This has never happened to me before. I've lost a major site. I was all set to tell you about this worthy (and inexpensive) chain of Italian self-service restaurants, and I find that the site is gone. I tried brek.com and brek.it, to no avail. Perhaps by the time you read this it will have reappeared.Anyway, here is some basic info from their mother company, Gruppo Pam. The Brek restaurants are found in major centers in Northern and Central Italy, including Milan and Venice. They feature the full spectrum of an Italian meal, produced at different cooking stations before your very eyes. They also have desserts, beer and wine. If you go at lunchtime, be prepared for crowds, as Italians like to go there for their lunch break (usually a good sign when locals abound). They have now added two new "concepts," the focacceria and caffe', specializing in the Italian fast foods we know and love, such as focaccia, pizza, panini and other lovable items.
Among other things, a good way to beat the growing (daily) expensiveness of a trip to Italy.
Update, 10/6/07- their site has mysteriously come back to life. Here is the English version. The "restaurant list," which is the most important thing, is not well-designed for non-Italians; it assumes a knowledge of their geography. You must also look carefully to detect the scroll-down bar to see the full list of restaurants in an area.
