Tartare di Manzo con Burro al Tè

Beef tartare, a classic preparation of finely chopped raw beef, is given an elegant northern European inflection in the dish Tartare di Manzo con Burro al Tè. The version served at **Nineteen18** in Vilnius, Lithuania, was notably praised by the critic *Piattoriccomicificco*, who highlighted the unexpected depth that tea-infused butter brings to the plate. The dish starts with high-quality, hand-cut beef—typically tenderloin—seasoned with the usual tartare accompaniments such as capers, shallots, and Worcestershire or mustard. What distinguishes a great execution of this dish is the balance between the meat’s clean, mineral flavor and the fragrant, umami notes of the **burro al tè** (tea butter). The butter is made by steeping a high-grade loose-leaf tea—often Earl Grey or a smoked black tea—in warm melted butter, then chilling it back to a spreadable consistency. This compound butter is either folded into the tartare or served alongside, allowing diners to blend the two components themselves. A top-tier version will have the tea’s floral or smoky character present but never overwhelming; the butter should coat the beef luxuriously without turning greasy. While the tea-butter concept is increasingly used in modern European cuisine (sometimes appearing with raw fish or seared scallops), this beef tartare variant is predominantly associated with contemporary Baltic fine-dining. Outside Vilnius, one might encounter similar dishes substituting green tea or lapsang souchong, but the Nineteen18 interpretation remains a local benchmark for the combination.