Florence is one of my favorite cities in the world.
A reason for me to go back would be a destination restaurant my husband and I encountered during our lovely holiday a few months back.
I am a firm believer that first impressions matter and this restaurant certainly made a strong statement. Allow me to introduce La Cucina del Garga in Florence, Italy – a culinary haven with a distinctive personality and style that one can’t help but get immersed into its imaginative atmosphere and ingenious cooking.
Inside the kitchen, singing along with music, cutting-edge Chef Alessandro puts his staff in a good mood by setting the tone of their unique approach in cooking delicious cuisine.
Born in Florence, Alessandro moved to New York for a few years to serve as chef in a famous Italian restaurant in the city, a definite asset for his pioneering restaurant right here in the middle of alluring and captivating Florence.
After my husband and I familiarized ourselves with the menu, which also includes a background story of Chef Alessandro and his family restaurant, we couldn’t help but notice other guests sketching on what appears to be the restaurant’s paper table-cloth.
Apparently, La Cucina del Garga hosts ongoing art challenges where, by using the provided markers on the table, visitors are encouraged to draft whatever they are inspired to draw on the paper table-cloth. The customers’ artworks are featured around the restaurant in the most creative way, some of which are even used as lamp shades. What a way to discover local and international talented visitors!
According to the menu, La Cucina del Garga also holds lunch time cooking classes where students make a four-course meal to enjoy. Together with his experiences back in New York City, Chef Alessandro delivers unique dishes which bring a modern and exciting fare to the classic Italian cuisine. When we sat down, we were quickly served delightful glasses of prosecco. Have I ever mentioned how much I love this Italian tradition?
Our first appetizer was a bowl of deep-fried stracchino cheese with polenta cream which was light and crispy. The cheese and cream had a smooth texture which we found unique being crispy on the outside and soft in the inside.
Our second appetizer was the buffalo mozzarella with Tuscan prosciutto, arugula and cherry tomatoes. The mozzarella is so dense that I almost felt like I was eating chicken, yet its cheese! Of course, the Tuscan prosciutto is very flavorful. How can something so thin pack so much natural flavor? This Tuscan plate is just so naturally delicious.
For our primi, we enjoyed their famous tagliatelle del magnifico. It is fettuccine with orange and lemon zest, mint and parmigiana in a creamy brandy sauce. I am certainly enjoying the essences from the citrus and mint. At first glance, I thought it will taste quite basic but, honestly, the chef balanced the tartiness of the citrus with the cheese and mint extremely well. It was quite an inventive way of incorporating juices to the sauce.
For secondi, we had two main meat dishes paired with a dry red wine called Casalbosco Chianti from 2009. Throughout the meal, we would hear random laughter and giggles as people continue to draw onto their tables. It’s truly a fun and entertaining activity while the food is being prepared with precision.
“The steak was cooked flawlessly.”
The first meat dish was the seared veal chop in an aromatic vodka sauce. I love veal for its richness of which this dish definitely has. The provided sauce gives it that additional kick. I almost wonder if it features garlic as a main ingredient because I love garlic and I adore this dish! I normally order my steak seared, therefore, I was happy when I saw it on their menu. When they placed the dish on our table, it had a slight crisp when chewing initially, as preferred and intended. The veal was incredibly soft and rich.
The second meat dish was grilled beef tenderloin with melted Gorgonzola cheese, grated zucchini and truffle salt. This was a very generous slab of beef completely covered in Gorgonzola cheese. This was so incredibly delicious and cooked to perfection. If you love meat, this cut will definitely satisfy your carnivorous needs. It was grilled to medium yet the meat has so much flavor as if it was cooked rare but, fortunately for me, no blood. The steak was cooked flawlessly. I enjoyed the kick provided by the cheese and truffle salt. Those were extremely evident. Apparently the beef is from Cadillac, France.
Now for dessert! The server provided us with a dessert wine called moscato liquoroso “Tanit” di Pantelleria. We enjoy dessert wines as they accentuate the continued joy as we dive unto the desserts. Apparently their restaurant’s specialty cheesecake is amazing but they were already sold out by the time we were on the dessert phase. Either way, we decided to have a couple of desserts. The first is a mascarpone cheese pudding with almond cookies, fresh strawberries and blackberries. This dish had a good variety of fruits while the cream creates a sweet and smooth texture.
Our second dessert is a classic Italian gelato. One can never go wrong in having gelato in Italy after all!
Chef Alessandro’s expert cooking and comprehensive training coupled with his creative mind and original menu truly positions La Cucina del Garga as one of the prime culinary destinations in Florence.
“If you are looking for art, culture and quality cuisine, stop by this hip and artsy restaurant in the heart of the sublime gorgeousness of Florence, Italy!”
Thanks to La Cucina del Garga | Via S. Zanobi, 33, 50129 Firenze, Italy | +39 055 475286