Solociccia - completing the Dario Trifecta

Our last night in Tuscany, we were daunted by the idea of having to choose our last meal. Until of course the words 'Solociccia' were sung. This was the last of the Dario Cecchini trifecta, so seemed only fitting to farewell Tuscany with a bang..

We again arrived a little early and were only to pleased to bask in the generous hospitality of the man himself just across the road in the base of the butcher shop. House wine was poured in tumblers, lardo & salami along with crusty tuscan bread lined the right side wall - and all of a sudden we are mingling with 30 people who are all about to become our friends.



We are sitting the 9pm seating at Solociccia tonight, so when a gush of people are seen dispersing from across the street, we know our time is near. A quick re-set and we are all ushered over. At the door our names are checked, and seating assigned in little rooms on street level and below. We notice our name in the book with a big VIP beside it (*Squeal*). We are lead down the stairs, and off to a little table on the side with full view of the kitchen. We are sitting amongst vat's of olive oil and mineral water on tap, and get to look into see all the magic happening in the kitchen. There is another couple who are sitting with us. She works for Microsoft and he has a large sausage casing factory somewhere on the West Coast. He supplies sausage casing's to Mario Battali (which is how he got the booking, and the VIP seat). They were extremely lovely, and was a pleasure to share company and tales with two passionate foodies.



The table is set again with bowls of crisp, fresh vegetables, that are dipped in local olive oil, red wine vinegar and Dario's salt along with bowl of crusty Tuscan bread. We start on carafe's of red wine, and are informed if we need anymore we can top up from the vat's behind us.



Then a plate of toasted bread topped with ragu arrives.



The day's fritto misto arrives, which is a bowl of treasures. We found squid, octopus, fish, cauliflower, onion, fish and little bite sized pieces of crumbed veal.



The plates just keep coming, next are little morsels of beef that have been minced and seasoned that are threaded onto sprigs of rosemary. They are generously doused in lemon juice and olive oil and are just divine.



We see some big chunks of meat being sliced in front of our eyes. The other great thing about being on this table is that we received first plate of everything that left the kitchen. I think it would have been torture otherwise .....



The perfectly rare beef comes dressed with sage, rosemary, salt & olive oil. Bowls of white beans are a great accompaniment.



Pork arrives nestled under a salad of crisp carrot, red onion & celery. The pork is so soft and tender, the perfect contrast for the fresh, crisp vegetables.



The slow braised beef is dark and rich with chunks of sweet red onion throughout. There's no doubting that any meal attached to the master, Dario Cecchini, is bound to be packed full of meat !!



The meal ends with Military liquers,



Coffee & olive oil cake.



This ritual seems all so familiar now, and neither of us would have any problem repeating again soon.



Via XX Luglio, 11 Panzano in Chianti Firenze
tel.+39 055 852727
fax +39 055 852700
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monday / tuesday / wednesday: closed
thursday / friday / saturday: 19.00 or 21.00
sunday: 13.00
reservations advised

Return of the Mac.

Whilst we had made an oh-so-firm agreement with ourselves to be fair to the other potentially good restaurants, that we would only eat at one Dario Cecchini restaurant, but.... one afternoon with no plans and lazily not wanting to travel to far we made the ten minute drive back to Panzano to try Dario's answer to fast food, Mac Dario's. We pass on sitting outside and again join the long communal inside.



On the lunch menu we have the choice of the Mac Dario or the Welcome, with two of us that's all two convenient, we'll have one of each please. We start with a glass of house red and a wheat beer brewed especially for Dario.



The first of the the Welcome is a large bowl of fresh from the markets vegetable crudites with olive oil, volpaia vinegar and seasoned salt.



Then the Mac arrives. Wow! A 250g toasted bread crumbed burger atop a pile of garlic and rosemary roasted potatoes, fat slices of tomato and sauteed onions alongside a bowl of Tuscan bread. First cut reveals a perfectly cooked medium rare interior, seriously awesome.





About half way through the burger the plates of the Welcome start to arrive, Meat loaf, a name which could inspire dread but not this time, meaty chunks of loaf covered with a spicy sweet red pepper sauce. Makes me want to start cracking out some of the home classics myself.



Next a bowl of Dairo's justifiably famous porchetta, with it's crunchy crackling exterior and herb infused salty interior it's a shining moment in the midst of a meal that's a huge shining moment in it's self.



A bowl of Chianti sushi, gorgeous lemon infused beef tartar, we'd had this once before on our first night, it's still just as brilliant as remembered.



