Had dinner at a celebrated local restaurant, La Buca Lapi. This gets rave reviews in the guides, but I can't figure out why. The decor is dismal, as the dining room is underground in what looks to be a subway tunnel, and the tunnel ceiling is covered with travel posters. The overall effect is one of claustrophobia, depression and messiness. The menu is supposedly strong on Florentine specialties, so I opted for the quintessential Florentine dish, bistecca alla fiorentina. I'm not a big meat eater, butI generally like this dish. Here, though, it comes in Flintstone sized portions, and is bloody raw. The good news with that combination is that you lose weight eating it, because the amount of energy used trying to tear a knife through a huge slab of raw cow more than compensates for the calories consumed. Service was fine, though. (8-7-11) Reminded Somchai that yet another birthday went by unrecognized then went to bed.