Tuesday
January

26

2005
12:34 AM

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Trattoria Mario, Florence, Italy, tasted on March 20, 2004 — Since 1953 this boisterous trattoria has been serving great food at family style tables in the heart of Florence. I honestly can't remember if some research pointed us here, or if it was serendipity. But either way, I'm glad we went. After our trip to the market for pre-lunch and market perusal, we worked up an appetite checking out all the churches and Medici hangouts. We squeezed our way into a table at Trattoria Mario and recognized one of the waitresses as having been working at one of the stalls in the market. It turns out she was the daughter of the owner and was working in the market to learn about oils and vinegars. This family restaurant sent their daughter next door to work in the market to broaden her culinary perspective. And she returns to work at the family restaurant during the busy lunch hour. It seemed clear at this point, we'd come to the right place for lunch. When she later worried about whether we'd ordered enough food, we weren't just in the right place for lunch, we were in heaven.

Given that it seemed to be a pattern for the region, we didn't hold it against them when the awful bread showed up. As we expected it was completely devoid of flavor. No salt. Just terrible. Luckily the bread was quickly forgotten as we devoured our ragu. It was super beefy with an almost cinnamon flavor. Hearty and juicy. Good stuff. The "worm" pasta was fresh and slightly salty in a good way. A nice contrast to the ragu. The bean puree was super smooth. The savory beans were not heavy and were served with enough olive oil so they didn't come out mealy.

Florence is famous for a certain type of grilled steak served with a lemon. The steak is seasoned beautifully as well. Trattoria Mario's Bisteca Fiorentina was no exception. It was an amazingly juicy perfectly seasoned steak. It was cooked rare with white, tan, and pink spots all dripping with juice. The lemon made it perfect. The bitter greens in the salad were good as a complement.

Next up was the Piposo di Mauzo - beef brisket with an amazing sauce consisting of red wine tomato, olive oil, and black pepper. It was ruby red and warm in my stomach. The Fagioli Bianchi however was just ok. Peyman disagreed and thought it was very good. The potato dish was interesting - Patate in Umido - potatoes in a red oil sauce. The sauce was great. It started fresh and bright and got more complex and savory on the finish. The fries were soft but not limp. They were fresh tasting and perfectly salted. We also had the classic Osso Bucco. It tasted of red wine and cinnamon. Really good flavor.

We wrapped up with biscotti and vin santo for dipping. I'm not typically a biscotti fan as they usually come close to breaking my teeth. But this had a super almond flavor packed into a balanced crunchy/chewy cookie. Yummy.

In Florence, Trattoria Mario is wonderful. Outside of Italy it would be mind-blowing. Either way it's a definite stop for lunch (if you happen to be in Florence). Even if you've never been there, the combination of the food and atmosphere make you feel like you're home.