Florentine steak

In my trips to Florence, I was able to order my steak the way I wanted it. I know they tend to be medium rare so I don’t think you will have any problem.

Shouldn't be a problem. When asked, we just said to cook it to the chef's preferred degree of doneness, which turned out to be quite rare. But we overheard the party at the next table order medium rare, and they seemed satisfied when it arrived. Where you likely would get some push back is if you ordered it well done. Hard to do with a steak that thick (and a sacrilege in my opinion).

Generally it's cooked rare (AL SANGUE in Italian, or "to the blood"), but you can ask to make it BEN COTTA. or UN PO' PIU' COTTA.

Yes, in most restaurants you can order your steak cooked that way - but don't!! Bear in mind that Chianina beef is not like US beef - the beef is lighter in color and not as marbled as U.S. beef - which is the main reason the meat is served very rare!!!
So wish we could get it here in the States!!!

Our hotel in Florence recommended a restaurant to us and made the reservation for us. BEST steak I have ever eaten! They would only cook it rare and for 2 people. Worked out well for us. Hubby likes his medium rare and I like rare. He ate more of the outside and I got the great part closer to the bone. We were both happy and still talk about it. I just wish I could remember the name of the restaurant!

Have a great trip!
Mimi

Italian beef is generally much higher quality than those high volume, cheap, junk beef Americans eat. The Argentine beef in fine steak houses is also great stuff.

The Chianina breed of cattle was brought to the US in the 1970s and some ranchers raise those cattle..
I don’t know where exactly to find it, but it is for sale in America somewhere. There is even an American Chianina Association.

Italian beef is generally much higher quality than those high volume, cheap, junk beef Americans eat.

You eat 'junk beef'? American's have the benefit of being able to eat a broad variety of beef quality, and cuts. If you so choose to eat 'junk beef' go right ahead, you can get proper prime-cuts at Costco or, organic, grass-fed Angus from your local butcher. Lets lay off the bad-mouthing of American's.

As to the OP...some restaurants are more evangelical about cooking their beef and rare is the only way they do it. Some places are a bit more accommodating and if asked nicely, will cook it closer to the medium end of the rare spectrum.

David, I rep an Italian company and everyone who visits the U.S. goes out of their way to eat U.S. beef-my last trip through the U.S. they eat it for lunch and/or dinner or both in Charlotte, Raleigh, Detroit, San Fransisco, and Dallas!

As a Texan, I take some offense to the comment about "American junk beef". But with that said, the bistecca fiorentina we had at Hostaria Il Desco in Florence (April 2014) really was the best steak I ever had in my entire carnivorous life.

Leinartjwl - Don't worry about it. The beef is aged differently in Italy and "rare" isn't as bloody as it is in the US. Try it - you'll like it!

I am a big fan of the freshness and generally high quality of food in both Italy and France but American beef is generally much higher quality. Europeans do a lot of great things with lesser cuts of meat but if you want a rare steak from a good cut, odds are much greater in the US. I have had several Steak Florentine meals in Italy and none comes close to the tenderloin we had for Christmas or the rib roast we had this Thankgiving.

We hear over this side of the pond that most American meat is not free from hormones and medicine. Is that true? Are many of the animals fed genetically modified food now or has that passed?

'We hear over this side of the pond that most American meat is not free from hormones and medicine. Is that true?'

I don't think it's true.
I just checked in my freezer...the deer, ducks, geese , squab and turkey are all free of hormones and medicines. They were also free range...and never (as far as I know) stood in a barnyard.

One of the reasons many of us choose to harvest wild game is to avoid the Molotov cocktail of unhealthy drugs that some farmers use to bring low cost protein to market quickly. Healthier alternatives are available but are generally more costly. Regardless of how they are raised the life quality of any animal raised for consumption stands in stark contrast to wild game..

I will chow down on a Florentine steak during my upcoming visit and hope that it's not horse meat-:)

I am a medium/medium rare type of gal but I really enjoy the Florentine steak exactly as they bring it to the table, rare and the flavor is so good dipped in the salt and oil from the platter. I was very unsure the first time I ate it and was really surprised how much I loved it. So maybe try it the way it is served then decide if you want to send it back for a bit more cooking?

We hear over this side of the pond that most American meat is not free from hormones and medicine.

Fine words Nigel - Did you get amnesia from MAD COW DISEASE?

I love American beef and Italian bistecca. I have always taken a pass on British beef. To me, it's not worth the risk.

Just don't presume that you can walk into just any place serving Florentine Steak in Florence and expect to get the best steak ever. I've tried it twice and both times the steak was so tough and chewy that I had to spit it out, and no taste, no flavor. I've since learned that if they display samples of beef cuts, there is a way to determine the tenderness or toughness from the marbling pattern.

I'd stick with the recommendations given in replies here and in other places on this Forum. And RS makes a recommendation on his PBS shows.