Rome Restaurant Recognizance
Dec 17th, 2012, 03:57 PM
#44
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Cynstalker...vinoroma is wiorth it! I learned about them from LowCountryIslander and went to their Sparkling wine tasting back in September. First, our tasting at 5pm did not include food (except bread). But, the glasses poured were pretty full and you could have more if your favorite at the end. We had a great time and they are incredibly knowledgable. I think they are head and shoulders above the average tasting and we would go back in heartbeat! Don't miss out.
Dec 17th, 2012, 06:43 PM
#45
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Denise...the Mandarino was excellent and of course after having it, I was on a mission to try and find a bottle of it. I checked several shops near our hotel but no luck. I thought it would probably be at Eataly, but we never made it back over there...always a reason to return! 
willowjane...thanks for continuing to follow along, I hope my information will be helpful to you.
And now for...
Monday, November 26th
This was a day we were really looking forward to, we were meeting Elizabeth Minchilli ( http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/ ) to do the “Insider’s Food Tour of Campo dei Fiori. We’ve been in this area of Rome a lot over the last 5 years, but many of the places Elizabeth took us to we had never seen.
We had absolutely the perfect weather for a walking food tour, it was sunny and clear and just a little cool, but not cold at all. It was like the type of day you see in a picture postcard.
We were to meet Elizabeth at 10:30am and we were slightly delayed leaving our hotel because many of the other guests were checking out and the little elevator could only hold so many people and luggage. I walked down to the lobby from the third floor, but mom persevered waiting for the elevator. Once we left the hotel we “high-tailed” it to Campo dei Fiori and there was Elizabeth waiting for us, we were only a couple minutes late.
We started with a cappuccino in a truly “old school” coffee shop chatting with Elizabeth about, what else? Rome and food! Once we were properly caffeinated we were off to poke around all the vendors in the market. Elizabeth pointed out all the different varieties of fruits and vegetables on display and giving us a history of the market and the area.
Once we had the history of the area in place, we then started on our “gathering mission”. The next stop was at Al Forno for fresh pizza bianca, then down the street for fresh cheese. We had 4 types of cheeses, cow mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, buffalo ricotta and buratta. With our pizza bianca and cheeses in hand, we walked around the corner to a local bar where we could sit and sample the scrumptious morsels we had just gathered along with 3 different types of aperitivo drinks (I have a new love for the Aperol Spritz!). The pizza bianca was still warm and tasty, but the cheeses were out of this world good. They were creamy and delicious, but the buffalo ricotta was luscious and the buratta was a very close second. Who ever thought of wrapping cheese inside of cheese was a genius! If you have never had buratta, or don’t know what it is check out this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrata
Now our appetites were really getting stimulated and we are wondering what’s next? Well, now that we had cheese, how could we not have salumi? We walked back to Campo dei Fiori and into Antica Norcineria Viola (at Piazza Campo dei Fiori, 43). As we step inside mom and I look at each other and say, “How could we have passed this place all those times and never come in?”. From the ceiling hung every conceivable type of tasty pig product. We were in love with this place. The shop owner prepared a sample tray of what had to be at least 8 different types of salumi. There was such variety, some had fennel flavor, some were flavored with Barolo wine, and the prosciutto was silky smooth. We were having an incredible taste test! And of course there was red wine to wash it all down.
Before we knew it, we were off to another bakery, Roscioli, for more pizza bianca, which we have to admit we liked even better than the pizza bianca at Al Forno. With our pizza in hand (well, really it was in a bag in our hands) we walked about a block to the enoteca called Il Vinaietto located at Via del Monte della Farina, 38. This place definitely has some character, or maybe characters is a better word. What other wine bar could we walk into were a shepard comes to drop off farm made cheese to our tour guide!
The great thing about this place is you can bring in your pizza bianca, order a glass of wine and sit down for a nice little lunch break. The shop is packed floor to ceiling with wine; you can buy a bottle or two or stop to enjoy a glass of wine or two. The owner was a terrifically friendly lady and when she saw we had pizza bianca she recommended a great lambrusco wine from the Emilia Romagna region. We hadn’t had lambrusco that good since our 2010 trip to Bologna!
As if all this food wasn’t enough, we still had not had lunch! We left Il Vinaietto and walked to the Jewish Ghetto to a trattoria called Sora Margherita at 30 Piazza delle Cinque Scole. When I describe this place as a “hole in the wall” I am not joking, it’s tiny and every table was full of happy diners (always a good sign!). We enjoyed more Roman specialties here included fried artichokes, a bitter green vegetable side dish, I can’t remember the name of, but mom loved, fried zucchini, which was my favorite and then the most unique version of cacio e pepe I’ve ever had. The cacio e pepe here is served with a dollop of ricotta cheese on top, it was very good but we were getting to our bursting point by now.
As we left Sora Margherita, we are thinking, “BASTA” (“ENOUGH”) but oh, no, gelato was the final stop of the day. We walked to Alberto Pica another “old school” type of shop, but the gelato here is pure heaven. This shop was a place in the neighborhood where residents went to get their milk and since they had milk there, they began making gelato. We tasted four flavors, which were pistachio, zabaglione, pear and rice. They were all wonderfully creamy and the pear (honest to goodness) tasted like we were eating a real pear (gotta love that!), but the rice gelato, oh, wow, the rice. It tasted like the best rice pudding you ever had.
The gelato stop was the perfect way to end an excellent food tour. We had a great time with Elizabeth, she is so friendly and easy-going, and at the end of the tour it was like saying good-bye to a long-time friend.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was just after 3pm and we were ready to pop, but this did not deter us. We took a rest for a while and then around 6:30pm went to the wine bar next to the hotel for aperitivo.
Believe it or not, we did actually have dinner reservations! Since we enjoyed our meal so much at Cesare al Casaletto on our arrival day, a few days later we made another reservation for this night, so off we went back on the #8 tram.
We had an incredibly warm greeting when we walked in the door and tonight there seemed to be even more families with children and tables filled with groups of older men and young couples.
Mom started with the pasta e fagioli soup, it was a huge portion and steaming hot. I had the buccatini alla carbonara and it was absolutely delicious, I was licking my lips. We probably should have stopped there, but we didn’t.
