Osteria dell'Acquacheta, A Real Tuscan Steak Place

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Above: Osteria dell'Acquacheta's owner Giulio Ciolfi hacks through a slab of meat.

Just got back from Italy yesterday so I'll be posting the rest of the photos from the trip daily for the next few days.

I thought I'd try my hand at a little food photography, and no better place to do it than a restaurant in Montepulciano called Osteria dell'Acquacheta. The word osteria in Italian means an informal type of restaurant where you can find simple service but great food, and that is exactly what Acquacheta is. The restaurant is known primarily for its Tuscan Steak, which is hormone free and humanely raised. Besides the food itself, part of the restaurant's allure is that you can watch its owner Giulio Ciolfi, who looks like a David Carradine and George Carlin hybrid, hack his way through huge slices of beef, eventually bringing your bounty table side to show you before it is cooked. Needless to say, the meat is cooked very rare, with olive oil, salt and pepper.

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There is this other amazing food that I discovered in Tuscany called Pici, or Pinci, depending on what area you are in. By far my favorite Tuscan meal, Pici is a very thick and chewy spaghetti in very long strands that is always served al dente and usually with a fresh tomato or garlic sauce. Pici's claim to fame is that it is the largest type of pasta there is without a whole in the middle.

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