Color and centuries of history on the walls of Osteria Gucci*
Imagine a place where gastronomes, historians and fashionistas can meet in the same room… that place is Osteria Gucci! The restaurant that was born from the combination of the Florentine brand with the highest name in Italian gastronomy, Massimo Bottura, is located in the middle of Plaza della Signoria, in the Gucci Gardens.
The supposed garden is nothing more than the brand’s museum and a dip into the genius of Alessandro Michele, the company’s creative director, where there is no shortage of plants, animals, patterns, a lot of charm and a lot of madness, which is also joined by a signature restaurant that lives and breathes from the same creative trait.
There is not much to say about the decoration, everything is placed in the right measure, in the right place and in the right dose. Of note are the sculpted coats of arms that are part of the city’s history and the private room where we had the privilege of dining. As you would expect, no detail is left to chance, from the menus to the tableware created specifically for the restaurant – my desire is to bring all the service home.
At the helm of the restaurant we found Karime Lopez, a Mexican woman with qualities that assure us that here we won’t be in a restaurant without a chef or soul. Her career has taken her around the world, from working alongside Santi Santamaria to Noma, passing through Mugaritz, Ryugin, Pujol and, of course, Osteria Francesca, and this is a little of what we will find in her Tuscan-influenced menu, where there is no shortage of space for some of her creations.
gougères
Already installed whe started with some great gougères to whet the appetite, where the umami notes from the tomato dust made a big upgrade to this small delicacy.
Salumi – Culatello, spalla cotta, mortadella, stroighino
One of those cured meat selections which are impossible to resist. Product carefully selected, well cuted, at room temperature and accompanied by a great choice of breads, especially the long and addictive grissinos. A start without creativity as expected, but with a lot of flavor and demonstrating very well what osteria is all about.
Pollock – ricotta, chard, tomato and pepper
The technique that immortalized Pollock and the combinations of colors and arrangements that have always been surprising in Bottura’s dishes, here in a ricotta and chard ravioli topped with sauces from the remaining vegetables and a little bechamel to connect all the elements. Beautiful and tasty.
Tortellini in parmigiano reggiano cream
A chef’s signature classic, and perhaps the most traditional of the dishes on the menu. Perfect pasta, good filling and rich sauce, sumptuous but at the same time delicate. One of those dishes that we can simply eat every day without getting tired.
Vieni in Sicilia con Me – risotto, tomato and red prawn
Probably the best and most well-executed dish of the night on par with the tortellinis. Impeccable risotto, creamy and al dente without excesses, good quality prawns, served raw, as required by the rules. All enhanced with the notes of tomato and herbs powder.
Can they make all the risottos around the world like this one?
Emilia Burger – chianina, cotechino, parmigiano reggiano, salsa verde and balsamic mayo
Burger made by combining chianina with cotechino sausage, accompanied by different sauces and brioche bread. Good and delicate burger, but it still doesn’t bring us the happiness of a simple burger like Curb’s (those who follow us on instagram know what I mean).
Purple rain
Desserts bring maximum elegance to the table, or weren’t we in a haute couture house. Lavender mousse and ice cream combined with different coconut textures. Fresh, light, delicate and flavored as you would expect from a good dessert.
Charley’s Sandwich
A dessert created for Charley, Massimo’s son, that changes with the seasons. Here in a typical ice cream sandwich, elevated to stardom. Hazelnut and chocolate in different textures, a hint of gold and voila. It was enough to eat…
Installed with a small group of friends in the private room, the service was exemplary, always present when necessary and with the professionalism expected from the connection of “two luxury brands”.
Final Remarks
Unlike many restaurants with the signature of star chefs that limit themselves to giving the face and signing of the menu, almost always lacking the soul and pulse, here you can breathe the world of Bottura and some of his most classic recipes such as tortellinis, but the The kitchen is from Karime Lopez, who, with her peculiar way of combining textures and giving elegance to culinary traditions that are not hers, makes this Osteria Gucci much more than a branch. It is a valid restaurant in its own right, so valid that in just over a year it won its first Michelin star and spread around the world with new restaurants in the USA and Japan.
Obviously the combination of Bottura and Gucci comes at a price, so you can’t expect a cheap meal like in many of the great Florentine classics, but it’s far from just another space to see and be seen. Here the gastronomic combination and the fashionista side are made in harmony, satisfying everyone equally, even the gastronome with the soul of Anton Ego.
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Osteria Gucci
Prices from 75€ – (whitout wines)
P.za della Signoria, 10 – Firenze
+39 055 062 1744
Photos: Flavors & Senses and *D.R.