For our main dishes we heard really good things about the lamb chops here, so I ordered them fried and mom ordered them grilled. But there was a mix-up and mom ended up with the bacala special, which was actually better than my fried lamb chops, but when you’re expecting grilled lamb chops and get fish, it’s a bit disconcerting.
We rolled with the punches, I asked mom if she wanted me to call the server over and she declined, good thing she likes fish. My fried lamb chops looked great on the plate and although they were fried they were not greasy at all, they just didn’t have much flavor (at least not to me), they just tasted like fried meat. We did have a side order of perfectly grilled vegetables and a terrific red wine. The owner came to take our plates away and when he saw the mistake of the fish versus the grilled lamb chops he apologized profusely and offered to bring us a plate of the grilled the lamb chops, but we had such a food-filled day we politely declined his offer. After a couple espresso we paid the bill, which was €75 and toddled off to the tram laughing about the experience…yes, I really need to get more proficient in my Italian!
willowjane...thanks for continuing to follow along, I hope my information will be helpful to you.
And now for...
Monday, November 26th
This was a day we were really looking forward to, we were meeting Elizabeth Minchilli ( http://www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com/ ) to do the “Insider’s Food Tour of Campo dei Fiori. We’ve been in this area of Rome a lot over the last 5 years, but many of the places Elizabeth took us to we had never seen.
We had absolutely the perfect weather for a walking food tour, it was sunny and clear and just a little cool, but not cold at all. It was like the type of day you see in a picture postcard.
We were to meet Elizabeth at 10:30am and we were slightly delayed leaving our hotel because many of the other guests were checking out and the little elevator could only hold so many people and luggage. I walked down to the lobby from the third floor, but mom persevered waiting for the elevator. Once we left the hotel we “high-tailed” it to Campo dei Fiori and there was Elizabeth waiting for us, we were only a couple minutes late.
We started with a cappuccino in a truly “old school” coffee shop chatting with Elizabeth about, what else? Rome and food! Once we were properly caffeinated we were off to poke around all the vendors in the market. Elizabeth pointed out all the different varieties of fruits and vegetables on display and giving us a history of the market and the area.
Once we had the history of the area in place, we then started on our “gathering mission”. The next stop was at Al Forno for fresh pizza bianca, then down the street for fresh cheese. We had 4 types of cheeses, cow mozzarella, buffalo mozzarella, buffalo ricotta and buratta. With our pizza bianca and cheeses in hand, we walked around the corner to a local bar where we could sit and sample the scrumptious morsels we had just gathered along with 3 different types of aperitivo drinks (I have a new love for the Aperol Spritz!). The pizza bianca was still warm and tasty, but the cheeses were out of this world good. They were creamy and delicious, but the buffalo ricotta was luscious and the buratta was a very close second. Who ever thought of wrapping cheese inside of cheese was a genius! If you have never had buratta, or don’t know what it is check out this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burrata
Now our appetites were really getting stimulated and we are wondering what’s next? Well, now that we had cheese, how could we not have salumi? We walked back to Campo dei Fiori and into Antica Norcineria Viola (at Piazza Campo dei Fiori, 43). As we step inside mom and I look at each other and say, “How could we have passed this place all those times and never come in?”. From the ceiling hung every conceivable type of tasty pig product. We were in love with this place. The shop owner prepared a sample tray of what had to be at least 8 different types of salumi. There was such variety, some had fennel flavor, some were flavored with Barolo wine, and the prosciutto was silky smooth. We were having an incredible taste test! And of course there was red wine to wash it all down.
Before we knew it, we were off to another bakery, Roscioli, for more pizza bianca, which we have to admit we liked even better than the pizza bianca at Al Forno. With our pizza in hand (well, really it was in a bag in our hands) we walked about a block to the enoteca called Il Vinaietto located at Via del Monte della Farina, 38. This place definitely has some character, or maybe characters is a better word. What other wine bar could we walk into were a shepard comes to drop off farm made cheese to our tour guide!
The great thing about this place is you can bring in your pizza bianca, order a glass of wine and sit down for a nice little lunch break. The shop is packed floor to ceiling with wine; you can buy a bottle or two or stop to enjoy a glass of wine or two. The owner was a terrifically friendly lady and when she saw we had pizza bianca she recommended a great lambrusco wine from the Emilia Romagna region. We hadn’t had lambrusco that good since our 2010 trip to Bologna!
As if all this food wasn’t enough, we still had not had lunch! We left Il Vinaietto and walked to the Jewish Ghetto to a trattoria called Sora Margherita at 30 Piazza delle Cinque Scole. When I describe this place as a “hole in the wall” I am not joking, it’s tiny and every table was full of happy diners (always a good sign!). We enjoyed more Roman specialties here included fried artichokes, a bitter green vegetable side dish, I can’t remember the name of, but mom loved, fried zucchini, which was my favorite and then the most unique version of cacio e pepe I’ve ever had. The cacio e pepe here is served with a dollop of ricotta cheese on top, it was very good but we were getting to our bursting point by now.
As we left Sora Margherita, we are thinking, “BASTA” (“ENOUGH”) but oh, no, gelato was the final stop of the day. We walked to Alberto Pica another “old school” type of shop, but the gelato here is pure heaven. This shop was a place in the neighborhood where residents went to get their milk and since they had milk there, they began making gelato. We tasted four flavors, which were pistachio, zabaglione, pear and rice. They were all wonderfully creamy and the pear (honest to goodness) tasted like we were eating a real pear (gotta love that!), but the rice gelato, oh, wow, the rice. It tasted like the best rice pudding you ever had.
The gelato stop was the perfect way to end an excellent food tour. We had a great time with Elizabeth, she is so friendly and easy-going, and at the end of the tour it was like saying good-bye to a long-time friend.
By the time we got back to the hotel it was just after 3pm and we were ready to pop, but this did not deter us. We took a rest for a while and then around 6:30pm went to the wine bar next to the hotel for aperitivo.
Believe it or not, we did actually have dinner reservations! Since we enjoyed our meal so much at Cesare al Casaletto on our arrival day, a few days later we made another reservation for this night, so off we went back on the #8 tram.
We had an incredibly warm greeting when we walked in the door and tonight there seemed to be even more families with children and tables filled with groups of older men and young couples.
Mom started with the pasta e fagioli soup, it was a huge portion and steaming hot. I had the buccatini alla carbonara and it was absolutely delicious, I was licking my lips. We probably should have stopped there, but we didn’t.
