"Siena gives the feeling that it is one big family and it welcomes its visitors as a family welcomes a new member into the family with open arms. Ristorante San Domenico was no exception as the entire restaurant team made my friend and I feel as if we were a member of their family every night that we dined there! The food, the service and the views were consistently superb! As I write this review, I must admit that there is a big smile on my face as I am reliving each of those dinners as if they just occurred yesterday. For the reasons described below, this is truly a restaurant to enjoy over and over again! On September 2nd, my friend and I arrived in Siena for a three week Italian immersion language class at the Dante Alighieri School. Little did we realize that we would also enjoy an immersion into the culinary treats of Siena as every evening, beginning September 3rd through September 22nd, we enjoyed our dinner at Ristorante San Domenico which is located in the shadow of the Basilica of San Domenico with panoramic views of Siena including the Duomo and the Torre del Mangia. It is also located just above the lovely Hotel Alma Domus where we were staying. I shall never forget the warm greeting, on Sunday, September 3rd, by Rio who oversees the restaurant 's operations. As my late mother used to say, you can only make one first impression , and, Rio knocked it out of the ballpark! Little did I know that the entire dining experience, that night, would an evening of similar first impressions as Abu, Bachir and Alan made us feel right at home with their kindness and attention to detail. Their recommendations for appetizers, pasta dishes, entrees, salads, desert and wine were spot on! When this restaurant 's kitchen staff cooks, it is serious cooking! Thereafter, every night, until our last meal on September 22nd, we enjoyed consistently delicious meals and experienced the same attentiveness and attention to detail not only from Rio, Abu, Bachir and Alan but also from Ediole, Boni, Anna and Guido while my friend and I discussed our daily lessons. As we worked our way through the menu, we were treated to many local culinary delights. Local specialties, such as pici, la Fiorentina (for steak lovers) and cantucci with Vin Santo (for desert), came to life. As we became more familiar with the menu and the wine list, we came to appreciate how fortunate we were to have discovered this jewel of the Siena restaurant scene. On several occasions, I invited several of our new Sienese friends to join us for dinner. The Sienese are generally loyal to their neighborhoods (contrade). However, after an evening at this restaurant, our Sienese guests, none of whom had ever dined at San Domenico, were unanimous that they would return to Ristorante San Domenico for another meal. San Domenico is truly a restaurant where the entire staff is committed to making sure that you enjoy a lovely dining experience and making you feel as if you are a part of their family. My friend and I are looking forward to returning next year to our Sienese family at Ristorante San Domenico and enjoying many more of their culinary treats!"
