When the steak hit the floor, I nearly wept.
Near the end of our time in Chianti this past October, we opted for dinner at the steakhouse in our hotel. To our American sensibilities, the idea of dining in a hotel restaurant by choice is a bit foreign. I would never opt for dinner at the Marriott, but hotel restaurants in Italy are a whole different matter.
Our lovely hotel, the Relais Vignale in Radda in Chianti, Tuscany is home to a steak house frequented by locals rather than hotel guests, with a stunning panorama over the valley.
We had the honor of sitting within sight of the grill and the butcher’s cooler. This beef was not the shrink-wrapped variety from Sam’s Club. No. This was fresh from the butcher, ready for the wood-fired grill.
Driving back from Cortona that afternoon, we drove through Val di Chiana, home to the white Tuscan cattle. In this mild climate free of GMO crops with crisp Tuscan sunlight, the cows are raised using methods that date back centuries. No feed lots here. The beef, grown naturally, packs more flavor than the mass-produced beef of American farms. Rather than marinating meats or heavily seasoning steaks, the Tuscans simply use salt and pepper to bring out the richness of the natural flavors. Winding down our stay in Tuscany, we were ready to try the specialty of the region, Florentine Steak, from a young steer or heifer.
The chef pulled our steak from the cooler with great ceremony. As it seared on the grill, we struck up a conversation with the guy at the next table. It turns out, he owned the place – the restaurant…and the hotel… and the winery that produced our wine…and he was a member of the Chianti Classico Consortium, which met in his hotel… It was as though we received a master class about life in Chianti.
We snapped to the present as our food arrived, a steak so large that it had to be shared. The waiter set to cutting it in large pieces table side when tragedy struck. A small piece left his chopping block and hit the floor. (We were not worried, as we could not imagine eating all that meat, try as we would.)
Oh, the apologies… We did our best to assure the waiter that we had more than enough food and had not given it a second thought.
Suddenly, lightning struck in his eyes, and he excused himself. He returned ten minutes later with some super-special cut of beef, that we had not ever heard of, and can’t name to this day. It was the best beef we have ever had. Our eyes and bellies bulged from gluttony, but we pressed on.
As we requested the check, our new friend at the next table asked us to slow down. He gave us a bottle of Vin Santo from his vineyard, the delicious Tuscan after-dinner wine. We have enjoyed Vin Santo in the past, but nothing like this bottle.
For ideas on what to do in Tuscany, see our 10-day Tuscan Itinerary.
It was really a good thing that none of you had to check your cholesterol right after this “Lucullian” meal. And the Biscotti di Prato paired with vin santo, OMG a poetry! Beautiful photos and description, BTW, I almost could taste the meat myself!!!
Very true! Our mouth is watering just thinking about this meal again!
I wonder if there is a way to make the famous Florentine Steaks here in the US? Surely there is. The next time I visit the butcher at Humphrey’s I will undertake the project of finding the right cut of beef and methods of preparation. My dream is to have a grill like the one in the photo, but our backyard is note quite large enough.
If we can achieve it with just salt and pepper in the US, it will truly be a miracle!
Really enjoyed reading your story. Your description of the delicious steak made my mouth water. Loved going to out of the way places when Vince and I traveled.
We are glad you enjoyed it. The steak really was mouthwatering! We would love to hear of any out of the way gems you find, too!