pal

I'm going to Rome and Florence, and have been dreaming of tasting truffles with pasta.

I've never tasted real truffles before (although I have tasted the oils), but have seen a lot of TV shows featuring these funghi. Can anyone recommend a restaurant/trattoria in Rome or Florence that has good truffle dishes (tagliatelle con tartufo, etc.)

Thanks!

Grinisa

Cibreo in Florence will surely have some truffle dishes on the menu. The best place to go for truffles and dishes made with them is Norcia, in Umbria. The Ristorante Grotto di Azzurra is a good one. In Rome, try Il Sanpietrino and Ditirambo.

Eccomi

I agree in part with Grinisa, that great truffle dishes are to be found in Norcia. Some of the shops there have black truffles as large as tennis balls!Take a peek at this website: www. norciafood.com. In truffle season, they are easily found all over Umbria. The dishes we had in Rome paled in comparison to those in Umbria. We also found them in small mountain towns in Abruzzo. The white truffle, though is found way up North.
Sorry...that doesn't really answer your question.

KMS

When exactly is truffle season? October? I can't wait...yum!

Eccomi

I can't tell you exactly when truffle season is, but late october and early november are when most of the festivals are. BTW, the word is "tartufo" in italian. There is also a delicious ice cream dessert called "tartufo" because its narly appearance after being covered in chocolate shards resembles the fungus... Also on my list.

pal

Hey thanks for the info. I've actually tried checking the websites with no luck on truffle dishes.

Any other rec's out there?

And Eccomi, I agree about the dessert. I've tried it at Tre Scalani in the Piazza Navonna. Wonderful!

m_kingdom

Buy some high quality free-range eggs, make them into a french omelette, and before the eggs have all set, shave some white or black winter truffles on to the omelette. Serve with a touch of lemon juice. What a great breakfast dish.

iluvitaly

i'm glad to hear the il sanpietrino in rome has wonderful dishes with truffles.
it was on my list for a BuonRicordo "plate", now i have 2 reasons to go!

china_cat

We ate at a restaurant in Rome called Papa Giovanni. It's near the Piazza Navona, just a couple blocks south, as I recall. We had spinach gnocci with truffle, where the brought the plate of gnocci to the table, then drizzled a little wonderful olive oil over it, then proceeded to shave the fresh truffle right onto the plate. Yummy!

PCHsmiles

Suggest asking NYCFoodSnob, the most likely to know and be able to offer advice. But good luck, truffles are wonderful. I've had more luck getting them in France than Italy.

Marilyn

I've had pasta with truffles in Orvieto in July -- no problem getting them and absolutely delicious.

Ciao4now

You can get them anytime, but I think they may not be fresh. All the great little food shops in Umbria sell preserved black truffles in jars. I I have tried them at home, but they are not nearly as good. I have had them on pasta during the fall in a popular restaurant in Assissi - wonderful. There is a big festival up north for the white ones, but it gets quite crowded. In Alba, I believe? In case you get hooked, at the food market in florence, I found truffle flavored honey, flour, and oil.

uhoh_busted

There's a place in Miami where we had french fries that were done in truffle oil...OH MY GOLLLLLLLLLY (see Mom, I'm being good) but it was only a pale reminder of the dishes we had in Orvieto that were "garnished" with shavings of black truffle. I'm hooked. Either Italian black or French white...I'm hooked. I brought back a large bottle of white truffle oil from Provence that I am using sparingly each Sunday when I sautee mushrooms for our omelet. It's nothing in comparison towha you will taste. There's a Virignia winery that is having a truffle menu this fall for $110/person that I really think we're going to have to do as we won't be back to Europe until next Spring. I'm afraid if I found some and bought some to use at home, I wouldn't get them out of the car...in fact, I might not come out of the car...I'd just sit there breathing in that sensational scent...probably rubbing them on my fingertips and lips and sitting there and....OH SEE WHAT YOU HAVE DONE TO ME!!!!! WHAT KIND OF "PAL" ARE YOU! I AM "UHOH" AND I AM A TRUFFLE ADDICT.......

pal

Hey uh oh busted, HILARIOUS!! I've had mashed potatoes drizzled in truffle oil with TINY specks of black truffles when I visited Park City, Utah. That's what got me hooked. And I only had little specks!

Can you see why I'm drooling now? China cat, your dish sounds incredible. that's what I'm looking for. Fresh homemade pasta, sauteed in olive oil, with fresh black truffles sliced right in front of me!

So, let me summarize: (for Rome and Florence)
1. Cibreo in Florence
2. Sanpietrino in Rome
3. Ditirambo in Rome
4. Papa Giovanni in Rome.

Any other suggestins?

austine

Whats the average cost for these truffle dishes in Rome? Or for a jar of truffles to bring home? I know that they are extremely expensive in the states.

Marilyn

The pasta dishes I had in Orvieto were under US$15 and had lots of fresh shaved truffle on top. Yum.