Milan - Bice
I cannot imagine a better mid-day meal in Milano
Having seen Eat, Pray, Love and The Lizzie McGuire Movie, I had an idea of what an Italian lunch would be like - long, lots of wine, and many incredible courses. I was right in part, but there is something to be said for the atmosphere of an Italian restaurant over lunch - something I first noticed at Bice . The mealtime is a true pause. There are no phones on the table, no one looks particularly hurried (including the staff), a second bottle of wine is inevitable, and if you cannot decide between two dishes, take three.
After touring many shops through the Milano design district, (Armani Casa, Technogym, B&B Italia, Aqua di Parma, among others) we earned our lunch at Bice - a lovely restaurant settled right beside Christian Louboutin in a little ally. The views were great - I could see Bottega Veneta from my seat.
What We Ate: Fried Calamari, shrimp, mushroom and zucchini, spicy tomato sauce  $26 | Meatballs, beef-veal-pork, tomato sauce  $24 | Endivia, Belgian endive, gorgonzola cheese, walnuts, Dijon dressing  $21 | Veal Scaloppine, marsala wine sauce, sautéed mushrooms, spinach & mashed potato  $38 | Branzino, thyme marinated & pan seared, potato cream gratinated, carrot ginger sauce  $40 | and I cannot remember the pastas, but I know there were many.
Recommend For: A group is best at Bice. The restaurant welcomed businessmen, some tourists with their local guides - clearly taking a break from shopping, and a few families. A perfect perch for people watching - the men in Brunello and the women in Marni.
Address: Via Borgospesso, 12, 20121 Milano MI, Italy
Reservations: A must, via their website