Don't let the 3 stars keep you from trying this restaurant. I have a particular eye for the decor of a place. When I see country-style furniture and plaid tableclothes I'm not suprised or expecting any creativity coming from the kitchen. In adition when I see the name "Piccolo Ranch" I immediately think it sounds like a Texan-Italian diner. So with that said, those are the points I didn't particularly like. But I gave it a try anyway one day while driving, getting lost in the Castelli Romani part of Rome's countryside and feeling very hungry!
Patrizia, the owner greeted us with a smile and spent most of her time in the kitchen preparing our meals. We ate one of the most fulfilling dinners I've eaten in a long time. We started with an antipasto of meats, cheeses and stuffed eggplant. Then went straight for the Polenta (which I rarely crave) and it was out of this world tasty!! We ate it with spezzatino di vitello. We also enjoyed a side of sauteed cicoria and potato. The house wine was perfect. Followed by a homemade zuppa inglese for desert. We really indulged and our bellies were left quite satisfied.
The great thing about this place is the wood burning fireplace right next to our table. On a crisp cold night in February you can warm right up sitting by the fire. The kids had plenty of fun playing in the snow outside (since it's located at a high altitude it can actually snow there) and we were able to watch them from our table by the window. Since then, we've become regulars and take friends along with us.
The price is about 25EUR a person for everything including the house wine. read more