The Fat Tuscan
Its tempting name and its rave reviews sent me running to The Fat Tuscan in the northern part of downtown Gainesville on Northeast 1st Street, close to the shabby chic Bed & Breakfast District. One Gainesville Sun writer described the upscale version of mom’s grilled cheese as the best (and only) he’d had in decades. So I gathered a crew of friends to join me at this historic house specializing in lunch.
The deep wood floors and warmly painted walls suggested the home-turned-restaurant was owned by Martha Stewart herself. Girlfriends and older couples lounged in chairs while sipping bold French press.
Our high-top table in what would have been the living room if this vintage house were a home had hard, wood chairs instead of cushioned ones. The two-sided menu is limited, but the salads, sandwiches and specialty soups choices only get better as the list goes on. Tropical salads with grilled Florida shrimp, macadamia nuts and toasted coconut don’t even begin to deter from the prosciutto, pear and brie on ciabatta or the Formage a Trois Panini with gruyere, fontina, brie, roasted tomato, sautéed shallots and balsamic reduction.
With eyes bigger than our stomachs and our mouths salivating, we ordered sandwiches.
Only one in my party got the side of the day: potato salad. The rest of us were given a mini salad as a substitute, and taste of the sandwiches was average at best. For a place that specializes in lunch, the white bread (supposedly Panini bread) may as well have been Wonder bread, the eggplant in the vegetable sandwich was hard and the pear slices were thinner than a fingernail. For $9 a sandwich, I felt cheated. The fancy grilled cheese could have been made in my skillet at home.
Dessert on the counter made my still-hungry stomach grumble, so the waitress brought our table chocolate brownies. As promised, they were rich and crumbly, and quelled my sweet tooth.
Friday nights on the eatery’s veranda with dimly twinkling with Christmas lights seem more promising than Fat Tuscan’s lunch. Jars of sangria and appetizers from 5 to 8:30 p.m. are a charming way to begin a romantic night, but be sure to make reservations elsewhere for a later dinner. No dinner menu is available, as The Fat Tuscan only serves a fix-price dinner occasionally.
While The Fat Tuscan won’t leave fat from the tiny portions at lunchtime, the desserts might get ya.
My end of the date rate the plate: Worth a single fork, maybe two.
Gainesville, FL (352) 505-5648
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