For our main dishes we heard really good things about the lamb chops here, so I ordered them fried and mom ordered them grilled. But there was a mix-up and mom ended up with the bacala special, which was actually better than my fried lamb chops, but when you’re expecting grilled lamb chops and get fish, it’s a bit disconcerting.
We rolled with the punches, I asked mom if she wanted me to call the server over and she declined, good thing she likes fish. My fried lamb chops looked great on the plate and although they were fried they were not greasy at all, they just didn’t have much flavor (at least not to me), they just tasted like fried meat. We did have a side order of perfectly grilled vegetables and a terrific red wine. The owner came to take our plates away and when he saw the mistake of the fish versus the grilled lamb chops he apologized profusely and offered to bring us a plate of the grilled the lamb chops, but we had such a food-filled day we politely declined his offer. After a couple espresso we paid the bill, which was €75 and toddled off to the tram laughing about the experience…yes, I really need to get more proficient in my Italian!
Dec 17th, 2012, 07:02 PM
#46
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Great report! My Mum and I did the same tour with Elizabeth in June, except we went to different restaurant for lunch. We also preferred the piazza bianca from Roscioli.
We're going back next fall and we're planning another tour with Elizabeth and a tasting with Vinoroma.
We're going back next fall and we're planning another tour with Elizabeth and a tasting with Vinoroma.
Dec 17th, 2012, 07:06 PM
#47
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johnnyomalley...I remember in my March trip report you mentioned you were doing a tour with Elizabeth. If you enjoyed that I think you will also enjoy the tasting with VinoRoma. If you are on Twitter you may want to follow @Vinoroma...she tweets good wine information.
Dec 17th, 2012, 08:06 PM
#48
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All sounds fabulous! While I would love to do the food tour with Elizabeth after both your and denisea's reports, I'm already pushing my budget in so many places that I don't think I can swing it. Does anyone know of a self-guided food tour? Or have experience with the group tour calling Eating Italy (still pricey but not quite as bad)?
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/
Or any others? I love the idea of a neighborhood walk stopping in specialty food shops, but some guidance would be ideal. Thanks!
http://www.eatingitalyfoodtours.com/
Or any others? I love the idea of a neighborhood walk stopping in specialty food shops, but some guidance would be ideal. Thanks!
Dec 18th, 2012, 05:05 PM
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That pork store is insanely good....for us it was the highlight of our tour with her...but it was all so good!
And, the pork store returned the sunglasses I left there, so they are Rome favsfor us! It was great to revisit our tour with you...ours was a little different but remembering that burrata was wonderful!
And, the pork store returned the sunglasses I left there, so they are Rome favsfor us! It was great to revisit our tour with you...ours was a little different but remembering that burrata was wonderful!
Dec 18th, 2012, 07:26 PM
#51
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craze17...you may want to check out Context Tours. On one of our earlier trips to Rome we did a food walking tour with them.
Denise...we so wanted to buy some of the pork products there, but we were afraid they might be confiscated at customs upon returning home and didn't want to take that chance.
And now for...
Tuesday, November 27th
Even though there were clouds in the sky and intermittent rain sprinkles today was a day that will go down in our food memories for the rest of our lives. Today was the day we had a lunch reservation at Metamorfosi. Here is their website: http://metamorfosiroma.it/
I had read a lot about Metamorfosi on Katie Parla’s and Elizabeth Minchilli’s blogs. And on more than one occasion VinoRoma had spoken to me about having a meal here. They all gave this restaurant rave reviews. Just a few weeks prior to this trip the restaurant received its first (well deserved) Michelin star.
Mom was hesitant about booking a reservation here because of a previous (less than stellar) experience we had at another Michelin starred place in Paris. However, I was very keen on having a meal here. I knew VinoRoma (and Katie and Elizabeth) would not steer us wrong. In fact, along with following VinoRoma, Katie & Elizabeth on Twitter, I also began following the sous chef from Metamorfosi on Twitter and I was getting a feel for not only the type of food that was being produced at Metamorfosi, but also I was getting a feel for the kind of atmosphere we might find there.
About a week before our departure I visited the Metamorfosi website and noted they were also open for lunch. So, I posed the question to mom, “If you don’t want to have dinner there, what about lunch?” She knew I really wanted to try this place and she agreed to lunch. I quickly emailed the concierge at our hotel in Rome and asked if she would be kind enough to make one more restaurant reservation for me and she happily did so.
Not knowing exactly how long it would take us using the buses to get to Metamorfosi (located at Via Giovanni Antonelli, 30) in the Parioli neighborhood, we left the hotel just after 11:30am for a 1pm lunch reservation. The first bus we needed arrived at the bus stop pretty quickly and off we went. After about 6 stops, we got off and waited for the second bus. We had maybe a 10 minute wait for the second bus and hopped on it, just in time to get out of the rain that was starting. This second bus we had to ride for about 8 stops, but I was not at all familiar with this area, so I had to really pay attention. If no one on the bus requested a stop and no one was at the bus stop waiting the bus didn’t stop, so I had to keep an eye out the window looking at the bus stop signs not only to keep count, but to try and read the name of each stop.
Fortunately I had the foresight prior to the trip to not only check out the street address of the restaurant on Google Maps, but I also accessed Google Street View so that I knew what the street looked like and I also was able to see where the bus stop was on the street nearest the restaurant…yes, I am slightly anal retentive!
As we stepped off the bus at the correct stop, I looked at my watch and we were almost an hour early. Luckily there was a little kitchen store on the same street, so we killed about 20 minutes looking in the shop. At just around 12:30pm we walked to the restaurant’s front door.
As we approached the door there was a gentleman outside sweeping. I said hello and he greeted us. I said we had a lunch reservation, but were early and since there was no one else in the restaurant would it be ok, if we just waited outside. He smiled at us and said, “No, please come inside and wait.” We had every intention of waiting in the little vestibule area, but he seated us, and brought us some bottled water, I apologized for being so early, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
We sat down and settled in. Earlier in the morning I had tweeted to John, the sous chef, that we were looking forward to having lunch there and within minutes of us sitting down, he was at our table greeting us. He was extremely nice, welcoming us in, asking how we were. I again apologized for arriving well before our 1pm reservation, and said by using the buses; I wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get there. He completely understood. He mentioned that since the restaurant was in a rather residential area lunches tend to be “quiet”. Boy, he wasn’t kidding, we were the only ones in the restaurant for the entire 2 hours we were there.
