Bistecca alla fiorentina at restaurant and trattoria Sergio Gozzi in Florence! This world famous T-bone comes from the Italian Chianina cattle breed, which is also one of the oldest in the world.
Florence, my dear!
I visited Firenze about 20 years ago by bus during the Easter holidays with school.
All I can remember is rain, loads of cheap spaghetti bolognaise for lunch and for dinner, more rain and (oh boy) a bus reeking of puke and a blocked toilet.
However no bistecca alla Fiorentina though.
And because of that, I am glad to be back in Florence for a week with the hubs.
And we traveled by plane this time.
Smart move, June.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
So one afternoon we are in the mood for some good Italian food.
And by that I mean some good old comfort food. Some really good food.
In Florence terms there is only one thing that this can mean: your most popular highness Il Bistecca alla Fiorentina!
Or in other words: Florence style T-bone steak.
I am sure that you have heard about this one before!
For those who are not familiar with this 8th wonder of the world, here is a little background information.
T-Bone
So what is it exactly?
The real bistecca alla Fiorentina can only be named so if the T-bone comes from the Italian Chianina cattle breed, which is one of the oldest cattle breeds in the world by the way.
Sure we checked Tripadvisor and a couple of other websites to see where we could find some of the best ones here in Florence.
But in the end the votes were not very unanimous we had the impression.
Well, let’s leave it to our best guides then: our nose and our gut feeling.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina Lunch with Tripadvisor
We walked the streets of Florence at a lazy pace.
Looking around, enjoying the medieval architecture and sipping espresso coffees in the sun. All the time we were keeping our eyes open for some good steak. This didn’t prove to be very hard. The majority of the restaurants announce their bistecca and its price per kg (2,22 lb) on a chalkboard outside.
Wait, €20 for 2?
That surely can’t be a real bistecca! But €120 for 2? That is quite an exaggerated price, I think. Don’t worry, the average prices for a real Bistecca alla Fiorentina are somewhere in between €40 and €65 per kg.
Trattoria Gozzi
So one afternoon we are looking for a simple lunch in the San Lorenzo neighborhood.
Our Tripadvisor app recommends a nearby trattoria by the name of Sergio Gozzi.
It is a little difficult to find in the beginning because it is hidden behind an endless row of tourist stalls that unfortunately line the beautiful Piazza San Lorenzo.
That also explains why I wasn’t able to snap a facade picture of the place… To make a long story much shorter: the lunch menu winking outside and the old-fashioned interior inside pleases us terribly.
Lunch
We order lunch, you can read the full story here.
So while we are enjoying our delicious Italian food, the couple next to us orders the famous bistecca alla Fiorentina. Our jaws drop and we make a mental note to come back here again.
We make good on that promise because 2 days later we are back.
With a craving.
A huge one.
Bistecca alla Fiorentina
After queuing at the bar for 15 minutes (it gets pretty busy at lunchtime) we are shown to our table by waitress Olivia. Our order is very simple: a bistecca alla Fiorentina for 2 (€38 per kg) and a mezzo litro caraf (½ l) of red house wine (€6).
We decide that we won’t order any side dishes.
We have come for the steak.
So we will have our steak. Anyway, there is always a bread and butter basket on the table since you pay for the additional ‘pane e coperto’ or bread and cutlery (€1,80 per person).
We sip our red wine for 10 minutes, look around at the lovely plates flying out of the busy kitchen and chit chat.
Perfection
And then finally: le moment suprême.
Our Bistecca alla Fiorentina arrives.
Weighing in at a staggering 1,350 kg (3 lbs).
Seared beautifully on all sides.
In a coat of yellowish fat.
Sliced up nicely in thick strips.
Cooked perfectly saignant.
Heavenly juices pouring out.
Gosh, it sounds like a poem.
We attack the beast and love its slightly dry-aged flavor while washing it all down with a second carat of red wine.
This is a jolly good cow.
Cantucci & Vinsanto
The restaurant is roaring on around us but we are totally into our meal.
We are full before we have eaten half of our bistecca alla Fiorentina. I told you that a side dish would not be necessary!
OK, we could have finished the whole lot without a doubt but we still had some visiting to do in the city so we didn’t want to feel like bursting out of our pants.
But don’t worry.
We ask the owner (she speaks a little French as well) to wrap it up for us.
Vinsanto And Cantucci
We sit back and relax.
But the hubs’ ever wandering eye spotted something on the menu.
And he just can’t resist the urge to order a treat of classic Italian cantucci almond biscuits and a glass of vinsanto, an Italian fortified sweet wine (€3,50).
Great way to end a purely Italian feast!
Or should I say Italian beast.
We pay €68,50 in the end.
And because we are renting an apartment nearby we can enjoy the other half of our leftover bistecca all Fiorentina in the evening.
We prepared a gorgeous cold steak salad with it.
Absolute yum.
Absolutely recommendable!
Here is where you can find it.
Address
Trattoria Sergio Gozzi
Piazza San Lorenzo, 8r
50100 Florence
Italy