Wednesday
March

9

2005
12:56 AM

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Trattoria 4 Leoni, Florence, Italy, tasted on March 20, 2004 — On a small piazza in the middle of Florence that looks like it's straight out of a movie set, sits Trattoria 4 Leoni. Don't ask to me explain the weird numerological naming as I don't get it and I don't speak enough Italian to have asked. Luckily, math is not a requirement to enjoy the food there. Before I dive in, I should say that Italy really is an incredible place. Much like Japan (in my experience) the bar for food is simply higher. The number of restaurants we ate at that we'd love to return to were numerous. Trattoria 4 Leoni was definitely one of them.

Dinner peaks in Florence between 9:30 and 11pm. We arrived on this night at 10pm, right in the middle of the action. We sat down to a few slices of the almost comically horrible Florentine bread. I don't know whether this is apocryphal or not, but the story I heard is that at some point in not too recent history salt was an incredibly expensive commodity in this region of Italy. The locals had to bake their bread without it. And when salt became as common as... well... salt, nobody bothered to put it back in their bread. The result? Bread so devoid of flavor it's like a black hole eliminating flavor anywhere it can find it in the universe. I've never eaten cardboard, but I would imagine this isn't so dissimilar. You may wonder how a meal starting with such horrible bread can turn out so great. The truth is that the bread is a just a function of the region. This was clear as we had bread like this almost everywhere we went. On to the good stuff.

First up was Crostini Misti, an assortment of crostini. The tomato was bursting with flavor, oil, and freshness though the bread was a touch soggy. The mushrooms had a nice oiliness as well. And the ground beef had a livery quality (in a good way) and was savory and juicy. A neat butter replacement in my opinion. Next up was the Prosciutto. The saltiness built slowly and the strong cool freshness of the mozzarella was a perfect backdrop.

We followed up the prosciutto with Involtino di Melanzane - eggplant and ricotta. The eggplant itself was somewhat flavorless but was saved by the ricotta which was supple and subtle with a slight tanginess and a bunch of warm flavors. It was cool how the olive oil snaked through the the dish. These were all just warm-ups for the pasta. Let me take a moment to explain my obsession with pasta. It's amazing to me how something as simple as a noodle and sauce can taste so incredible when every variable is just so. When the pasta has a fresh quality and is cooked just perfectly - not too soft, not too hard. The sauce is hot and chock full of clean, fresh, and distinct flavors. The combination is served at the exact perfect moment when the temperature and textures are perfect, and I'm happy.

OK. First was Fiocchetti di Pere Con Salsa di Taleggio e Asparagi - asparagus pasta. The sauce was silky and creamy and the pasta had a surprise filling - sweet pear. Strigoli al Pomodoro Piccante. "Worm" pasta with tomato sauce! So simple, fresh, and delicious. The slight kick combined with the slitheriness of the pasta makes it special. Simple and special. I could eat this every day of my life. And finally we had Risotto alla Zucca Gialla e Gorgonzola - saffron risotto. It was gentle, creamy, and slightly cheesy with good flavor. That said, it was slightly boring.

For our post-pasta dishes we started off with Baccalà alla Fiorentina. It was soft with a subtle flavor. Nice. The tomato could be a bit brighter. The grilled chicken was a favorite for me and Alex. It was savory, juicy and with a grilled flavor that enhanced the perfect seasoning. Yummy! The veal chop was excellent as well. I really love all the Florentine grilled items. And they're always served with lemon. Another great thing about Florence. And finally we had the Veal with balsamic vinegar. It was very good and drippingly juicy.

Peyman put forth a theory that the bread was designed only to be eaten in partnership with other foods - like mopping up the juice from the veal with balsamic. In the interest of a full evaluation and investigation I tried out Peyman's theory... he was wrong. The bread still sucked. I could have mopped up the juice with cardboard and not been able to tell the difference. The water policy however was great. Unpretentious pitchers, always filled.

For dessert we started with the pecorino. It was quite good. But it would have been better  had they not run out of truffle honey. [Insert sadness here.] Cheese Cake Fatto da Noi - cheesecake with chocolate was so very incredible. It was made of a light ricotta and covered with a bittersweet chocolate. It was kind of a mound of slightly sweet air and cheese covered in a chocolate drizzle. The crumbly cakey base/crust was great for texture and a different kind of sweetness. Delicious. I was so in love with the cheesecake I almost didn't try the pear cake and the tiramisu. Rest assured I managed to get at least one bite of each and they were good as well.

Bottom line, Italy is full of simple pleasures. This meal was a like a mini-representation of our eating so far during our trip. A higher baseline of quality than many other places on the globe, and a regular rhythm of simple and exquisite pleasures. I can taste it now.