The beans and farro were also prepared just perfectly, with the faro requiring a tad of a chew to them, giving a nice contrast to the creaminess of the soup. Trippe alla Fiorentina I always get tripe in Italian restaurants when I see it on a menu. Actually, I love all versions of tripe, including tripe in menudo soup, tripe in Chinese black bean sauce, and definitley Italian-style prepared tripe. This was a stewed-like dish of tripe. It was very tasty and tender, but not swimming in tomato sauce, which some versions of Italian-style tripe dishes can be. It also wasn't overly salted at all. However, you really should love tripe, should you decide to order this, as it is served in a gigantic portion, which was enough for two. However, I enjoyed it so much that I polished off the entire entree myself. Easily the best Italian version of tripe I've ever had, and I've had lots of tripe in my life! Tiramisu Very rich, creamy and decadent with a strong coffee flavor. If you like tiramisu, get this here. It was a nice sweet ending to a fabulous meal. The contemporary casual atmosphere was intimate and cozy, with high arched brick ceilings. Service was efficient and pleasant. Tip: If you're planning a visit, do yourself a favor and make reservations in advance. Not only does the restaurant fill up quickly, but they take reservations seriously. When we arrived, they had a place card with our name on a very nice situated table that they had reserved for us. I really appreciated that. Excellent all the way around!"