The gentleman, who originally greeted us at the door, was actually the restaurant’s sommelier! He was absolutely terrific, explaining to us, in near perfect English, that his English was not very good. Ahhhh, if only I was as competent in my Italian as he was with English I would communicate much better in Italy! He started us off with glasses of the most divine French champagne we have ever had. I was remiss and didn’t get the name, or even a picture of the bottle for future reference, but for this girl who loves her bubbly it was exceptional.
The first “treat” brought to the table was the best bread I have ever had, seriously! This was spelt bread with olive oil cream, the presentation alone made me want to swoon, but when we took a bite of the bread with the cream slathered on it, we were in heaven. I will admit, I never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like, but the bread here is something out of this world. It is all made in house, by hand and John the sous chef is a master with bread. This spelt bread was merely the first of two bread “courses”. The second bread “basket” arrived with 3 different types of bread, all were crispy and tender at the same time. The basket included a classic baguette, a chestnut roll, which had a distinct and delicious flavor and lastly, what I would call a rolled bread with capers, which was the big hit for both mom and me. In order to not stuff ourselves silly with bread, but wanting to try them all, we split one of each between the two of us.
We decided to have the tasting menu called, Not Fish Not Meat, which was €60. The sommelier helped us select a wine to go with our meal. He gave us 3 recommendations to choose from and we went with a bottle of Italian sauvignon blanc.
The amuse bouche was a puree of potato with anchovies and fennel fronds. It tasted like liquid, silky smooth mashed potatoes. The first course was their version of spinach and mozzarella. This was an absolute work of art! There was a piece of olive bread topped with chopped tomatoes then a round piece of mozzarella which was then topped with a sheet of mozzarella and the finishing touch was when the server sprinkled frozen, crystallized spinach power on top. Wow! What a dish, it not only tasted great, it looked fantastic!
The next course was papparadelle with porcini mushrooms and smoked cheese. This was another knock-out dish; it was smoky and earthy and tasted like comfort food in a bowl. The vegetable course was a stuffed eggplant with mozzarella and red pepper cream. It looked so pretty on the plate and it was light and refreshing.
The dessert course was an apple and rhubarb cake with cardamom ice cream. It was the perfect finish, light and delicious and full of flavor. We ended the meal with 2 excellent espresso, and of course the post-dessert dessert plate of petit fours. This was an absolutely incredibly delicious meal and the service was excellent. As we were finishing our meal, mom looked me dead in the eyes from across the table and said, “This is the best meal I have ever had”. I have to admit, I was doing a little happy dance inside. It will not be difficult to “twist our arms” to go back to Metamorfosi on any future trip to Rome. The total cost of this meal was €160 the tasting menu was €60 per person and the wine was about €40.
We left the restaurant just before 3pm and I managed to get us back to the hotel via a variety of buses. We had several quiet, restful hours back at the hotel and by 6:30pm we were ready for aperitivo. It was rather drizzly outside so we wanted to find a place we could have a couple glasses of wine inside. Osteria dell’Ingegno located on Piazza della Pietra was just the place for us. We had found this place in March when we were looking for a light lunch, they have great salads here. The front area of the restaurant has smaller tables and a little bar area and they have a pretty diverse list of wines by the glass. And we gave the place bonus points for being just around the corner from our hotel.
When we went inside there were a couple tables already occupied and one of the things I noticed here was that although there were a few men, most of the other customers were groups of women doing exactly what mom and I were doing, having a glass of wine and chatting with each other. I found it interesting that for the location of this place, on a well-trodden tourist path between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, mom and I were the only English speakers inside. I was surprised but happy to see not one but two kinds of Franciacorta sparkling wines on the by-the-glass wine list. Although it was tempting to order the bubbly, we decided to go with a local frascati wine and at €5 per glass, we didn’t say no. In fact, most all of the by-the-glass wines were very reasonably priced.
After about an hour, it was time for us to hop on another bus and head towards the Monti neighborhood. This time our dinner destination was Trattoria Monti at Via San Vito, 15A. I have to give a “shout-out” thank you to Fodorite ekscrunchy because years ago, when I began doing Rome restaurant research (before I started following all these Rome bloggers!) she recommended this trattoria and it had been on my “go to” list for quite some time. I am very happy I finally got there!
We had an 8:30pm reservation and I am glad we did. By 9pm every table was full and they were turning people away and this was a Tuesday night! This place is definitely on the tourist radar. The food here is from the Marche region and the brothers that run this trattoria are just adorable and very kind. We were greeted warmly when we arrived and shown to a table. They presented us with English menus, but I asked for one in Italian too (like I always do, just so I can practice my language skills), I think this threw them for a bit of a loop, but they provided me with one.
I had heard so many enthusiastic recommendations for the red onion flan with gorgonzola sauce that is served here, that mom and both ordered one to start and we were not disappointed. In fact, we joked at the end of the meal that we were going to order 2 more portions of the red onion flan for our dessert! For our main dishes we both had the roasted pork with potatoes, which was recommended by our server. It was deliciously flavorful and tender. We also had a side dish of grilled radicchio, which was good, mom loved it, but it was a bit bitter for my liking. Our server recommended an excellent red wine from the Marche region to go with our meal and it was spot-on. We finished another excellent meal with 2 espresso, for a grand total of €89.
Denise...we so wanted to buy some of the pork products there, but we were afraid they might be confiscated at customs upon returning home and didn't want to take that chance.
And now for...
Tuesday, November 27th
Even though there were clouds in the sky and intermittent rain sprinkles today was a day that will go down in our food memories for the rest of our lives. Today was the day we had a lunch reservation at Metamorfosi. Here is their website: http://metamorfosiroma.it/
I had read a lot about Metamorfosi on Katie Parla’s and Elizabeth Minchilli’s blogs. And on more than one occasion VinoRoma had spoken to me about having a meal here. They all gave this restaurant rave reviews. Just a few weeks prior to this trip the restaurant received its first (well deserved) Michelin star.
