CIBREO -- PART 5

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Before dessert, a gourmet cheese plate arrived and we washed it down with a lovely dessert wine with an apricot bouquet.

Speaking of dessert, I opted for another renown Cibreo item -- the flourless chocolate cake. 

We also grazed on a dessert selection of cheese cake, chocolate flan and something that -- at least to our hillbilly-rooted tongues -- tasted like gourmet ice cream cake. Flawless espresso capped off dessert.

The prices, per person are roughly:  first course, 20 euro, second course 36 euro, cheeses 10 euro and dessert 15 euro.

Obviously, when you add a large bottle of sparkling water, a bottle of fine wine, dessert wine and espresso, you can add another nearly 80-100-plus euro to the bill.

We can only afford such extravagance once a year, but in our opinion, Cibreo is worth every penny.

IF YOU GO:

Cibreo is at Via del Verrocchio, 8r Firenze
Tel. : 055 234 11 00
e-mail : info@cibreo.com
www.cibreo.com


Get reservations or arrive at 7 p.m. and start pleading for a cherished table.


The restaurant is very near the famed Mercato di Sant'Ambrogio farmer's market.

Cibreo also has a casual trattoria, cafe and live theater nearby.

CIBREO -- PART 4

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Somewhere along the way, Team Picchi shows a little levity by bringing each table a giant bread stick shaped like a bone.

Despite being a fine dining joint, at least half the diners, (aka all the American tourists in the house) couldn't resist mugging for camera phone shots with the bone gritted in their teeth, Fido the hound style.

For the record, the breadstick tastes great and no, we did not mug for any cameras.

Now onto the fab the secondi patti. Heidi's was an ethereal deconstructed veal stew served on a plate, not a bowl, with edges defined by small homemade bread sticks. 

The super tender veal  was enhanced with carrot coins and pureed roasted potatoes.

Yours truly adopted for Cibreo's somewhat famous chicken and ricotta meat balls in tomato sauce with a side of asparagus. 

Yes, as some American over eaters whine, the meat balls are not huge by second course standards.

But no, you don't have the right to complain (you did get more than a half dozen samples of Tuscan treats, multiple kinds of bread, an appetizer and you'll have dessert...so no, you do not need a Fred Flintstone-sized portion for the main course.

PART 5 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 6

CIBREO -- PART 3

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Out comes Giulio Picchi, Fabio's son, to tell you about the heavenly items spread out in tiny tasting portions for you.

Our grazing included:  white beans in fabulous olive oil, ricotta unlike any you've ever savored, smoked cold muscles good enough to seduce a non bi-valve eater, the best zucchini you've ever tasted, warm potato rolls, chicken liver pate spread on crostini, herbed goat cheese, tomato aspic (cold gelatin) and cold veal tripe salad.

Full disclosure time.  We really tried hard not to be stomach-squeamish, but could not rise above our Midwestern roots. Alas, we did not finish even the tiny taste o' trippa.

Trusting the sommelier , we went with a fine Super Tuscan Sangiovese-Cabernet Sauvignon blend that, well, blended perfectly with the wide range of delicacies brought to our table. Light on the tongue, it must of packed a bit of a punch, for we confess we forgot to note the label (sorry).

Spouse Heidi's primi patti was polenta with light ricotta cheese -- light as a cloud.  I opened with a brown fish stew that tasted like an upscale New Orleans gumbo.

PART 4 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 5

CIBREO -- PART 2

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Cibreo has no printed menu. Waiters -- versed in several languages -- sit down with you and go over the fresh items the purveyors have delivered that day and how they might make an excellent primi and secondi for your palette.

Though Cibreo is for foodies -- not the Cracker Barrel crowd -- our server was very conscious of not allowing us to embarrass ourselves with an order we would be unhappy with.

She very subtly pointed out that a game meat would be served cold to room temperature (when an American might expect it warm and be disappointed if it didn't come out red hot.) She also subtly stressed that the roast pigeon does have lots of small bones and is to be eaten with fingers.

The attention to detail is staggering -- and not just with the memorized menu with dozens of dazzling preparations.

Our server noticed a wobbly-legged chair at the table next to ours. She shot a glance at an underling (apparently responsible for such things) that basically said "the next time you let this happen, that  faulty piece of furniture will be smashed over your head."

Again -- if you want endless soup, salad and bread sticks, this ain't your place.

If you love starting off your meal with a perfectly-crafted array of Tuscan tidbits -- created by Chef Picchi, he of the mad man genius  in the kitchen self-cultivated persona -- you have come to the right place.

PART 3 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 4

CIBREO 1

CIBREO -- FLORENCE'S BEST FINE DINING

Cibreo is the most misunderstood restaurant in Florence.

A foodie paradise, Cibreo doesn't even crack the top 400 of more than 1,000 Florence restaurants ranked by the esteemed members of one of the world's most popular on-line rating sites.

Perhaps the fine dining establishment of star chef Fabio Picchi isn't for everyone -- the Olive Garden, it ain't.

But for anyone who appreciates slow food, outstanding service, premium ingredients and local sourcing, Cibreo easily deserves to be ranked among top dozen dining spots in fabled Florence.

It seems like the philistines who rail against Cibreo have a quartet of common complaints:

• Long waits for food (do you want fast service from a microwave or proper service from a kitchen that cares?)

• Small portions (they aren't small -- they are just appropriate size. Notice how Europeans aren't as obese as Americans?  There's a reason -- normal-sized portions.)

• They don't serve pasta (Tuscan cuisine involves a wide area of cheeses, game meat, beans, farm to table vegetables and other items that are not based on the noodle and slathered in red sauce.

• High prices (Florence is an expensive city and for the record, you could easily spend more than half of what it costs to eat at Cibreo drinking horrible wine, eating crappy food and being upsold on lousy appetizers and desserts at any number of tourist traps with pretty piazza views but cruddy kitchens. In other words, you get what you pay for.)                          

PART 2 POSTS TOMORROW -- JUNE 3