Favorite salad:

Tomato, mozzeralla and basil with olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper.

I LOVE basil and grow it in my garden. Unfortunately it dies every fall so I have to buy a new plant in the spring. It's very sensitive to wind and cold.

I don't know if this is especially Roman but at the end of a meal we were offered and tried limoncella, a lemon-based after-dinner drink that went down very well!

Have a tartuffo, a delicious ice cream concoction, at Tre Scalini on the Piazza Navonna. I hope it's still there!

Tre Scalini is most definitely still there, and I think they're getting about 5 euros for the tartuffo nowadays.

Appreciate all the additional inputs.

Just thought I should mention that carciofi won't be in season in may so if on offer may not be very good. But you'll get good melons, strawberries and tomatoes . Oh and fiori di zucca will be in season.

ttt

You can drink very good wines of "Castelli" (near Rome). I suggest you the wines of Casale del Giglio, Mater Matuta is really a marvellous red one, and the whites Frascati from Castel De Paolis, very very good,
ciao

There is one thing I want to remind you of if you travel with children or want interesting souvenirs.

It's called "kinder-egg" and looks like a wrapped egg. It's a chocolate egg with a small toy's parts inside.

My 23-year old son and his girlfriend had so much fun few days ago visiting us, when I gave them those eggs! One toy was a cowboy - press a button, and he jumps out of a bar. Another an ox and a carriage with movable parts.

"Where do I go for "to die for" deserts"

If I was a wise guy, I'd say the Gobi, but since I am not, here is my favorite dessert from our Fall trip to Rome.

Try the Il Saraceno dessert at Enoteca Trastevere, my favorite dessert of our Fall trip. It is a chocolate, cinammon, red pepper concoction that is so good that I had it all three nights. The chocolate kind of sticks to your nose when you're licking the plate, but other than that it was tremendous.

kateny - next time you visit Rome check out the restaurant directly across the street from Vinando. I think it was called Dei Tri Amici. We had a bottle of wine 2 nights in the bar part of Vinando which we loved, and then crossed the street to the restaurant.

Full of Italians, candlelight, and great food and prices. Reservations are essential though!

ttt

Found the name of the restaurant across from Vindanos - perfect!

La Taverna degli Amici

Tel: +39 06 6992 0637
Address: Piazza Margana, 36

Here is something to whet your appetite from a review I found. Website address at the bottom.

"In an unknown square, just off the hectic Piazza Venezia, Ristorante 'La Taverna degli Amici' is a hidden jewel. Its taper candles are lit as diners are seated at farmhouse tables. Copper pots and antique ceramics decorate the warm mustard walls. Old men with thick Roman accents dressed as waiters make certain you eat well and have a very good evening.

On a pottery dish lined with butchers' paper stained with their grease, the Fiore di Zucca are served straight from the fryer -- as they should be. Using my fork to cut through the golden batter and the delicate flower below, an explosion of creamy ricotta and sweet basil arrest me. Fresh-picked flowers of the pumpkin or zucchini plant are stuffed with cheese, battered, and lightly fried. This is a simple dish in which perfect balance is paramount. A single bite confirms success..."

http://www.thebonvivant.com/blog/arc...1_archive.html

Just got back from Rome. Every year, I must visit the following places.
Restaurant, Re Degli Amici, near Spanish Steps. Great Anti-Pasto, and excellent food.
Ambasciata D'Abruzzo, don't order fixed price menu. Just order off the menu, you'll love it. Most tourists order from fixed price menu. Its good, but not really as good.
Also, we like Alfredo's near Pantheon, for fettuccini Alfredo, we do this for lunch.
Dessert, Tre Scalini, Tartufo.
Pizza along the way to Piazza Navona from Pantheon. Little shop. Really terrific.
Alberto

AnnieP -

Actually we found Vinando because we tried waiting for a table at the restaurant across the street and found the hostess to be so rude that we left and decided to try the place across the street. It turned out to be Vinando - and became one of my all time favorite Roman restaurants.

I'm not very good with restaurant names, as many times we just walk around menu browsing until we find one that looks good. That being said, I loved so many things in Rome. You have to be careful though; its very easy to pay a lot of money for a mediocre meal.

My favorites are gnocci, the cheese platters, and the lasagna. We also had some incredible appetizers. We usually stick with the house wine, and we love limoncello and prosecco.

My favorite gelato place in Rome is Giolitti.

Now I'm getting hungry!
Tracy

wow Kateny! That's too bad about that woman, its actually a great little restaurant. We had a similar experience at Ambasciata d' Abruzzo, from all the excellent reviews, we had been dying to go there and booked weeks in advance but they were beyond rude when we arrived, it was like they resented us for having to wait for our reserved table because they were busy. It really actually ruined the whole experience.

However, I agree that there is just something very special about Vinando, we loved it also. My husband was not in Rome with me last time but I cant wait to bring him there. The staff there were just lovely also and actually remembered the wine we ordered the night before when we came back next night!

Appreciate all the superb feedback.