Finally Chianti tuna, pork confit cooked to a lush succulent softness, the appearance is of canned tuna but the taste is oh so much better.



Once again the communal table had broken down a few social barriers and by the end of our meal all at the table were friends.



Feeling ridiculously full we swung by the kitchen where Dante gave us a huge smile and a lot of Italian we had no idea about, and out past the Bone-a Lisa, who we remembered to grab a photo of this time.



Standing out on the street we kinda get the feeling we may be finishing off the triffeca some time soon....

Via XX Luglio, 11
Panzano in Chianti Firenze
tel. +39 055 852020

monday / tuesday / thursday / friday / saturday: 12 - 3
wednesday / sunday: closed
no reservations

Revelation

With nothing planned one afternoon we took the ten minute drive back to Panzano (which seemed to have an inordinate amount of deliciousness for a village with all of four streets). We had spotted a small enoteca that was packed the night we went to Dario's so we felt a visit was in order. On such a nice day the restaurant had set up tables in the little square across the road, we took a look inside but opted for across the road, it was the best place to take a sit and watch Italian life lazily drift by. Two glasses of wine, a quick squizz of the menu and we were set.



A vitello tonnato had caught our eye (just sooo Italian) and soon arrived carried across the road by mamma. Thin slices of veal slathered with a rich tuna mayonnaise and dotted with a few fat juicy capers.





Next a tagliatelle with ragu, thick ribbons of pasta tossed with papas family recipe ragu and topped off with a touch of Parmesan. Real feel good food.



Then it happened, golden rays of sunshine broke though the clouds and small cherubs filttered and danced as angels heralded with trumpets the arrival of the mozzarella en carozza (mozzerella in a carriage), the plate was placed in front of us and we smiled, we took one bite and "WHAT THE HELL????" how had we not know about this amazing dish before it was incredible,
two slices of bread lightly dipped in egg and grated parmesan sandwiching fresh buffalo mozzarella, fried and sprinkled with a little more parmesan. Heaven. Gooey cheesy tasty tasty heaven.



As we sat back oh so content and sipped our wine in the warm afternoon Tuscan sun, we spotted Dario walking down the street, who in turn spotted us and recognising us from earlier that week shouted out a hearty greeting.



Have I said how much Italian life was getting under our skin yet??

Enoteca Baldi
Panzano square
Panzano.

Sunday Morning Markets - Panzano, Italy

It's not even been 12 hours since we stumbled out of Dario's after an amazing and unforgettable meal, that we are back in Panzano for the weekend morning markets.

We stroll around the streets for a while, and note that these markets seem a lot more bric-a-brac sort of stuff. Mind you, we do pick up some treasures along the way ...

But, that of course, was until we stumbled back along the little laneway that lead's up to Dario's. And of course this is the little food haven we were after! We both start with a giant slice of home-made tart for breakfast.



Before sampling a delicious locally made vin santo, a Tuscan sweet wine, and cantucci, an almond cookie. Mama mia, it's only 9:30am, but it seems to be the done thing around here.



Walking up and down the street there are Nonna's cookies, fresh baked breads, chutneys, jam's, pickles, cheese and everything in between. We stock up on some things for our afternoon snacks, before heading back into our favorite butcher. It's buzzing. And full of food for so early in the morning. The butchers block is adorned with a Dario Porchetta, a rolled pork roast seasoned and stuffed with fresh herbs. The crackling was smiling at us, just asking to be taken away .... done!



There were giant meatloaf's, a golden crumb case holding together what was sure to be some incredible delicacy. The house wine was flowing, and more lardo toasts to try.



Again, the man himself, is behind the counter. We again get to chatting .... about Japan (one of his trainee's we met last night was from Japan) and how exicted we are by the mention that Dario intends on coming to Japan in the next couple of years. As we depart with our bags of goodies, we are even blessed with Omiage (a Japanese custom to offer friends / guests a small gift from a paticular place / town) and receive some of the Profumo del Chianti, or special salt blend.



A quick coffee stop of the way to the car,



and a quick porchetta snack before getting into the car. Oh my, how I love this life.



The Panzano markets are held every Saturday morning from 9am until 1pm, and weave their way all through the streets of town.

Beef by the master.