Mom was hesitant about booking a reservation here because of a previous (less than stellar) experience we had at another Michelin starred place in Paris. However, I was very keen on having a meal here. I knew VinoRoma (and Katie and Elizabeth) would not steer us wrong. In fact, along with following VinoRoma, Katie & Elizabeth on Twitter, I also began following the sous chef from Metamorfosi on Twitter and I was getting a feel for not only the type of food that was being produced at Metamorfosi, but also I was getting a feel for the kind of atmosphere we might find there.
About a week before our departure I visited the Metamorfosi website and noted they were also open for lunch. So, I posed the question to mom, “If you don’t want to have dinner there, what about lunch?” She knew I really wanted to try this place and she agreed to lunch. I quickly emailed the concierge at our hotel in Rome and asked if she would be kind enough to make one more restaurant reservation for me and she happily did so.
Not knowing exactly how long it would take us using the buses to get to Metamorfosi (located at Via Giovanni Antonelli, 30) in the Parioli neighborhood, we left the hotel just after 11:30am for a 1pm lunch reservation. The first bus we needed arrived at the bus stop pretty quickly and off we went. After about 6 stops, we got off and waited for the second bus. We had maybe a 10 minute wait for the second bus and hopped on it, just in time to get out of the rain that was starting. This second bus we had to ride for about 8 stops, but I was not at all familiar with this area, so I had to really pay attention. If no one on the bus requested a stop and no one was at the bus stop waiting the bus didn’t stop, so I had to keep an eye out the window looking at the bus stop signs not only to keep count, but to try and read the name of each stop.
Fortunately I had the foresight prior to the trip to not only check out the street address of the restaurant on Google Maps, but I also accessed Google Street View so that I knew what the street looked like and I also was able to see where the bus stop was on the street nearest the restaurant…yes, I am slightly anal retentive!
As we stepped off the bus at the correct stop, I looked at my watch and we were almost an hour early. Luckily there was a little kitchen store on the same street, so we killed about 20 minutes looking in the shop. At just around 12:30pm we walked to the restaurant’s front door.
As we approached the door there was a gentleman outside sweeping. I said hello and he greeted us. I said we had a lunch reservation, but were early and since there was no one else in the restaurant would it be ok, if we just waited outside. He smiled at us and said, “No, please come inside and wait.” We had every intention of waiting in the little vestibule area, but he seated us, and brought us some bottled water, I apologized for being so early, but it didn’t seem to bother him.
We sat down and settled in. Earlier in the morning I had tweeted to John, the sous chef, that we were looking forward to having lunch there and within minutes of us sitting down, he was at our table greeting us. He was extremely nice, welcoming us in, asking how we were. I again apologized for arriving well before our 1pm reservation, and said by using the buses; I wasn’t sure how long it would take us to get there. He completely understood. He mentioned that since the restaurant was in a rather residential area lunches tend to be “quiet”. Boy, he wasn’t kidding, we were the only ones in the restaurant for the entire 2 hours we were there.
The gentleman, who originally greeted us at the door, was actually the restaurant’s sommelier! He was absolutely terrific, explaining to us, in near perfect English, that his English was not very good. Ahhhh, if only I was as competent in my Italian as he was with English I would communicate much better in Italy! He started us off with glasses of the most divine French champagne we have ever had. I was remiss and didn’t get the name, or even a picture of the bottle for future reference, but for this girl who loves her bubbly it was exceptional.
The first “treat” brought to the table was the best bread I have ever had, seriously! This was spelt bread with olive oil cream, the presentation alone made me want to swoon, but when we took a bite of the bread with the cream slathered on it, we were in heaven. I will admit, I never met a carbohydrate I didn’t like, but the bread here is something out of this world. It is all made in house, by hand and John the sous chef is a master with bread. This spelt bread was merely the first of two bread “courses”. The second bread “basket” arrived with 3 different types of bread, all were crispy and tender at the same time. The basket included a classic baguette, a chestnut roll, which had a distinct and delicious flavor and lastly, what I would call a rolled bread with capers, which was the big hit for both mom and me. In order to not stuff ourselves silly with bread, but wanting to try them all, we split one of each between the two of us.
We decided to have the tasting menu called, Not Fish Not Meat, which was €60. The sommelier helped us select a wine to go with our meal. He gave us 3 recommendations to choose from and we went with a bottle of Italian sauvignon blanc.
The amuse bouche was a puree of potato with anchovies and fennel fronds. It tasted like liquid, silky smooth mashed potatoes. The first course was their version of spinach and mozzarella. This was an absolute work of art! There was a piece of olive bread topped with chopped tomatoes then a round piece of mozzarella which was then topped with a sheet of mozzarella and the finishing touch was when the server sprinkled frozen, crystallized spinach power on top. Wow! What a dish, it not only tasted great, it looked fantastic!
The next course was papparadelle with porcini mushrooms and smoked cheese. This was another knock-out dish; it was smoky and earthy and tasted like comfort food in a bowl. The vegetable course was a stuffed eggplant with mozzarella and red pepper cream. It looked so pretty on the plate and it was light and refreshing.
The dessert course was an apple and rhubarb cake with cardamom ice cream. It was the perfect finish, light and delicious and full of flavor. We ended the meal with 2 excellent espresso, and of course the post-dessert dessert plate of petit fours. This was an absolutely incredibly delicious meal and the service was excellent. As we were finishing our meal, mom looked me dead in the eyes from across the table and said, “This is the best meal I have ever had”. I have to admit, I was doing a little happy dance inside. It will not be difficult to “twist our arms” to go back to Metamorfosi on any future trip to Rome. The total cost of this meal was €160 the tasting menu was €60 per person and the wine was about €40.
We left the restaurant just before 3pm and I managed to get us back to the hotel via a variety of buses. We had several quiet, restful hours back at the hotel and by 6:30pm we were ready for aperitivo. It was rather drizzly outside so we wanted to find a place we could have a couple glasses of wine inside. Osteria dell’Ingegno located on Piazza della Pietra was just the place for us. We had found this place in March when we were looking for a light lunch, they have great salads here. The front area of the restaurant has smaller tables and a little bar area and they have a pretty diverse list of wines by the glass. And we gave the place bonus points for being just around the corner from our hotel.
