1st Degree of Encounter with Cesare Casella - Maremma

Bitter cold day in December. Connie had just got back from an overseas business trip and I was exhausted from Xmas shopping on line without spousal help. Authentic Tuscan fare feels like a distant memory from our trip back in Oct to Italy. We were in need of some good comfort food and decided to try out Maremma. I had not been big on Italian, the Italy trip changed me. Pasta cooked to perfection and divine but simple Ragu that are to die for and many other simple & slow food totally changed my view on real Italian food.

Chef Cesare Casella is the dean of Italian studies at the FCI. He is the Italian version of Andre Soltner or Jacques Pepin as they are to French. After a successful Beppe, he started Maremma in Greenwich village, paying homage to his town in Tuscany. With today's celebrity chef craze, I was surprised to find Chef Casella, who was dressed in an ironchef-esque outfit with a big batch of fresh rosemary sticking out of his chest pocket, greet us by the front desk and seated us to a cozy table in the back corner. Apparently he still cooks in his own kitchen and deals with day to day business.
While sipping a nice bottle of 04' Morellino di Scansano, we started with Pontormo and Sloppy Giuseppe. Pontormo was a house specialty, a warm mixed green salad tossed with pancetta and scrambled eggs. It was tasty, but probably not a repeat item for us. Sloppy Giuseppe, on the other hand, was out of this world. Braised oxtail off the bone, served on toasted crusty Italian bread. We then split a Pappardelle with chocolate Cinghiale (wild boar) ragu. It definitely reminded us of the same dish we had in Florence, except the pasta is not as 'al dente' as the Italian one. Wild Boar Ragu was to die for in the winter time. These Tuscans just know how to do their meat right! Connie had the short rib afterwards and my Tuscan Steak is no Biscetta ala Fiorentina, but it was quite good. We finished with a light Panna Cotta that really hit the spot.

Reliable Italian, but nothing spectacular. One thing worth noting was that Chef Casella came out of the kitchen and check on us between the pasta course and the main courses. I thought that was nice touch. (he didn't check on other tables near us)



6.5/10 in my book.