Legend dictates that you can prepare eggs 100 different ways. After tasting 25-year-old Chef Mirco Malevolti’s dishes on Nu Ovo’s pre-opening night (October 17), I wanted to agree. Yet, owner Pierfrancesco Pozzi knows that only eight methods currently exist, which encourages his yolkiest daydreams.
Nu Ovo’s thorough consideration of eggs allows its chef to tweak traditional Italian dishes with contemporary stylings. From 12:30 to 3:30pm Tuesday through Sunday, visitors can taste eggs prepared in ways unthought-of before. The “bites,” all for under 3 euro, showcase exquisite textures. The Panfrittatino’s (2.50 euro) spongy omelet with melty vegetables compliment a thin, grain-laden roll. Likewise, the Tonno del Chianti (2.90 euro), a classic marinated pork dish, oozes with a week’s worth of unctuous extra-virgin olive oil, flattering a starchy chickpea puree. The 9.90-euro Chef’s Carbonara arrives in near-routine style with crispy pancetta and parmesan, but with a poached egg at center. Crack the egg and watch it coat the spaghetti in a gooey, viscous sauce—a unique modification to the pasta’s customary sauce. In an eggshell (my apologies), Malevolti maintains the dignity of the ingredients through patient cookery and skilled gastronomy.
Like the food, the restaurant itself weaves cosmopolitan style with 16th-century Art Nouveau. The vaulted ceiling, adorned with Galileo Chini’s frescoes, compliments modern furnishings, from circle chain curtains and sleek lighting to wood and forest shades.
Nu Ovo’s name says it all. Yes, the subtitle is cheesy, “A lovely eggsperience,” but it’s also true. Try Nu Ovo, and hurry: the food is so “egg-citing” that the 15-euro price bracket may not “runny” on for much longer.
Via del Proconsolo, 3, Florence
www.nuovorestaurant.it
