Cara Mia, Oh My!!!: Oh my, that was good!!!

It finally happened. We ran into the Butcher of Panzano. We had heard about this unique man and his, shall we say, talents. Suffice it to say, blood runs when you run into the Butcher.
And boy did it run last night!
Dario Cecchini is the Butcher of Panzano. His family has a history of over 200 years in the meat trade. Dario has taken this to a new level. If you know Lyle, also a famous butcher, you could say Dario is a Lyle on massive steroids.
His butcher shop is small....I think my bathroom at home may be larger.... but the product is huge. He sells meat, sings, plays opera on the stereo, but balances that with Blue Brothers, Queen and a whole bunch of other lively music. He performs for the busloads of tourists who stop in the shop.
He has staff pouring little glasses of wine for those in the shop and on the street in front. There is usually some bread to sample with some olive oil, or some cheese, or something.
I don't know when he started doing dinners. He has bought the house across the street, where there are three dining rooms and a kitchen. He has a store next to the butcher shop where he can seat people for dinner. He has space above the butcher shop where he serves food. There is a restaurant on a terrace behind the shop.
He offers two main meals: Solociccia and Officina Dell Bistecca. Due to a slight translation problem, I made reservations for Solociccia when I really wanted the Officina Della Bistecca.
Let me take you through the night.
We arrive at about 6:45 for our 7 p.m. seating. We are ushered into an upper room in the house across the street, and sit at a communal dining table set for 11. Carl, Ruth, Julia, Emily, John and I take up six seats, some people from Wisconsin and Canada take up four. Jackie has opted out of the meal.
Water is out, bread is out, wine is out...we are ready to start.
Appetizers: musetto al limone e brodo vero. Muzzle and broth. I have some of the musetto al limone ... a thinly sliced meat. Then I look at the chart and discover it comes from the head and hooves of a cow. Although it is good, I don't eat a second piece. (Or as Emily said: Don't you know what muzzle means?)
Crostini di sugo all'uso di Natale is next. A spicy meat ragu on toast. This is very good. Plates go around the table and those are almost finished. The fresh vegetable bowl is relatively untouched.
Next an item comes out that looks like onion rings: Fritto del macellaio, which is essentially bacon deep fried. That is good. Those bowls empty.
Ramerino in culo.....rosemary up your bum....is the next appetizer. This is basically steak tartar with a great seasoning. I actually eat two of these meatball sized offerings. Quite yummy.
The vegetables are still pretty full.
A bell dings, the dumb waiter opens, food comes out.
Mischianza di fagioli e ceci...garbanzo and white beans in olive oil...is next. Great flavor.
We eat. At a certain interval, new plates arrive with delicious offerings. After a few minutes the bell dings ...food comes out.
Arrosto Fiorentino o fiocco al forno....beef roast... comes out next. I like it, but it is very rare. Some people pass, so I eat their share. The beef is flavorful, and tender.
Tenerumi in insalata...boiled beef and vegetable salad...is absolutely a knock out! It had such a great flavor....and it is something I could make at home. Much like a pot roast.
Umidi..braised meats...come out. This rosemary seasoned dish was good, but not as good as the boiled beef. Seemed to some to have a little too much rosemary.
Then comes olive cake and coffee, followed by an invitation to step over to the butcher shop and enjoy some grappa, because they needed the tables for the 9 p.m. seating. We did.
The cost? Only 30 Euros a person and we had more beef in a night than in a week.
The menu I wanted, at 50 Euros a person, included 5 different steaks! 5!!! That's Five!! V!!
I am getting that next time.....then I'll probably get a valve job so my ticker restarts.
Anyway, it was a great night. Besides the restaurants and the butcher shop he also has apartments to rent and maybe a bed and breakfast, I could not tell.
But he is a good businessman, and a pretty darn good butcher to run into.