We wanted something basic for dinner, on the last night in Rome on the first leg of my trip. We…read moretried to hit this place that always seemed to have empty tables, but all of the tables were prenoted. We kept on walking up this small street in Trastevere that we hadn't been before, and it was busy on a Fri night. We ran into (The Duke) totally by chance, bc we saw empty tables inside: We were glad we did.
For our primo, we shared a raw artichoke heart salad. For our secondi, ITC had the spaghetti guanciale (no pic), and I had the griglia mixta. Lastly, for our dolce we had a fruity dessert.
First of all, the raw artichoke was a nice change of pace vs all the fried carciofi we had been eating. It had a nice texture, and the sweetness of the artichoke contrasted nicely w/ the light, slightly tart dressing.
ITC really enjoyed her spaghetti bc it had the pork cheek. I had a bite and thought it was better vs the amatriciana she had in Tivoli. The small amount of guanciale was perfectly balanced against the al dente noodles.
Thirdly, my dish of grilled meats was about as Roman as you are going to get. The meats were simply seasoned w/ sale & pepe, and came with a lemon to contrast the savoriness of the meat. There was no side, and I didn't eat the bread like most of the trip, bc I didn't want to waste room.
Lastly, the light, fruity dessert was a good way to finish a savory meal.
Regarding the ambiance, its rustic in here. Many of the patrons were locals, but there were at some Am tourists wearing workout shorts, T shirts and basketball shoes. By the looks of their bodies, their shoes have never touched a court - Ride da Solo (LOL).
The service was good, not great. ITC felt our waiter was a little inattentive, even by Italian standards. BTW, tipping is optional in most of Europe. There is no line for a manchia (gratuity) on the check. However, most waiters/waitresses appreciate a €5 or €10 note, depending upon the size of the check.
I highly recommend ID if you are looking for rustic Italian food, on a small street in Trastevere that only has foot traffic. The food is really good, and the ambiance is rustic and tranquil.