La Mucca sul Tetto

La Mucca is an intimate, candlelit restaurant. I apologize for a lack of food pictures. I forgot my camera and only after eating remembered my phone has one. They came out a bit dark.

I almost ordered a risotto alla mela rosa con tallegio e olio al basilico (red apple risotto with tallegio cheese and basil oil). But the waiter told me a better option was the gnudi di ricotta e spinaci al burro e salvia (nude ricotta/spinach ravioli in sage butter). Nude ravioli means they’re without covering. It’s the filling without the pasta basically. There were also pine nuts which lent an extra texture to the melt-soft ricotta/spinach and the shreds of parm on top. The sage butter was subtle but nice. The nudi were like vegetarian meatballs, slightly bigger than golf balls.

After that I cleansed my palate with acqua naturale and some pane. (This saffron/pine nut/pistachio bread was so deftly cut it almost looked like my cousin’s play kitchen). T’was a nice change from the requisite Italian table bread, which they also served. The bread was so smooth and sponge-soft, I had to ask the waiter where they got it. Apparently they bake it fresh.

Carpaccio di manzo classico su insalata di carciofi e Parmigiano e vinagrette al worcester (classic beef carpaccio on artichoke and parmesan salad with Worchestershire vinaigrette). This was a very well-layered dish. From top to bottom: Large, generous but paper-thin shavings of parm. Slices of rare meat with beefy flavor unadulterated by salts and spices. Arugula leaves. Its spicy touch was, but being such a strong taste there was perhaps too much considering it’s not listed on the menu. It didn't spoil the dish though. I finished it save for a few leaves. (A few bites into it, I decided if I can ever recreate the bread, I’ll make a sandwich with it, rare roast beef, artichokes, parmesan, arugula, and Worchestershire.) My waiter recommended two red wines to go with it, so I tried them both and eventually selected a 2006 Val Rose – Morellino di Scansano.

For dessert, he recommended their tiramisu. Espresso-soaked cake, mascarpone cream, and cocoa powder. All distinct tastes and textures but they combine and melt sublimely in one’s mouth. The tiramisu not a slice, or even worse, a scoop. It’s served in a four-inch diameter, inch-thick dish and was the best tiramisu I’ve had here.

He offered limoncetta and grappa as digestifs, and I was grateful for both.

Via Ghibellina 134/RossoFirenze, Italia 50122
+39 (0)55.2344810