When we went inside there were a couple tables already occupied and one of the things I noticed here was that although there were a few men, most of the other customers were groups of women doing exactly what mom and I were doing, having a glass of wine and chatting with each other. I found it interesting that for the location of this place, on a well-trodden tourist path between the Pantheon and Trevi Fountain, mom and I were the only English speakers inside. I was surprised but happy to see not one but two kinds of Franciacorta sparkling wines on the by-the-glass wine list. Although it was tempting to order the bubbly, we decided to go with a local frascati wine and at €5 per glass, we didn’t say no. In fact, most all of the by-the-glass wines were very reasonably priced.
After about an hour, it was time for us to hop on another bus and head towards the Monti neighborhood. This time our dinner destination was Trattoria Monti at Via San Vito, 15A. I have to give a “shout-out” thank you to Fodorite ekscrunchy because years ago, when I began doing Rome restaurant research (before I started following all these Rome bloggers!) she recommended this trattoria and it had been on my “go to” list for quite some time. I am very happy I finally got there!
We had an 8:30pm reservation and I am glad we did. By 9pm every table was full and they were turning people away and this was a Tuesday night! This place is definitely on the tourist radar. The food here is from the Marche region and the brothers that run this trattoria are just adorable and very kind. We were greeted warmly when we arrived and shown to a table. They presented us with English menus, but I asked for one in Italian too (like I always do, just so I can practice my language skills), I think this threw them for a bit of a loop, but they provided me with one.
I had heard so many enthusiastic recommendations for the red onion flan with gorgonzola sauce that is served here, that mom and both ordered one to start and we were not disappointed. In fact, we joked at the end of the meal that we were going to order 2 more portions of the red onion flan for our dessert! For our main dishes we both had the roasted pork with potatoes, which was recommended by our server. It was deliciously flavorful and tender. We also had a side dish of grilled radicchio, which was good, mom loved it, but it was a bit bitter for my liking. Our server recommended an excellent red wine from the Marche region to go with our meal and it was spot-on. We finished another excellent meal with 2 espresso, for a grand total of €89.
Dec 19th, 2012, 10:26 AM
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annhig...I know, I was concerned when planning this day and having 2 significant meals, but although it sounds like alot, the portions at Metamorfosi, where not huge, and by the end of the meal there we did not have the "stuffed to the gills" feeling.
Dec 19th, 2012, 01:38 PM
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Well that lunch sounds like heaven...olive oil cream? What, what?
I love you, but how, how did you not get the name of the most divine Champagne? No chance it was Bruno Paiilard, was it?
I have to say that I also use the street view to check out exactly what the restaurant front looks like....I think it helps you find it quicker!
And the, red oinion flan with gorgonzola sauce....sounds insanely good.
I love you, but how, how did you not get the name of the most divine Champagne? No chance it was Bruno Paiilard, was it?
I have to say that I also use the street view to check out exactly what the restaurant front looks like....I think it helps you find it quicker!
And the, red oinion flan with gorgonzola sauce....sounds insanely good.
Dec 19th, 2012, 06:10 PM
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In Italian, an amuse-bouche is "un stuzzichino" (plural: "gli stuzzichini")
Glad you put the Roman bus system to such good use. It's a pity so many people visit Rome and end up missing so much of it by refusing to learn how to get on a bus. For people not carrying a smartphone, the 2e laminated maps of the Rome bus system is just as good.
Glad you put the Roman bus system to such good use. It's a pity so many people visit Rome and end up missing so much of it by refusing to learn how to get on a bus. For people not carrying a smartphone, the 2e laminated maps of the Rome bus system is just as good.
Dec 20th, 2012, 07:48 AM
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Denise...you definitely need to put Metamorfosi on your "Go To" list for a future visit to Rome!
goldenautumn...thanks for the info of amuse bouche, I had no idea
And now for...
Wednesday, November 28th
This was our last full day in Rome, and the first one with heavy rain, and thunder and lighting, but we would make the best of it, every day can’t be “picture postcard perfect”! We had a leisurely morning and the only 2 things on the day’s agenda was a tour of the Palazzo Valentini and dinner at L’Asino D’Oro.
I purchased the tickets to the Palazzo Valentini tour on-line before leaving home. Here is the website: http://www.palazzovalentini.it/scavi.php?lang=eng . Under this palazzo were archaeological remains of ancient Roman houses and it was thanks to a mention on Fodor’s that I found out about this great experience.
When I completed the on-line ticket purchase the instructions told us to arrive at the venue about one hour before the stated 1:30pm tour starting time. At about 12:30pm we hopped on the #117 electric bus and just a few stops later we were stepping off the bus right in front of the Palazzo Valentini. We showed the guard at the front entrance our email confirmation and he pointed us through the courtyard where we found the office for the tour clearly marked. We picked up our tickets and were told to be back in the courtyard 5 minutes before the tour was scheduled to start at 1:30pm.
Lucky for us, there was a bar across the street, and we went inside for a couple cups of hot chocolate. They were delicious, just the way we like our Italian hot chocolate, “atomic” hot, chocolaty and thick, thick, thick! YUM! After occupying ourselves with hot chocolate for about 40 minutes we walked back over to the tour starting point and waited for the tour begin.
There were about 15 people in the tour, and we descended a set of stairs, turned a corner and were presented with another set of about 8 steps that were clear, we could see right down to the ground, this was a bit disorienting at first, especially walking down steps.
Once down into the open area, we looked down and the whole floor was completely “see-through”, not sure if it was glass or some kind of plastic, but we could see the excavations clearly. Now comes the “multi-media” part. All the lights were turned off and they remained off for much of the tour, the floors are flat when we moved from room to room and when there were a few steps there was adequate lighting to see them. On the walls were projections of what the buildings we were standing over would have looked like in ancient times. Then there were parts of the presentation where we looked down and different lights were illuminating different areas that were excavated.
The one presentation that really made me say “Wow” was when we were ushered into a room and as we looked down from above we could see a floor that had some mosaic tiles still intact. Then through lighting and projection the areas of the floor that were dirt, where filled in to look as it did when the home was in use. It was really an incredible presentation.
I will say, if you don’t like dark places, and/or have difficulty walking this may not be the tour for you. Mom and I both thought it was an excellent tour and the way the history of the houses we were standing over unfolded in front of us was terrific. We’ve been to Pompeii and other ancient sites, but at this location by using the multi-media presentation with video, lighting and sound, we really felt like we were inside the ancient homes and it was much easier to visualize/imagine what life may have been like living in that time.