The excitement had been building for a month, how could it not? As soon as we knew our destination in Italy we were researching what and where we would be eating. Then joy of joys we discover we will be staying ten minutes drive from arguably the worlds most famous butcher. Dario Cechini. A butcher from a long family line of butchers, Dario was thrust on to the world stage when he was featured in Bill Bufords fantastic kitchen book Heat. That's not to say he wasn't always a great butcher and champion of traditional Tuscan cooking, just that the world never never knew about it. Since Heat Dario has gone on to open not one but three restaurants all providing Tuscan fare in Tuscany and all within 10 meters of each other.

We had agonised and decided it would be unfair of all the other potentially great restaurants in Greve if we booked three nights at three Dario restaurants so had made a booking for just one, Oficina della Bistecca. This is the restaurant that showcases the Tuscan butchers cut of cuts, the Bistecca alla Florentina. We arrive after yet another mindblowinly scenic drive just as the sun is setting over the Tuscan hills, it's all just too beautiful.

We wonder how we will find the place only for a second as operatic arias fill the air and draw us up a side street to a glowing door.

On the wall beside the doorway a plaque that read "in memory of the Florentine steak prematurely passing March 31 2001" This is about the time Mad cow hit Europe. A glance through the door reveals Dario himself working behind the counter, sweet! We wander into the shop and it's just glorious, there's the man in his trademark red pants and leather vest, the showcase full of deliciousness, half broken down beef carcasses hanging behind a wood paneled cool room door, hanging salami's and a table full of tasty treats just waiting for someone like us.

Dario is quick to hand us a glass of his house wine and fill our free hand with morsels of salami and whipped lardo. With operatic music filling the air, delicious aromas wafting through the air and our taste buds being assaulted with passionate flavours, it's a real head spinning moment, all one could really do is stand there and smile uncontrollably. We sat back and watch as others arrive and are given the same treatment, it's fantastic to watch. After about ten minutes just hanging out in heaven we were lead back through the shop and up a flight of stairs, past the slightly modified Mona Lisa and in to the Osteria, it's one big shared table, we grabs the seats closest to the grill, as we walk past our eyes pop at the piles of meat sitting on the table. A traditional Bistecca alla Florentina is four fingers thick.

Sitting we see bowls of fresh baked bread and piles of fresh seasonal vegetables on the table. One of our hosts Dante fills our dipping bowls with fragrant salt, volpain red wine vinegar and local olive oil. Appetiser sorted.

Now with all all that fiddly veg stuff out of the way it was time to bring on the meat. First up Chianti sushi, tender beef tartar marinated with herbs and lemon, very more -ish.

Whilst we we enjoying the sushi, the first cuts of beef we placed onto the char grill behind us.

Dante had now put on his flying goggles so we were all set to go.

We started off with a cut from just above the knee called the noce. Cooked juicy pink and scented with smoke. Accompanied with Tuscan white beans simply heated with herb infused oil. Tasty tasty tasty.

Now the moment had arrived the first of the Bistecca had be pulled from the grill and was resting on the chopping block. Dario took one in each hand and raising them above his head gave an impassioned speech on this cut, the heart of the Tuscans life, ending, with "to beef or not to beef that is the question". After his booming voice had died down he proceeded to slice the bistecca's with much practiced speed and skill and it was mere moments after that the beef lay glistening on our plates.

It seemed that Dante had taken a shine to us as I ended up with not only a decent chunk of beef but the whole massive bone as well.

It was from there that the meat madness really began, if you finished your portion then another was quickly dropped into the empty space. Following the bistecca came a beautifully grilled round of beef accompanied by roast potatoes and bowls of whipped lardo, could there be any better accompaniment to roast potatoes? I think not.

We were slowly starting to fill, and thinking we were getting close the end we had not slowed eating, not realising the final slabs of bistecca were also for us. We took a small break from the table and when we returned there was the bistecca being cut up to be served. Madness I tells ya madness.

There was nothing to do but give it the old college try. The beef was handed out and this time Kat ended up with the bone to deal with as well the slices of beef and roast onions that were still appearing.

After we could finally eat no more plates were whisked away and Italian military liqueurs and plates of olive oil cake cut from a huge pan, were brought to the table.

By now forty strangers had become forty friends, we were invited to go picking grapes in the annual harvest just down the road the next day. We were beginning to get the feeling we could really like it here.....

Officina della Bistecca

Via XX Luglio, 11

Panzano in Chianti Firenze

tel. +39 055 852020

fax +39 055 852700

lunedi / giovedi : su prenotazione

mercoledi : chiuso

martedi / venerdi / sabato : 20.00

domenica 13.00

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