Rome: Special Eating & Drinking Treats
 

What are some of your favorite food and drink items when you go to Rome?

What is that area of Italy famous for? Where do I go for "to die for" deserts and savor a cold beverage or two after a long day on the pavements.

I'm going in May so what is in season then? Names and locations would be appreciated.

One of my favorite things to do in Rome is to sit at a cafe and sip on a Martini Bianco, which is a sweet white vermouth. Every time I taste this drink I am back in Rome!

Prosecco is good, cheap and easy to order.

And I never pass on a primi of pasta (often ravioli) with a butter and sage sauce.

Here are some Roman specialties I heard about:

bucatini all'amatriciana (tomato, onion, bacon and a dash of cognac)

alIa carbonara (with a creamy egg and cheese sauce)

gnocchi alla "Romana”

saltimbocca (a fillet of veal rolled in ham and flavoured with sage, cooked in butter and served with a Marsala sauce)

abbacchio al forno (roast lamb)

I was there in May and Thursday nights were "gnocchi" nights at many restaurants.

I always like the carbonara and the bucatini you mention.

Artichokes are a nice Roman speciality. I like the pizza in Rome, too. Nice thin crust.

I don't know much about the Lazio wines, but I liked a lot of the cheap house white wine I drank in Rome.

Had an interesting beverage in the Campo di Fiori one night: absinthe. The real stuff, a licorice-like (like Pernod) drink that they add sugar to and then flambe. Interesting effect (slightly hallucinogenic, or so it seemed...)

If you are a coffee drinker, Tazza d'Oro, close to the Pantheon, has wonderful espresso and cappucino. It has a reputation for being the best coffee bar in Rome.

Make sure you have some insalata caprese for lunch or as a starter for dinner. The mozzarella di buffala is the slightly salty version of mozzarella and it is fantastic with olive oil and tomatoes. Of course, the perennial gelato too....cafe, pistacchio, anguria are some nice summer favorites (to name a few). Also, limoncello after a full meal in the restaurant is always a pleasing end to a delightful dinner experience.

Why has no-one mentioned the roman specialty par excellence: Carciofi (artichokes) prepared with fried zucchini blossoms, in the Jewish style, in the ghetto...

great tips!

Tegdale and I can eat together anytime!

I dream about those Roman artichokes!

Coffee - definitely head to Tazza D'Oro steps from the Pantheon and make sure to bring home some of their coffee (but overall, you can't go wrong in Rome for coffee - every morning as you are walking the streets you will hear the clinking of cups and glasses as the cafes begin their business day and the smell of espresso is everywhere) - pick up a cornetto di marmellata (croissant filled with jam) when you stop into any of the cafes - they are fabulous with a tall caffe latte

Antipasti - a lot of Roman restaurants do it well, particularly if they allow you to go and select the dishes you want for yourselves

Carciofi - whether fried in the Jewish-style or served marinated

Gelato - head to Millennium outside the Cipro metro stop and near Museo Vaticano for uno cono di nociotella (hazelnut), pistacio, e bacio (and plenty of panna (whipcream))

Pizza - La Boccaccia in Trastevere (right off the Via della Lungara) - absolutely best pizza in Rome (they use very seasonal ingredients and get fresh deliveries from Campo dei Fiori every morning of whatever the market vendors are selling

I guess I could go on and on...

Almost forgot to mention one of my other favorite places - Vinando - a terriffic wine bar/restaurant with about twenty seats.
Get the lasagna - it is made with bechamel and is amazing.
Don't know what his schedule is, but avoid any nights that the owner's son is manning the piano (his half Italian/English renditions of Frank Sinatra hits can actually ruin a meal at this otherwise terriffic restaurant)

Piazza Margana, 23

Cafe St. Eustachio, also very close to the Pantheon, would be my number one choice for an afternoon espresso break. Better yet than Tazza d'Oro, IMO.

Anna

Cafe St. Eustachio is worth a visit if not for their coffee, then the eccentricities of the staff that works there. I had two unpleasant dealings with employees there who treated an American patron (and one who had lived in Rome for long enough) with outright rudeness. Ex. left us standing at the bar for fifteen minutes as we patiently attempted to order (at one point even blatantly ignoring us by turning his back to us.) We left the place dissatisfied with both the coffee and the employees, but laughing nonetheless at the sheer oddity of the place.

ttt

Any rants or raves about this place?

Dar Filettaro a Santa Barbara: Inexpensive. Largo dei Librari, 88, Rome Italy Neighborhood: Campo de' Fiori, Phone: 06 864 018, Seafood, No Credit Cards, Mon - Sat 5:30 - 11pm. Just off the Campo de' Fiori in a charming circular piazza of Largo dei Librari, nightly fish-fry.

Funny thing: we were in Rome for the first time in October, wanting to have the famous carciofi. Never got around to it, came home, went to a party, and the hostess greeted us at the door with a plate of . ....... carciofi. At last!
Also Tazza d'Oro has a wonderful scrumptious thing: 2 scoops of fabulous coffee granita topped with a mountain of whipped cream. What is it called?

If I recall correctly, "granita di caffe alla panna."

Santa Barbara is an old-time basic place specializing in fried, cured cod..baccala. Rome is known also for the meat from the 'quinto cuarto" (the fifth quarter) which is what we in the US might call offal. The area in which to try this is Testaccio, where there are several famous places with offal dishes as well as dishes with oxtail, which is one of Rome's most famous specialties.This is the old butcher's area of the city.

linguine [or whichever pasta they have at the restaurant you're at] cacio e pepe.
It's just pecorino cheese and black pepper, maybe a little butter, moistened with the pasta water, but mamma mia! I've tried making it at home but it's just NOT as good. It's a Roman specialty.