Let’s face it; you’re in Florence. You’re going to eat. A lot. Since you’re not finished eating, why would I be done writing about the food?
Friday, 10:30 AM at Mercato Centrale: I stop to get some breakfast. Since I’m sort of on vacation, I get a beer. Nobody flinches or looks at me weird. I like that about Florence. Meanwhile, at the table next to me, a group of four is doing a wine tasting. Sniff, swirl, sniff, taste, dump. Half of the town is still on their way to work, and we’re on our way to inebriation. I may need to move here. Did I mention that I like Florence?
One of the local Florentine dishes that you should try is lampredotto. Lampredotto is a sandwich made from the fourth stomach of a cow. It sounds pretty rough, and to some American palates, it may not sit well. It’s got a little bit of a ‘tripe’ texture to it; slimy and chewy. Traditionally slow-cooked in vegetable broth and served on a bread roll and topped with a green sauce and a spicy sauce, “panino lampredotto” (a lampredotto sandwich) is a well-known Florentine street food. I don’t know if I’d actually eat this from a street vendor, though. There’s enough queasiness when you get it from a real restaurant, but it’s quite tasty. The bread moderates the texture a bit, and the sauces add a depth of flavor to what would otherwise be a boiled stomach lining.
Another meal you need to make sure you try while you’re here is “bistecca florentina” or steak Florentine. With a name like that, you’re probably expecting a very fancy recipe, but this is about as far from a fancy recipe as you can get. Start with a bone-in NY strip, about 1.5″ – 2″ thick. Sprinkle some coarse grain salt on the outside and sear. Slice and serve rare. Assuming you’ve got the steak at room temperature and the grill hot, it takes about 5 minutes to prepare. But with Florentine steak, that’s all you need. Most restaurants serve bistecca florentina by weight, with a 1kg minimum. (For my American readers, that’s about 2.2 lbs as a starting point) Granted, that includes the bone and some fat, but those both give it a ton of flavor and moisture, so it’s a price worth paying. A friend and I split a 1kg steak and we both left stuffed. So grab a friend or two and order one. They don’t ask how you want it cooked, but unless you like your meat dry and tougher than a pair of loafers, you’ll love a bistecca florentina. Just make sure you go someplace that’s known to do it well.
This next point isn’t just about restaurants, but buildings in general. In the US, most public buildings, like offices, restaurants, etc, have doors that open outward. The reason is that, in case of a fire or other emergency, when everyone rushes to the door, if the door opens inward, the crowd gets stuck since nobody has the space to pull the door inward. In their rush to get out, everyone gets stuck inside. Yesterday, I went to a restaurant that opened at 7:00P. I got there a few minutes early, walked up to the door, and pulled on the handle. It didn’t budge, so I figured they were still closed and I sat on the curb to wait for a few minutes. Less than 30 seconds later, someone else walked up, pushed the door open, and went in to get seated. I waited a minute (to make it look like I wasn’t just following his example) and did the same. I’m sure they saw me the first time, since it was a glass door and the front wall was floor-to-ceiling windows, but at least they didn’t mock me out loud.
