When Andrea Apuzzo arrived on the scene in 1985 he introduced the city to the delights of northern Italian food. When the restaurant closed 37 years later, that food was barely recognizable. Over those many years, it had morphed into whatever the chef perceived people wanted, when what they really wanted was the food he offered in the beginning.
That food is nowhere to be found in this city, and it is a pity. What we have too much of is hip takes on the cuisine, and of course, the delicious Sicilian version of Italian food with its faithful adherents and ardent fans.
Last week we had a meal at perhaps my favorite restaurant, Tchefuncte’s in Madisonville, which absolutely wowed me. On Tuesdays, the menu changes to northern Italian offerings only, and some hard-to-find ones. My favorite Roman dish, Cacio e Pepe is becoming annoyingly regular around town. No one does it faithfully, and I was delightfully surprised to see it on this menu offered tableside. Also, there were other rarities, like Branzino and Bistecca Fiorentina.
I expected a lot of pasta, and I shouldn’t have thought that. Michael Gottlieb is in the kitchen here, and he always swings for the fence. It was immediately apparent that this would be the real deal. Yes, there are a lot of pastas and appetizers, and they would be better than anything else out there.
After the last arancini I had, I decided to pause the ordering of any arancini going forward. But I knew when I saw this arancini that I had to get it because this one would renew my faith in the dish. We also ordered polpette, because I knew these would be special too. Michael sent out a slab of fried mozzarella with a few small smoked tomatoes and basil on top. This is not something I would have ordered, but I was happy to try it. And a late add-on was garlic knots. Usually, I am not a fan of garlic knots. They are most often made with pizza dough, which I love, but for some reason, these annoy me. I wanted to try Michael’s version because he comes from a family with a centennial bakery legacy, and he makes the best bread I have ever eaten. These had to be fantastic garlic knots, I reasoned.
The idea of a tableside Cacio e Pepe was utterly titillating, so we got that, and the same is true for the Bistecca Fiorentina, the dish equally famous in Florence as Cacio e Pepe is in Rome.
We sat down to a complimentary salad of baby lettuces dressed in a light vinaigrette with grated Parmesan throughout. A great start.
The garlic knots surprised me by being more of a beignet weight than chewy dough. These had a cloudlike consistency which was too soft for me. The fact that I was expecting chewy made the dichotomy even greater. I didn’t care for these, and the garlic flavor was minimal. There was a heavy dusting of Parmesan on these and around the plate which redeemed them a bit.
The arancini did not disappoint at all. I love some definition in the grains of arborio rice, and usually there isn’t. Inside the risotto balls was a tiny dollop of short rib. I wish there had been more filling in these, but that is my only complaint. They were otherwise arancini perfection. The perfect size, fried just right. They were served in a white sauce infused with truffle oil and garnished with little baby shreds of frisée. I loved everything about this dish, right down to the frisée.
Meatballs, or polpette, are something I get whenever I see them. The definitive version is at Desi Vega’s, where his grandmother “Miss Barbara” has earned a place in culinary history with her meatballs, to my taste the most amusing bouche in town. These were not up to that impossible standard, but I liked them very much. They take my favorite meatball trait to the ultimate limit. I like a meatball that crumbles when touched. These crumbled with a look. The sauce had a rich flavor and chunky seasonings. Very nice. Three to an order, I could do another order of these.
The mozzarella slab is something I don’t understand, but that said, this was good. The crust was nice, crispy, and well done. I loved the contrast of the smoked tomato and the perkiness of the fresh basil. Not my thing, but if you are a fried cheese fan, recommended.
I was very excited to have the tableside Cacio e Pepe, so I guess disappointment was inevitable. Chef Michael pulled the cart up to the table and scraped the sides of the huge hollow Parmesan wheel as he asked how spicy I wanted it. Hmmm. This dish has three ingredients: wet pasta, cheese, and black pepper. When I saw him add olive oil, my heart broke. And when it was served up, it broke some more. The pasta was cold, which it would of course be served tableside. And at $22, it wasn’t really enough for two.
When the Bistecca Fiorentina arrived, all was forgiven, and forgotten. This was absolutely sensational. Medium rare, and I didn’t care. (I think I’ll keep that rhyme.) It was so tender, and so juicy I couldn’t believe how much of this I ate. It was cooked over an open flame, so it had a nice crust to it. There was sort of a garlic marmalade nestled in the bone, and a roasted small yellow tomato and sage leaves on top. I felt this was a bargain at $75.
Even though I thought this was a delicious meal overall, the dessert absolutely wowed me, I have never been a fan of tiramisu, which was one of only two selections. The other was a peach crostata. I love crostata, but only if they are filled with chocolate. I had no intention of getting dessert but Tom wanted it, and he likes tiramisu. We got that and when it came to the table it was just so gorgeous I tried it. This was so otherworldly fantastic that I just couldn't believe it. The mascarpone cheese was absolutely cloudlike, with just the proper dusting of cocoa powder. Instead of ladyfingers, there was a crunch from Ameretto cookies. The contrast of flavors and textures was impossibly delectable. I can’t wait to have this again.
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It will end another marvelous northern Italian dinner, this time of pasta. We got so carried away with this meal that there was no room for basic pasta dishes, no doubt sublimely executed.
Don’t miss this. Every Tuesday for the foreseeable future at Tchefuncte’s in Madisonville. See you there.
