Way off the beaten track in Plymouth, Michigan right on the border of Livonia is La Bistecca (Italian for The Steak). It really is off the map, because as they say “you can’t get there from here.” It is a very elegant restaurant, basically one big dining room with a small piano and cigar bar in the back. Just like in the good old days, one could even enjoy a cigar there, which seems like another era and another lifestyle and age. Even the background music evokes another time with the likes of Sinatra, Martin and Bennett.
The restaurant specializes in Piedmonts beef, which is considered “heart smart” with it being a leaner beef still with the marbling and taste one would expect from a fine steak house. The meat is even endorsed by the American Heart Association.
They have excellent hot and cold appetizers, seafood, chicken, pasta and of course the beef that is their name. We have been there many times with different friends and always enjoyed a fine dinner. One night, I had eaten steaks a couple times that week, and I felt like something different and I ordered their “free-range” chicken dinner. I took one bite, marveled at the taste and I had to pass the plate around for everyone else to taste, it was that good. When the plate got back to me, I had to ask the waiter if they could rush me another chicken as it must have flown away, actually everybody couldn’t get over how wonderful this simple plate was.
The wine list is extensive and not only devoted to Italy, but also Australia, Spain, South America and Michigan. Some of the wines are even offered in multiple vintages. They also have a reserve wine list for that special occasion. This extensive wine list has brought them a Wine Spectator award of Excellence. One night we enjoyed one of the famed Super Tuscan wines Ornellaia 2001. This was a magnificent wine, to describe it simply it is an Italian Bordeaux wine. It is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc that is almost aged for three years before bottling. It is truly a wine crafter’s artistry that shines in the glass. You can appreciate the fruit, the tannins are balanced and have almost silkiness, and it is that smooth. Even the aftertaste continues to charm you. Try this wine, if you ever get a chance.
