WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL MY LIFE??!!
One of the best restaurants I've EVER been to...... And I am a pastry chef with Michelin-star and U.S. presidential experience... Where do I begin? On my most recent trip to Rome, I stumbled upon this place near my hotel... Very unassuming, on an alley-like street near Piazza Navona/Pantheon.... If not paying attention, you might walk right by it - no bowls of dried out pasta and veg in front with birds pecking at it, like all of the tourist trap places in the area.... This is obviously someone's shrine to a long forgotten era and aesthetic, when substance mattered more than glitz, slogans, and trends.... Has been around since the 20's, when the current owner's grandfather opened and ran it....His pictures grace the walls.
Touches like real (dried) flowers and seasonal produce decorating the 7 or so tables lend such an air of legitimacy to this family-owned establishment, along with family photos, very old postcards, and possibly every bottle of wine this place has ever sold, lol, lining the walls. All of the table cloths and (very large, silky) napkins are even monogrammed, indicative of how proud the current owner is of her restaurant's heritage.... Even the bathrooms were Impeccable - no paper towels or wind blowing air-dryers...a large pile of individual hand towels instead! I was looking for a bathroom attendant in a tuxedo to tip, lol!! The devil can ALWAYS be glimpsed in the details!! And it only got better with the service and the food!
Daniela, the owner and our server, was EXTREMELY friendly, very knowledgeable and helpful, and spoke fluent English, which is not often the case in these family-run gems... The decor turned out to be her homage to her family members who founded the place. She also turned out to be the pastry chef, with all of the desserts, including ice creams and sorbets, being made most capably by her, according to her grandfather's recipes (more on this in a bit!).
Our Roman-style artichoke was prepared perfectly, as was my wife's very tender veal fillet with black truffles, wild mushrooms, and provolone. I had a most unusual heirloom pasta recipe of house-made tagliatelle-sized "coffee" pasta with sage, walnuts, and grated (parm. reg.?) cheese that was as spot on as it was original!
We were given a free intermezzo of lemon-pink peppercorn sorbet, courtesy of Daniela, that, very uniquely, still had the softened peppercorns in the sorbet, giving an unexpected, pleasant texture contrast and mild heat to the experience.
Based on that, we also ordered dessert - a chestnut soufflé with cinnamon ice cream and dried meringue, and profiteroles with a very intense, complex, African bittersweet, chocolate sauce and a zabaglione filling.... Daniela KNOWS how to make a great dessert (or two)....
All told, including wine, coffee and sparkling water, we barely broke 3 figures on the check. Best meal we had in 9 days (with many great meals) in Italy.... read more
