On Friday night we hopped on the bus to Toro alla Brace. This €29 GroupOn entitled us to a dinner of the famous bistecca alla Fiorentina, a €65 value. We had tried to make reservations here for last Friday, but there was a 1 day bus strike (transportation strikes are common throughout Italy) and we couldn’t make it there. We had reservations for 8:30pm, but arrived early. As with most restaurants in Italy they’re empty before 8pm, so we were the first ones seated.
Dinner started with prosecco and an antipasto of crostini (2 with liver and 2 with baccalà), assorted cured meats, and fried breads with onion topping. The main course was the bistecca alla Fiorentina – a huge 1 kilo T-bone steak char-grilled over a wood fire. The steak is cooked the traditional way, which is blackened on the outside but rare on the inside, and eaten with lemon and olive oil. For our sides we chose potatoes and white beans, another Florentine staple, as Florentines are sometimes referred to as “the bean eaters”. Chianti was served with dinner along with water (guess who had which).
We both usually order our steaks medium-rare, but we wanted to try it the way it’s traditionally served. Restaurants all over Florence advertise bistecca alla Fiorentina on their menus, oftentimes at outrageous prices. Many price it by the etto, or 100 grams, so a 1 kilogram steak will usually run you €40 and up. It was very tasty, especially the crisp parts, and the cool red meat was tender. No worries about mad cow disease here as there was in 2001 during our honeymoon.
For dessert we shared a slice of chocolate and pear tart with whipped cream. Dessert was not part of the GroupOn, so our final bill was only €5. It was nice to be able to try bistecca alla Fiorentina which is somewhat of an extravagance, probably nothing we’d have tried without the GroupOn.
On the way back to the bus stop (and after a couple gelati) we went through one of the famous underpasses in Florence – famous in that it’s covered with graffiti, mostly from lovers. We would have snapped more photos, but it was past 10pm and Cinzia didn’t like the looks of one of the guys wandering through the underpass. This graffiti was from someone who obviously loved rabbit ragu. Florentines love their food.
We both usually order our steaks medium-rare, but we wanted to try it the way it’s traditionally served. Restaurants all over Florence advertise bistecca alla Fiorentina on their menus, oftentimes at outrageous prices. Many price it by the etto, or 100 grams, so a 1 kilogram steak will usually run you €40 and up. It was very tasty, especially the crisp parts, and the cool red meat was tender. No worries about mad cow disease here as there was in 2001 during our honeymoon.
For dessert we shared a slice of chocolate and pear tart with whipped cream. Dessert was not part of the GroupOn, so our final bill was only €5. It was nice to be able to try bistecca alla Fiorentina which is somewhat of an extravagance, probably nothing we’d have tried without the GroupOn.
On the way back to the bus stop (and after a couple gelati) we went through one of the famous underpasses in Florence – famous in that it’s covered with graffiti, mostly from lovers. We would have snapped more photos, but it was past 10pm and Cinzia didn’t like the looks of one of the guys wandering through the underpass. This graffiti was from someone who obviously loved rabbit ragu. Florentines love their food.
By the way, the results of a recent TripAdvisor poll was reprinted in The Florentine, the local newspaper for Americans. They asked: "Which is the best European destination for food and drink?" Millions of world travelers voted and, not surprisingly, 5 of the top 10 spots went to Italy. The Top 10 are:
#1 Florence, Italy
#2 Paris, France
#3 Rome, Italy
#4 Sorrento, Italy
#5 York, UK
#6 Sienna, Italy
#7 Bologna, Italy
#8 San Sebastian, Spain
#9 Barcelona, Spain
#10 Edinburgh, UK
#1 Florence, Italy
#2 Paris, France
#3 Rome, Italy
#4 Sorrento, Italy
#5 York, UK
#6 Sienna, Italy
#7 Bologna, Italy
#8 San Sebastian, Spain
#9 Barcelona, Spain
#10 Edinburgh, UK