Officina della Bistecca — Restaurant in Greve in Chianti

First and foremost, this is not the tasting menu from the Netflix Chef's Table episode. That is Solociccia. We chose this steak tasting because we already enjoy eating unconventional parts of the cow.

Wow. You are unlikely to have beef this good ever again. I say this with the caveat that if you're into the steakhouse-style cast iron seared steak you won't get that here. They don't salt the beef, they don't season it with garlic or herbs. They grill it over a fire and cook it to the done-ness that the specific cut is traditionally made for, and what you truly taste is the beef. They have a nice seasoned salt for you to add to taste. Their chianti butter is seasoned pork lard, and it's great on their bread. Also, their beans and potatoes are just so fresh and tasty, I would have finished them all if I were not about to explode with beef or turn into a cow myself. The local vegetable crudo they serve is also farm fresh and tasty.

tartare: this is raw, so be prepared for this. Best beef tartare I'd ever had. roast beef: a contender for favorite cut. In the US we're so used to eating roast beef that's a buffet station. I think this beef is just tiers above what you'd get at even the best Las Vegas buffets. Rib eye: my recommendation? ask for the bone and eat that amazing meat off of it. Best rib eye I'd ever had. beef belly: also a contender for a favorite. Definitely not as fatty as pork belly, and it might actually be Brisket depending on how close to the front legs this cut is. Super tender and juicy Florentine steak: if you're going to order this dish during a trip to Italy, have it here. Dario's commitment to the best grass fed local cattle really comes through in this dish. It is served rare in the middle, but with beef this fresh from a butcher this reputable, this is the time in your life to eat rare meat. This was my favorite cut in the end. Make sure to pay attention to what part of the T-bone you are eating, there is the strip part and the filet part - appreciate the differences. Panzanese steak: a unique cut that is their signature steak. It was very well-balanced, it is cooked to a higher temperature than the Florentine and more on par with the rib eye, but it is SO flavorful. olive oil cake: the olive oil they use is just so good it was so hard not to finish this.

You seriously need to expand your stomach the day before (eat a big lunch, eat high volume low-calorie stuff for dinner with lots of vegetables), and go to this meal starving. We can eat about our weight classes but could not finish everything.

So we did a major faux pas and asked for to go boxes. We did this because it felt truly disrespectful to not finish the beef that was served to us, and after watching Dario speak on Chef's Table about his commitment to not wasting any part of a cow out of respect to the animal, we decided we'd take the hit to our social credibility and take our leftovers to the hotel.

Just to top things off, we ate our leftovers COLD the following evening, and the leftover meat would still rank in the top 10 steaks I've had in my lifetime. This meat is THAT good.

Other tips: You can take a bus from the Florence bus station to get to Panzano for around 3.5 euros per person each way. There are tourist traps on tripadvisor that will take you here for WAYYYY too high of a price. if you're taking the bus, look at the google bus schedules ahead of time. Busses don't run as often on the weekends, and if you come here for dinner you won't be able to get the last evening bus back to Florence even on a weekday. This is why we went for lunch. we brought our own wine, then ended up not drinking it because they give you a massive jug of wine so it felt wasteful to...

A lovely, meat-fest, and one in a life time dinner experience. We travelled from Florence to Panzano via bus, a wild and long ride but well worth it. It was a small group which made it intimate, people were friendly as well. Portion sizes were SUPER generous, so be prepared! The staff were super friendly and explained the dishes. We had so much meat we lost count of courses. The beef belly was a stand out, we never get this cut of meat from where we are from. The beef fat in the potato was a delightful surprise. The olive oil cake was so luscious and gorgeous, we could not stop nibbling through it even though we were already so full. The wine and coffee serving was generous. Afterwards we were able to go downstairs to shop for any souvenirs.

Advice for travelling there - the restaurant suggested a private car service through Stedop Florence as Panzano is a country side area where public transport stops around 8pm in the evening (we finished eating at 10:30pm). Stedop was quick to reply and by far the most affordable of all the private car services we asked quotes from. They were able to pick up from Florence, and then drop off back to Florence after the dinner so you don't have to stay over night.

Despite this, unfortunately they were still out of our price range so we opted for public transport. We got two buses, one from the centre of Florence at 5pm to the outskirts, then from the outskirts to Panzano and got to Panzano with 25mins before the dinner. (Be careful to check that you are at the right bus stop as bus stops can be quite unassuming in the outskirts.) We checked into a small local hotel and walked 2 mins to the butchery. After dinner we walked back to the hotel for the night and got the bus out of Panzano at 5:30am back to Florence, as we had activities booked back in Florence at 8am. The buses aren't very reliable in Florence so highly advice getting there 20mins before the bus is meant to be there just to ensure that you don't miss out. We found this to be by far the most cost effective, but probably more stressful than going for a private...

Overall, a very disappointing experience unfortunately. We booked the day prior and told we could have 8pm or 8:30pm. Arriving at 8:30 as booked, we felt as though we had shown up to a dinner party hours late as they quickly found a place for us and raced through the first two courses to catch up to all others (apparently seated 30 minutes earlier). Luckily, we were satisfied with the quality of the steaks as the accompaniments are very basic considering the €50 fixed price. Our biggest gripe was in the lack of service or care throughout the experience. You couldn’t help but feel you were on the tourist conveyor belt as waiters seemed too eager to clear plates and move through the service as quickly as possible.

Prior, I was concerned the ‘entertainment’ of the meal would be far too kitschy but it was completely non-existent. Dario did come outside to work the room for all of two minutes to walk through the tables and greet guests as a nice touch but it seemed like the consummate politician at a fundraiser making an appearance and exiting as efficiently as possible to leave donors to be shaken down.

The lowlight was the staff clearly wanting you to leave with one saying “we’re closed, please go inside to pay your bills”, another turning the heaters off (with at least 15 guests still there), and the final touch; ringing a triangle to show it’s truly time to get out. The only enthusiasm I saw from the staff was the cashier as he tried to race through each payment with gusto.

Although the meat is terrific, the service doesn’t make up for what was a poor and forgettable experience. What was apparently sensational in previous times seems to have deteriorated into a soulless, rather expensive conveyer belt churning through as many...