The World's Best Waiter

The food in Tuscany is wonderful. I have visited many good restaurants with great food and walked away feeling as if my money was not well spent. In Europe, many good establishments make the dining experience complete with staff that is well- trained. Placing your taste buds in the hands of these experts is a joy. The waiter we had in Certaldo was in a class by himself.

As a tourist attraction, Certaldo is not a must-see like San Gimignano just down the road. Unlike Rome, none of the local attractions in Certaldo, of which there are few, has its view blocked by tourists. It is a sleepy town where the older gentlemen and women sit segregated in the town square chatting in the cool evenings. One of the more interesting things we did was go to the grocery store.

We ventured into the town on May 3, 2006, looking for a place to eat. Like a dog sniffing for the scent of a rabbit, we zigged and zagged from one street to the other. Finally we settled on La Saletta di Dolci Follie, which is translated into English as The Room of Sweet Madnesses.

In fact, it wasn’t the restaurant at all that attracted us. It was the gelato next to the assorted chocolates and candy that we figured we could enjoy after our meal. That was before Gianpiero cast his spell on us.

As we entered the restaurant, it felt as if a rainbow appeared where he had swept his hand to show us where to sit. Even there weren’t many patrons, which is usually a bad sign, he made us feel as if fate had brought us to the place and that this table had been reserved for this special moment in time for us.

After a few minutes of looking at a menu, he arrived like the first sunshine in spring, smiling as if we were making his day better. He asked us for our choices of menu.

Although it is polite for the man to let the woman to make the first selection, experience has taught me that my wife will delay making a final selection until it is absolutely necessary. As long as I have my selection to make, she can be like a dog circling round and round for ages before he finally plops down.

My choice was greeted with an assurance that would compare with somebody telling me that I need not worry. I was going to win the lottery.

It was Marie’s turn. She asked Gianpiero’s advice. She had narrowed it down to two dishes. Like a merchant delicately weighing gold on a scale, he extolled the merits of one item. For the other, he simply put his fingers to his thumb and then to his lips and said that his mother was the chef and made the best in all of Tuscany. It was as if Marie had hit the jackpot on a slot machine in Monte Carlo and the coins were spilling out. How could she turn down something that caused Gianpiero’s eyes to light up with the added attraction of a slight tear that seemed to form when he mentioned his mama?

Marie and I chatted about our event-filled day. Suddenly, it was as if the clouds were parting and our meals arrived on a shaft of sunlight.

And it was one of the tastiest meals I have ever had. What did we eat? I haven’t the foggiest idea. You see, while the food was certainly scrumptious, it was the theatre that accompanied the meal that I remember the most.

One day, I hope to return to La Saletta di Dolci Follie and taste some more sweet madness. Yes, I want to learn more madness from a clever man who knows that good food in a restaurant is not the only product that is sold. If you can convince the customers that they are the wisest people on earth, you have made the experience complete.