The tour lasted about one hour and when we finished the heavy rain had stopped but it was still drizzling. We hadn’t made it over to the Trevi Fountain all week, so we decided this would be the perfect time to go and toss our coins in the fountain. Surprisingly it wasn’t too crowded and we tossed our euros in to ensure a future return to Rome.
On our way to the Trevi fountain we passed a restaurant/bar called Baccano (at Via delle Muratte, 23). As soon as I saw the sign and windows I knew I had read about this place in one of Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog posts. She had been there and mentioned they had pretty good cocktails there. Mom and I liked the looks from the outside, so we went in. Here is their website: http://www.baccanoroma.com/it/home
When we walked in, we noticed one side of the restaurant was clearly for dining, but there was a nice bar area too and that was not crowded at all (well, it was 3pm, not necessarily prime bar time). We walked over to the bar area and had a seat in one of the booths. I went to the bar and ordered our drinks. I approached the bar friendly bartenders and ordered a pinot grigio for mom and an Aperol Spritz for me. Heck, we were starting aperitivo early, but we had to go back to the hotel and start packing our bags soon, so we needed a little encouragement. My spritz had such a pretty garnish, and tasted great, much better than my attempts at home to create an Aperol Spritz! We really liked this place and have made a note of it for another trip to dedicate a “true” aperitivo visit here.
At about 4pm we toddled back to our hotel to get the return home packing “mission” underway. Between a cutting board, hand bags, and food products we purchased it was a tight squeeze back into our suitcases, but we made it without having to buy another suitcase (yes, we’ve had to do that on other previous trips!) or without having our bags weigh more than allowed by Delta Airlines.
At about 6pm we were ready for our second aperitivo of the day and went back around the corner to Osteria dell’Ingegno where we had been the night before and had a couple glasses of wine before heading to the Monti neighborhood for our 8pm dinner reservation at L’Asino D’Oro. The restaurant is located at Via Boschetto, 73 and here is their website: http://www.lasinodororoma.it/
We had been to L’Asino D’Oro on a previous trip to Rome and it quickly became one of our favorite places. So, we thought it would be a great way to end our week in Rome and it was. We had a bottle of red wine from the Lazio region. Mom started with a black chickpea, pepper and chestnut soup and proclaimed it was wonderful; she loves the soups the chef here makes. She says each of the soups she has eaten here has been exceptional, and has a depth of flavor not always found in other restaurant soups. I had the lamb ragu gnocchi, I know it wasn’t Thursday (the traditional gnocchi day) but it was close enough. The gnocchi were like little pillows of air, they were perfect and the lamb ragu was rich and hearty. For second courses, mom had the beef stew with potato puree and said it was delicious with a bit of a spicy kick to it. I had the wild boar with chocolate sauce, which may sound odd, but it was terrific, it was not like dumping a sweet spoonful of chocolate on the meat, it was a hearty full of flavor dish, that was perfect for such a rainy night. We had a side dish of punterelle, because we love it so much and it was also delicious, the anchovy dressing was savory, it was a perfect accompaniment to the main dishes. We ended the meal with 2 espresso and considered having dessert just to stay out of the rain, but we were full and getting tired and had an early morning the next day. The total cost of this dinner was €83.
Thursday, November 29th
It was an early morning for us, since our flight was scheduled to leave Rome at 9:55am. Rome cabs was at the hotel to pick us up at 6:15am and we were on our way.
Our last "meal" in Rome was at a coffee bar in the gate area of the airport and it was surprisingly good, the pastry was fresh and the cappuccino was hot, it was a great way to end another terrific, food-filled trip to Rome!
goldenautumn...thanks for the info of amuse bouche, I had no idea
And now for...
Wednesday, November 28th
This was our last full day in Rome, and the first one with heavy rain, and thunder and lighting, but we would make the best of it, every day can’t be “picture postcard perfect”! We had a leisurely morning and the only 2 things on the day’s agenda was a tour of the Palazzo Valentini and dinner at L’Asino D’Oro.
I purchased the tickets to the Palazzo Valentini tour on-line before leaving home. Here is the website: http://www.palazzovalentini.it/scavi.php?lang=eng . Under this palazzo were archaeological remains of ancient Roman houses and it was thanks to a mention on Fodor’s that I found out about this great experience.
When I completed the on-line ticket purchase the instructions told us to arrive at the venue about one hour before the stated 1:30pm tour starting time. At about 12:30pm we hopped on the #117 electric bus and just a few stops later we were stepping off the bus right in front of the Palazzo Valentini. We showed the guard at the front entrance our email confirmation and he pointed us through the courtyard where we found the office for the tour clearly marked. We picked up our tickets and were told to be back in the courtyard 5 minutes before the tour was scheduled to start at 1:30pm.
Lucky for us, there was a bar across the street, and we went inside for a couple cups of hot chocolate. They were delicious, just the way we like our Italian hot chocolate, “atomic” hot, chocolaty and thick, thick, thick! YUM! After occupying ourselves with hot chocolate for about 40 minutes we walked back over to the tour starting point and waited for the tour begin.
There were about 15 people in the tour, and we descended a set of stairs, turned a corner and were presented with another set of about 8 steps that were clear, we could see right down to the ground, this was a bit disorienting at first, especially walking down steps.
Once down into the open area, we looked down and the whole floor was completely “see-through”, not sure if it was glass or some kind of plastic, but we could see the excavations clearly. Now comes the “multi-media” part. All the lights were turned off and they remained off for much of the tour, the floors are flat when we moved from room to room and when there were a few steps there was adequate lighting to see them. On the walls were projections of what the buildings we were standing over would have looked like in ancient times. Then there were parts of the presentation where we looked down and different lights were illuminating different areas that were excavated.
The one presentation that really made me say “Wow” was when we were ushered into a room and as we looked down from above we could see a floor that had some mosaic tiles still intact. Then through lighting and projection the areas of the floor that were dirt, where filled in to look as it did when the home was in use. It was really an incredible presentation.
I will say, if you don’t like dark places, and/or have difficulty walking this may not be the tour for you. Mom and I both thought it was an excellent tour and the way the history of the houses we were standing over unfolded in front of us was terrific. We’ve been to Pompeii and other ancient sites, but at this location by using the multi-media presentation with video, lighting and sound, we really felt like we were inside the ancient homes and it was much easier to visualize/imagine what life may have been like living in that time.
