"To meat or not to meat" - Dario

For lunch we went to Panzano to visit Antica Macelleria Cecchini- a butcher shop. We were welcomed with a glass of wine and crostinis. There were two platters of bread available to snack on. One had a white spread while the other just had olive oil drizzled on top. Little did I know that the special butter spread that they raved about was actually pig fat. I mean, it was delicious and of course they didn't tell us what it was until we had eaten it or else we wouldn't have wanted to try the famous spread. Aside from the fact that I had just eaten lard, it was super creamy

and smooth...I ate 2 more even after they told me what it was.

For lunch we had an 8 course meal all of which consisted of some part of the cow.

1. Crostini di sugo all'uso di Natale: spicy meat and ragu on toast

2. Salami: head and trotter

3. Chianti sushi: beef tartare

4. Boiled beef and vegetable salad

5. Spider steak

6. Porterhouse Florentine steak

7. Umidi: braised meat

8. Muzzle broth

Dessert: olive oil cake

The ragu and crostini tasted like the typical ground beef you'd mix in with your spaghetti. I wasn't incredibly wowed by this dish but it was just the first course so I mean, it was alright.

The head and trotter on the other hand was just absolutely not my thing. The texture was really odd. It was slimy and very fatty tasting. It had the same tang that a salami would have but not as intensified and salty. It just tasted like the fat on bacon but thinned out- not good. At first I thought it was a texture thing but it was truly just a mixture of the peculiar flavor and consistency. I think overall, it wasn't the table's favorite.

The third dish was probably my favorite. To each their own, but the fact that the beef wasn't entirely cooked through didn't really freak me out as much as it did my classmates. I enjoy sushi and poached eggs so the meat not being fully cooked wasn't really wasn't a big deal for me. I thought it was very flavorful and this is one of those where my mouth begins to water again- that's how good it was. The rosemary added another element to the dish and the meat was really chewy but in a good way. The natural juices from the cow were so flavorful and satisfying that it was difficult to just eat one. I could've just made a meal out of that single dish!

The boiled beef and vegetable salad was also really tasty. I was amazed at how tender the beef was. It literally cut like butter; the knife wasn't even necessary. There were raw onions and green bell peppers mixed in with the meat which added a good crunch to the tender meat. I think this dish was the most refreshing as far as presentation. It didn't look bland due to all the colorful veggies displayed on top of the plate. The saying is true...you do eat with your eyes!

The spider steak was really fun to watch everyone eat. The presentation, again, was nicely plated with the T-bone in the center of the thin slices of beef. The beef was really flavorful with a nice sear on the outside. This made for a good contrast of tender and crunchy which is always appealing as not to get bored in what you're eating. The slice of meat would have been perfect on top of a salad or as an appetizer with an orange marmalade covered over it. I feel like this was the most easily diversifiable dish that was served.

The Florentine steak was another crowd favorite as it reminded you more of a dish you'd order at a Ruth Chris. It was something that was familiar so I think that's why people were more comfortable eating it. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a huge meat eater in the first place so I mean besides being incredibly tender, I thought the steak was average. It was all the rave for my classmates, but I found it too chewy- not in the good way like the tartare. I also don't think I had the same appreciation for the cut of beef; however, it was definitely something I'd eat again.

The braised meat was good too. It reminded me of something that would come out of a crockpot though so I don't think I was as impressed as I was about some of the other courses. Although the dish was a little too liquidy for my taste, the flavors were there and tasted good. Incorporated into the beef mixture were some carrots, cooked onions, tomato sauce, and mushrooms- some of my favorites.

The final course we had was a beef broth. It looks like what it sounds like and just tasted like chicken stock really. The broth was kind of watery with a beef infused flavor is the only way I know how to describe it- nothing too fancy about that dish.

Dessert was good too! This was the first time I'd had an olive oil cake so I wasn't really sure what to expect. It had the consistency of a bundt cake but was yellow. The cake was very crumbly and moist with toasted almonds adding another dimension to the yumminess.

No dinner was had after that enormous meal!