It is time to do as the Romans would and take you down the culinary roads of the eternal city. My stay in Rome this summer was quite a treat. Our neighborhood, Trastevere, was the prime place to escape from the tourist sites and enable us to live like a local. Drew and I loved cooking in our kitchen and shopping in the fresh market, Campo de' Fiori. On days dedicated to exploring, we hunted for affordable trattorias and found some great gems! We encountered that every menu had basic specialty dishes such as bucatini all'amatriciana, cacio e pepe, spaghetti alla carbonara and gnocchi alla Romana. It turns out that we made a better amatriciana sauce at home, with some tips given to us by the local butcher (the key is spicy guanciale). In my opinion, it is best to only have carbonara when they serve it with homemade pasta and gnocchi is best eaten on Thursdays when it is made fresh. Pizza is always the perfect, never disappointing meal, after a long day of walking. And although, I love the traditional dishes, my favorite meal was the Zucca di Risotto (pumpkin risotto) from a Calabrian trattoria. Drew and I stumbled upon La Zucca Gialla, just behind Piazza Navona, on Via del Governo Vecchio. We were hooked on the melanzane (eggplant) croquettes and the pumpkin dishes. The risotto
was creamy, flavorful and al dente - simple yet out of this world! The portion was just enough and the flavors melted in your mouth so much, that we craved it every few days. All jokes aside, we wound up eating here 3 more times! We never could seem to get away from ordering the same dish, but we did cheat and bring guests to try their meals. All in all, we had the melanzane croquette, the pumpkin risotto, the pumpkin ravioli (the risotto was better), the spaghetti alla vongole, maccheroncelli pasta served with spicy black olive and cuttlefish sauce, the rice croquette and the gnocchi. Everything was delightful and after stuffing ourselves, we wandered over to Piazza Navona to watch the street performers finish off the evening. Rome has so much to offer both historically and culinary and no matter how long one stays it is impossible to see it all.My Best of Rome List:
Location: Piazza Sforza Cesarini 25, 00186 Roma
(main road is Corso Vittorio Emmauel Due on the left side if heading toward the Vatican)
Recommendation: Prosciutto Crudo with Melon, Mussels, Clams, Risotto stuffed Pomodoro, Penne alla Vodka and my favorite Paglia e Fieno alla Papalina (fresh yellow and green pasta with a mushroom and pea cream sauce)
Location: Vicolo della Cancelleria 4, 00186 Roma
(near Piazza Navona)
Recommendation: Zucca di Risotto (pumpkin risotto)
Location: Santa Barbara Largo dei Librari 88, 00186 Roma (066 864018) (Campo de' Fiori)
Recommendation: Don't sit and eat - walk to the back where the kitchen is and order the fried bacala to go. They will wrap it in paper and send you off with a hot filet.
Location: I think it is on Via dei Baullari just off of Campo de' Fiori (Melissa is standing in front of it)
Recommendation: Hot Pressed Panini with Prosciutto Crudo and Fresh Mozzarella
Location: Viale di Trastevere 53, 00153 Roma (06 5800919)
Recommendation: Pizza with topped with Arugula
Location: Via di San Francesco a Ripa 158, 00153 Roma
(06 5817082) (Trastevere)
Recommendation: Pizza Margherita
Location: Vicolo del Bologna 45, 00153 Roma (06 5880516) (Trastevere)
Recommendation: Pizza with Fresh Mozzarella
Location: Via degli Orfani 84, 00186 Roma (Pantheon)
Recommendation: Granita di Caffe con Panna
Others:
Bir and Fud
Location: Via Benedetta 23 00153 Roma (06 5894016) (Trastevere)
Recommendation: Escape Italian cuisine and order a micro brewed beer and homemade potato chips
La Taverna de' Mercanti
Location: Piazza de' Mercanti' 3a. 06/5880449 (Trastevere)Recommendation: Splurge for expensive authentic Roman Cuisine with rustic ambiance
Gelato Wars (Drew vs Marni)
Drew and I have had the biggest debate over gelaterias in Rome. In fact, Drew is so loyal to his gelateria that we had to go there, every night we were in Rome, in 2006. The ONE time I wanted to try a different place (earlier in the day) he told his gelateria that I wasn't loyal and cheated on them! Drew's favorite:
Location: Via Giustiniari Next to the Supermarket Desparo near the Pantheon
Flavors: Coffee and Pistachio
(I must admit, the limone is delicious and Alessandro and his mom make you feel like you are part of the family)
Marni's favorite:
Location: Via Cola di Rienzo (Shopping Street not too far from Vatican)
Favorite Flavors: Chocolate & Frutti di Bosco (has seeds)
You can never really go wrong with Giolitti - but it is a tourist trap.
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