We didn't have any reservations for the night, but I thought it might be nice to go out for a nice dinner so I logged on to Open Table to see what I could find that had something available. We decided to try out an Italian restaurant that we hadn't been to before but that I had heard great things about. The restaurant, Firenze a Tavola, is in the basement of the Italian deli, Parisi at 44th and Tennyson St. I thought we were just headed out for a normal meal, but when we arrived at the restaurant we found out they were only offering a four course meal, hence the term Cenone. Cena means dinner in Italian and when you add -one to the end of the word it means big, like nasone. Naso for nose, nasone for big nose.
I was a little bit disappointed because a four course meal isn't something I can eat any more. Since I started losing weight in September, I've been eating much smaller meals which have led to me not feeling well when I over-eat. All fine and dandy, but it means a four course meal isn't really worth the cost in my book. So, while I accidentally walked us into the four course meal, we decided to just take it easy and go with the flow and try what was being offered. It was a wonderful meal which I'm very happy to share with you.
First off, let me apologize for the terrible lighting.... we were in a dark corner.
Here is THE GOOD: The food and wine!
I'll start with the wine which was amazing. We ordered this bottle of Icardi Barbera d'Asti. Barbera wines are quickly becoming my favorite red wines. This one did not disappoint and at $33 a bottle, it was a great price for the restaurant. We followed the third cheapest bottle rule, which usually leads us to something good.
Name: Barbera d'Asti
Grape: Barbera
Vintage: 2009
Dominant notes: light, slightly spicy, very fruity, clean finish on palette.
Would drink it again: Yes, in a heartbeat.
Cost: $33 (at restaurant)
For my first course I ordered the Cartoccio di Scamorza cheese: Puff pastry stuffed with Scamorza cheese served with olives and prosecco roasted vellutata.
This was oh so yummy. And I even ate about half of my olives. I HATE olives, but for some reason they were really great on this dish and paired well with the cheese and puff pastry. Scamorza is classified as a stinky cheese so it made for a very rich, flavorful dish.
My primi dish was the Pasta Maltagliata con congilio brasato: braised rabbit over rough cut butternut pasta and brown butter and spices sauce.
This dish was to die for. I would gladly have eaten three times this amount but the rabbit and butter kept it pretty rich, so I couldn't actually finish it. The leftovers were good though. The sauce on it had bits of butternut squash, sage, and some other delicious spices that left you wanting more.
My main dish: Pan seared Colorado striped bass filet with roasted pear and parsnip puree, prosecco and peeled green grapes, and crisped prosciutto di parma.
This was a very interesting twist on fish. It was served over pear and parsnip puree which added sweetness and the crispy prosciutto added crunch and saltiness that enhanced the other flavors of the dish perfectly.
The bad: Unfortunately, all of the reviews which I read about this restaurant seem to hold true. They have amazing food, but the service leaves a little something to be desired. I have had multiple course meals at other nice Italian restaurants around town and this place was surely the slowest. We were seated at 6:00pm and left at 8:25. Ouch.
We also had to send a plate back to the kitchen. My husbands main course came out cold. And I mean cold! The sauce was cold, the meat was room temperature. It took a VERY long time for it to come back out so we ate a part of our meals separate. He got to stare at me while I ate my food, and I got to stare at him while he ate his. Kind of messed things up a lot.
His tiramisu was also frozen in the center. Premaking the desserts is fine, they just need to be taken out of the freezer with enough time to thaw out before being served to your guests. (Also, in my book, all Tiramisu should taste like Sambuca, I didn't taste any.)
These are just the few things that I would say could have been better, faster service, better plating and temperature management of food, and when I'm ready to go, don't keep me waiting for my food that you boxed up an hour ago.
Overall: I enjoyed our meal at Firenze a Tavola. It was worth it for the visit, though I probably wont be headed back any time soon as I much prefer ALBA in Boulder for the amount of money that I was spending at this restaurant.
Name: Firenze a Tavola
Destination: 4401 Tennyson St. Denver, CO 80212 (under Parisi deli)
http://www.firenzeatavoladenver.com/firenze.html
Cost: $$$
Ambiance: Rustic, Intimate, Basement
Suggested Attire: Casual to Business Casual
Best Part: Food combinations were creative and tasty without being haughty.
Could Do Better: Service speed and Food temperature
