It was at Ristorante Capo Nord, a humble trattoria in Tuscany, that owner Attilio Adriani and executive chef Danilo Ferrara served me my best meal of 2020. This is saying a lot, given the restaurants I’ve been frequenting on my road trips and travels through Holland, Belgium, Paris, and Italy.

Over the last few decades, I’ve traveled the world to sit at tables at the World’s 50 Best restaurants. I have begged, pleaded, called in chits, and tucked into $1,000 meals that left me happy. 

But no other experience has left me as ecstatic as the starter dish of calzoncelli all' uovo ripieni di burrata un astice, which was presented as a piece of edible art. The ravioli-like dumplings were stuffed with creamy burrata and the sauce was rich with reduced broth and herbs. 

A second starter, spaghettoni artigianali Mancini, a large, tubular pasta bathed in a fish sauce, melted in the mouth. The main course was fish, so fresh it was caught a few hours before in the sea beside us. It was meaty, tender, a whole new species of food, so original in its preparation, texture, and flavor. The side salad and dessert each held their own in such vaunted surroundings.

It is a bit of a trek to take a ferry to the Elba Island and drive to Marciana Marina—and the restaurant is seasonal—but if you are in search of an exquisite meal, Capo Nord is worth a pilgrimage.