Il Granaio

Not too far from the Duomo, (not too near either) they seem to cater to the American tourist. The menu is in Italian w/​English translation: convenient for the English speaker who does not know much Italian. Some of the foods are familiar: Cesar Salad (which is more like a Nicoise w/​Turkey instead of tuna), soups, risotto, burgers etc.
Before committing to dinner, we asked to see the menu. A very friendly waiter gave us both the food and the beverage menu. A second waiter came over and kept insisting we sit down. Another couple came over to view the menu, but after about 20 seconds of ‘sit down, sit down’ they left. We took our time viewing the menu (ignoring ‘sit down’ man) and decided to stay.
Although they do have indoor seating, we were placed outdoors in a covered structure that is open to the side walk on one side. Heaters are generously disbursed in this ‘tent’, but on a cool winters evening, it was not warm and cozy and eating with one’s coat on is not comfortable. The tables are mostly for two people and are dressed very cute with a burlap place mat and gingham patterned plates. The doors to the ‘inside’ seating were open, so it was possibly warmer in the ‘tent’.
The ‘sit down’ waiter took us to the table, not very friendly this one, but another, more friendly waiter, came by to take our order. He also gave us a small paper bag of bread (that’s a new experience) and went to lengths to be sure we had oil and two types of vinegar for the bread. I was surprised by this as ‘oil and vinegar’ with bread just isn’t done in Italy: but if you are American, you may love this. The bread itself was seriously ‘rock hard’. When it hit the plate it made a ‘clunk’ noise and it needed vinegar to make it soft enough to chew!
There were a few other guests in the ‘tent’. A couple of older women having (apertivo?) drinks and light snacks, and two other couples. Lighting is dim. Our beverages came out in quick time and the waiter left ‘for later’ a couple of slips on the table. They were the drink order print outs that they take back at the end of the evening for billing. Our food took a reasonable amount of time to arrive.
The waitstaff pretty much left us alone. No one came by to see if we needed anything like a refill on beverages, etc. It’s been a mixed bag in Italy with this. Some stop by once after the meal is served others you never see again. We had a hard time flagging someone down for the check so I stood up and zipped my coat, which did get their attention. I know in Italy, dinner is an event, which is most likely why they leave you alone. Italians eat late and spend hours socializing over their meal.
The burger comes with potatoes that are advertised as ‘baked’ but from what I see (I did not eat these) they appear to be boiled and then baked before serving to warm them. There is no seasoning on them at all and there was no salt or pepper on the table, although I did see them on another table so we could have jumped up and grabbed them if we wanted. The burger comes with lettuce and tomato with mayonnaise and ketchup on the plate to add if you please. Mustard, in my experience, is not an item normally offered in Italy. You can ask for it, and if they have it available, you will probably be charged for it. (We did not ask if they had any-​this is just a public service announcement.) The burger was cooked as ordered and at first bite, ‘OK’, but nothing to rave about.
I had the turkey; a thin cutlet that seemed to get most of it’s flavor from the grill. The eggplant and zucchini accompanying it were thin sliced and grilled. They were not seasoned at all. and a little dry. The dish is served with a sizable lemon wedge which I squeezed over the veg and that greatly improved both the taste and texture. It was a light meal, big enough for what I wanted and healthy.
The prices at this establishment are high, plus we were billed two separate ‘cover’ charges. One for € 5 and one for € 2.50. Not sure what that is about, but be aware. The atmosphere is quaint, some of the waitstaff are friendly and they definitely speak English here. If you are traveling, don’t know a lot of Italian and are looking for foods you are familiar with this may just be the place you are looking for. It’s clean and the food is ‘OK’. They have Wi-​Fi (wee-​fee) too!