Trattoria Sostanza

I have eaten in a lot of dining rooms that try this hard. Trattoria Sostanza is one of the few that pulls it off without looking like it is trying.

The room is exactly what you want it to be: marble counters, white-tile walls. We were seated near the back, given menus we hardly needed, and brought a small bowl of olives without being asked.

We started with bone marrow with a small salad of capers and parsley, which set the tone — generous, unfussy, and confident enough not to crowd what was coming. With it we ordered a quiet Brunello from the back of the list, and were glad of both.

Then the main event: bistecca, the dish that puts Trattoria Sostanza on every short list. Cut through it and you found that deep, beefy, almost iron-tasting interior that only comes from time and dry air. The signature touch — petto di pollo al burro after — yes, after the steak — is not a gimmick; it is the reason to come.

For sides we asked for potato gratin with a dark crust and asparagus with hollandaise. Both arrived hot, both arrived early, both were exactly large enough to overdo it. We overdid it.

Dessert was tiramisu, just barely too much, mostly because the waiter raised an eyebrow when we hesitated. He was right to.

It is not cheap. It is, in this case, worth it.