I do not hide the fact that I enjoy the Top Chef television program. This can be hard for people to understand because they know that for 24 years I felt great disdain for food. I simply did not like food. Then I started watching Top Chef. Then I met Nicci. Now I love food. To celebrate our two-year anniversary, I decided to take Nicci to the recently-opened Firenze Osteria near the border of Toluca Lake and North Hollywood. The restaurant is owned by Fabio Viviani and his business partner Jacopo Falleni. Fabio, you may know, was a finalist during season 5 of Top Chef and was voted Fan Favorite by the viewing audience. As I sit and enjoy my post-dinner food coma, I’ll try my best to explain what I just experienced.
Nicci and I met Fabio very briefly at the Gilroy Garlic Festival this year. We bought his cookbook and watched his cooking demonstration on a very warm Sunday afternoon. When we heard that he was opening his new restaurant on Lankershim Boulevard, our eyes widened. Tonight, almost five months later, we had our chance to eat his food. Although Fabio was not in the kitchen tonight, Nicci and I both feel that we had enjoyed one hell of a meal at his restaurant.
The eateries website claims that Firenze Osteria combines love, food and misbehavior. The atmosphere echoes these sentences. Very dim lights, rough walls, and silly portraits of famous sculptures define the space. Luxurious curtains separate the bar from the dining room. In the men’s room, a portrait of Marilyn Monroe — an “upskirt” photograph capturing her sans underwear — is hung above the urinal. A sign above the paper towel dispenser reads, “Our food is amazing, our service is outstanding, the atmosphere is great. Our bathrooms are not. Apologies, Fabio Viviani.”
A friendly waiter delivers our menus and recites the nightly specials with a bit of trouble. He can’t remember a dish or two, and jokes about drawing a blank. One of them, sweet breads and potato ravioli, sounds appetizing, but not as good as what’s on the menu. We decide on the following: Proscuitto e Melon, Insalata di Anatra, Malfattai Burro e Salvia, and Ravioli di Brasato.
To drink, we ordered two amazing martinis. Nicci had a Balsamic Martini with muddled strawberries and fresh limes, vanilla flavored rum and a touch of balsamic vinaigrette. I had a Red Bell Pepper Martini with muddled bell peppers, vanilla vodka, fresh grapefruit juice and pineapple juice. Nicci described hers as tasting like a savory strawberry, or candy. The balsamic was barely there, but present enough to diminish the strawberry and lime enough to keep it from having an overwhelmingly fruity flavor. Mine had a lot of red pepper in the nose but struck a great balance between the vanilla vodka and pineapple juice. Yum. The tapenade they served with their focaccia is also worth noting, as it was delicious. It was more like a warm tomato and olive oil mixture than a traditional tapenade. Still tasted the olives, capers and sun dried tomatoes, but somehow the flavors combined tasted greater their individual parts.
Our appetizer was Prosciutto and Melon with Burrata. The fresh ham and melon were of the highest quality. The sweet/salty balance was nice. The burrata was intended to be paired with a coccoli (fried Italian fritters). Again, the pairing was very rich and savory. The hard-crusted bread had a very soft, buttery interior, and the creamy soft cheese was fresh and milky, complimenting the sweetness of the coccoli. All in all, it was a very consistent plate and a great way to start a meal.
The highlight of my meal was the salad, made up of crispy fried duck sauteed with wild mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and roasted pine nuts. It was served over mixed greens which were very lightly dressed. Wow. Rustic, almost like comfort food flavors. I could sit at home and eat this out of a bowl. I would lick the bowl clean. The firm and brittle duck provided great texture for the leafy greens. The pine nuts and sun dried tomatoes, though few in number, supplemented the dish finely.
Nicci’s main course was the Spinach and Ricotta Dumpling in a light Brown Butter and Sage Sauce, topped with shaved parmesan. I don’t know why, but I expected a traditional-looking dumpling. Instead, the spinach and ricotta was molded on the plate to look like scoops of ice cream. The brown butter sauce was light but filling. Although light on ricotta, the dumplings were very rich. It also makes for an excellent vegetarian option if you don’t want to try one of the meaty dishes.
My choice was the short rib ravioli. The housemade pasta was fantastic and the short ribs tasted sweet. The tallegio cheese sauce was quite rich, almost decadent. It bordered on being a bit too rich, but it was still good. Drizzled atop the sauce was a 25-year aged balsamic vinegar which enhanced the tallegio even more. There were four or five raviolis on my plate, any more would have been too much.
The service was fine. Our waiter was attentive and cordial. All told, the “food, love, misbehavior” moniker is a perfect fit. A lot of care went into the preparation of our meal, including great attention to flavor profiles and quality of ingredients. The misbehavior is present in such oft-overlooked spots as the men’s room, as well as the incredible richness some of the dishes. It’s not the healthiest meal you’ll find in the area, but it’s definitely a satisfying dining experience. I look forward to making my way back on a night when Fabio might be in the kitchen. Maybe I’ll be dining with Gail Simmons and staring at her luscious tits, daydreaming about dropping a load all over those amazing breasts.
Happy Anniversary Nicci, I love you!
