Al Rastrello in NH Excelsior Hotel (Siena, Italy)

On our first night in Siena the whole tour group dined at our hotel restaurant. The meal started with a Chickpea and Bean Soup that was very delicious. It tasted a bit like lentil soup.

Chickpea and Bean Soup

Then came the Veal, which is a specialty of Tuscany:

Veal

R.’s mom is a pescatarian, and so instead of veal they brought her Eggplant Parmesan. I got to try some and liked it a lot, despite a longstanding aversion to eggplant that originated from my childhood. I really think I’m becoming more and more comfortable with eating eggplant, so long as it is made the Italian way. :)

Eggplant Parmesan

Finally, we finished off the meal with an Apricot Tart, which seems to be pretty common in Italy, both in Tuscany and in Venice which we visited next.

Apricot Tart

We washed down the meal with some solid white wine compliments of our dining companions, a grandparents + grandson trio from Connecticut.  It was a simple but enjoyable meal with great company, and a nice way to end our first night in Siena!

Restaurant info:
Al Rastrello in NH Excelsior Hotel
Piazza La Lizza, 53100 Siena, Italy
Phone: +39 0577382111
On the web:  http://www.nh-hotels.com/nh/en/hotels/italy/siena/nh-excelsior.html?type=restaurants


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