The tour lasted about one hour and when we finished the heavy rain had stopped but it was still drizzling. We hadn’t made it over to the Trevi Fountain all week, so we decided this would be the perfect time to go and toss our coins in the fountain. Surprisingly it wasn’t too crowded and we tossed our euros in to ensure a future return to Rome.
On our way to the Trevi fountain we passed a restaurant/bar called Baccano (at Via delle Muratte, 23). As soon as I saw the sign and windows I knew I had read about this place in one of Elizabeth Minchilli’s blog posts. She had been there and mentioned they had pretty good cocktails there. Mom and I liked the looks from the outside, so we went in. Here is their website: http://www.baccanoroma.com/it/home
When we walked in, we noticed one side of the restaurant was clearly for dining, but there was a nice bar area too and that was not crowded at all (well, it was 3pm, not necessarily prime bar time). We walked over to the bar area and had a seat in one of the booths. I went to the bar and ordered our drinks. I approached the bar friendly bartenders and ordered a pinot grigio for mom and an Aperol Spritz for me. Heck, we were starting aperitivo early, but we had to go back to the hotel and start packing our bags soon, so we needed a little encouragement. My spritz had such a pretty garnish, and tasted great, much better than my attempts at home to create an Aperol Spritz! We really liked this place and have made a note of it for another trip to dedicate a “true” aperitivo visit here.
At about 4pm we toddled back to our hotel to get the return home packing “mission” underway. Between a cutting board, hand bags, and food products we purchased it was a tight squeeze back into our suitcases, but we made it without having to buy another suitcase (yes, we’ve had to do that on other previous trips!) or without having our bags weigh more than allowed by Delta Airlines.
At about 6pm we were ready for our second aperitivo of the day and went back around the corner to Osteria dell’Ingegno where we had been the night before and had a couple glasses of wine before heading to the Monti neighborhood for our 8pm dinner reservation at L’Asino D’Oro. The restaurant is located at Via Boschetto, 73 and here is their website: http://www.lasinodororoma.it/
We had been to L’Asino D’Oro on a previous trip to Rome and it quickly became one of our favorite places. So, we thought it would be a great way to end our week in Rome and it was. We had a bottle of red wine from the Lazio region. Mom started with a black chickpea, pepper and chestnut soup and proclaimed it was wonderful; she loves the soups the chef here makes. She says each of the soups she has eaten here has been exceptional, and has a depth of flavor not always found in other restaurant soups. I had the lamb ragu gnocchi, I know it wasn’t Thursday (the traditional gnocchi day) but it was close enough. The gnocchi were like little pillows of air, they were perfect and the lamb ragu was rich and hearty. For second courses, mom had the beef stew with potato puree and said it was delicious with a bit of a spicy kick to it. I had the wild boar with chocolate sauce, which may sound odd, but it was terrific, it was not like dumping a sweet spoonful of chocolate on the meat, it was a hearty full of flavor dish, that was perfect for such a rainy night. We had a side dish of punterelle, because we love it so much and it was also delicious, the anchovy dressing was savory, it was a perfect accompaniment to the main dishes. We ended the meal with 2 espresso and considered having dessert just to stay out of the rain, but we were full and getting tired and had an early morning the next day. The total cost of this dinner was €83.
Thursday, November 29th
It was an early morning for us, since our flight was scheduled to leave Rome at 9:55am. Rome cabs was at the hotel to pick us up at 6:15am and we were on our way.
Our last "meal" in Rome was at a coffee bar in the gate area of the airport and it was surprisingly good, the pastry was fresh and the cappuccino was hot, it was a great way to end another terrific, food-filled trip to Rome!
Dec 20th, 2012, 11:18 AM
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Wow! Another great trip report. So after the hardship of doing so much Rome restaurant recon over the years...what would 2 or 3 restaurants would you recommend for a first-time visitor? Self-described foodies in their 30s, will have visited Bologna earlier in the trip, price not too concerning (well, the range of everything you have described sounds fine), perhaps a mix of restaurants (more traditional, more modern, etc - though reasonably emblematic of Italy, I suppose). Metamorfsi seems amazing! Perhaps Glass? Something more traditional? We are staying in Trastevere but don't mind taking a bus or a cab to get to the best food. Thanks for your help!
I don't know how I will last until May...
I don't know how I will last until May...
Dec 20th, 2012, 05:33 PM
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caze17...you have posed a difficult question for me. I loved Metamorfosi, but I also really, really enjoyed Glass. If you are staying in Trastevere, Glass is easy for you to get too, and the food and service is great. Personally, I would give Metamorfosi a slight (and it is ever so slight) edge over Glass. But, maybe I'm saying this because Metamorfosi is a much more recent memory for me. I think either way you will enjoy the meal. And the prices are very similar.
I would definitely put L'Osteria di Monteverde at the top of your list. It is a Roman trattoria, and does put out the traditional dishes but with a bit of a modern twist...and it is definitely a neighborhood kind of place. Then I'd give L'Asino D'Oro and Cesare al Casaletto a tie, they each have a different atmosphere from the other, but the quality of the food at both is exceptional.
Denise...the tour of Palazzo Valentini was very unique, I was really "blown away" by it...loved it! Excited that you are planning a return to Paris...I will have to live vicariously through you on that one. My next "big" adventure will be to Portugal next May!
I do have pictures in my Shutterfly account from this trip and will see if I can figure out how to post a link to them here. I'm new to Shutterfly and still trying to get "up to speed" with all they offer.
Thanks for coming along with me (and mom) on our restaurant romp through Rome!
I would definitely put L'Osteria di Monteverde at the top of your list. It is a Roman trattoria, and does put out the traditional dishes but with a bit of a modern twist...and it is definitely a neighborhood kind of place. Then I'd give L'Asino D'Oro and Cesare al Casaletto a tie, they each have a different atmosphere from the other, but the quality of the food at both is exceptional.
Denise...the tour of Palazzo Valentini was very unique, I was really "blown away" by it...loved it! Excited that you are planning a return to Paris...I will have to live vicariously through you on that one. My next "big" adventure will be to Portugal next May!
I do have pictures in my Shutterfly account from this trip and will see if I can figure out how to post a link to them here. I'm new to Shutterfly and still trying to get "up to speed" with all they offer.
Thanks for coming along with me (and mom) on our restaurant romp through Rome!
