Top Chef. It’s one of my guilty pleasures. Any food show is, naturally. Celeb chef cooking shows on Food Network, Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations, Adam Richman’s Man v. Food, Gordan Ramsay’s The F-Word, Kitchen Nightmares and Hell’s Kitchen. So, yes…I enjoy watching chefs from every level and every walk of life duke it out on Top Chef as much as the next person.
And that was how I found Fabio Viviani. First seen on Top Chef: Season 5 – New York, Viviani was one of my personal favorites to cheer for. He ended up in the top four before being cast off, but he returned and won fan favorite. Anyone who watched would understand why. So, when I was making plans with my friends for a good place to eat Saturday afternoon, we all agreed that Viviani’s restaurant in Moorpark, California, Cafe Firenze, would be an ideal place to dine.
We arrived for our reservation right when the restaurant opened. We were seated in a booth in the back, where I had a fine view of the kitchen, which only added to my excitement. We settled in with water and perused the menu for a moment. I already had an idea of what I wanted, but an appetizer was in question. We decided to split an order of Steamed Mussels in a White Wine Broth with Crostino. This was one of my friend’s first experience with mussels…and now she is addicted to them. If a restaurant has them…she wants them. But nothing has equaled Cafe Firenze’s version. Especially with the sauce they were served in. Light, but full of flavor. It was the perfect compliment to the seafood bite of the mussels. In fact, I think my three friends set themselves to mopping up every bit of that sauce with the complimentary bread that had been brought to the table.
The entrees were next. And each of us ordered something different. Tawn ordered the Fettuccini Four Cheese and Sausage; Indy ordered the Penne alla Vodka, Cathy won the prize for best deal with her “personal” Margherita Pizza, which was the size of a regular pizza pan; and I got the Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce and Fresh Ricotta. We had good conversation and good photo ops while we awaited our food. And I had the chance to watch the chefs in the kitchen prepare each meal from scratch…including the pasta. Yes…I loved where we were seated!
When our meals arrived, none of us were disappointed. Cathy indulged in every bite of her pizza. Indy’s penne was cooked to perfection and the sauce was amazing. Tawn enjoyed her fettuccini so much, she swore she saw Jesus in her plate. And as for me…the gnocchi was out of this world. Soft, delicate, and served with a sauce that was packed with bold flavor. The ricotta was the perfect match to the sweet tomato sauce. It was topped off with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, which only served to enhance the dish. I savored each bite and shared it with my friends. Just awesome food. Fresh, delicious, and made to order. It doesn’t get better than that.
After we polished off our meals, we allowed food to settle. Tawn, Indy and I settled in for a round of cappuccinos. Interesting thing about this cappuccino was that the longer it sit, the more delicious it was. All three of us noticed that, so we didn’t down it quickly. We sipped it slowly, discussing desserts. And just in time too…as the dessert menu was brought out to us.
Once again, we all decided to get something different. Tawn ordered the Tiramisu; Indy ordered the Panna Cotta; Cathy got her usual at Italian restaurants, the Cannoli; as for me…I went with the gluten-free option: the Flourless Chocolate Cake.
As we waited for our desserts we were blessed with an even better surprise. Fabio Viviani was in the restaurant. He had the day off, but had stopped in and delivered our desserts to us. What an amazing surprise. The best moment of the entire time at the restaurant was when he came around that corner and all four of us blinked up at him and in the girliest tone all said, in unison: “FABIO!” It was…epic! He was very nice, asking how we enjoyed our meals and being kind enough to take pictures with us. We eventually let him get back to what he was doing, but it was the topper of the day. Honestly! I was floating on a Foodie Cloud Nine. Meeting a chef hero…cross that one off the bucket list!
Desserts were now in front of us, and I managed to come down from my chef high and take my first bite of the chocolate cake. It was moist and rich, melting against my tongue. It was topped with a vanilla gelato with chocolate sauce and coffee cream. Yes…it was as amazing as it sounds. It was completely different texture and taste from the flourless cake I had at Nobu in Vegas. But this stood on its own. The flavors came alive in my mouth, every bit of chocolate, vanilla, and coffee meshing in perfect harmony and drawing me into another heavenly food coma. If gluten-free desserts meant more flourless chocolate cakes like this, then I’m one happy allergic foodie. I still dream of this dessert.
Cafe Firenze was at a level all its own. The Italian ambiance was authentic. The food was beyond all expectations. The desserts were one step closer to heaven. And the opportunity to meet Fabio Viviani topped off the experience. Nothing could ever compare to this level of Italian goodness outside of Italy itself. Then again, Fabio hails from Florence, Italy. If the food was anything but authentic, I would have been disappointed. This isn’t a Buca di Beppo or Olive Garden. This is a state of Italy in California. And oh…it tastes so good!
The Celiathlete 