Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Casa Bleve (Pantheon/Navona)



We really enjoyed our dinner at Casa Bleve. I think I was so distracted I didn't take pictures! It's not your usual restaurant, this top notch restaurant with an impressive wine list and a beautiful dining room is an experience. It almost feels like you are dining in a museum ! I visited Casa Bleve a while back but remember having a wonderful Cacio e Pepe pasta (typical Roman pasta of sharp cheese and black pepper) and the rack of lamb. Expect to pay around €50 a head at this place, depending on how much you order and the wine you choose! 

L'Archangelo (Prati)










L'Archangelo was a nice change from the usual restaurants. We started off with a plate of fried goodies  called Supplizio (suppli, cream, arancino, almond nut brittle)  rather odd mix but it worked. We then had the amatriciana (tomato sauce and bacon) and the pigeon. All very good, even though I would never go for pigeon.  There wasn't a huge selection to choose from so I happily went out of my comfort zone and boy was it worth it! The owner Archangelo Dadini has also opened a street food place called Supplizio where you can find the fried rice balls and other Roman street food.

Pinsere (Via Flavia)









I stumbled upon Pinsere for lunch when I was in the Via Flavia area. A pinsere is a typical Roman pizza that you don't see very often. This place has a vast selection of flavors to choose from and they are anything but your boring old run of the mill types. I choose one with pumpkin cream, speck, and provolone, and loved it. This place is only open until 4pm since the area is full of offices. Definitely go for a lunch on the go or a late afternoon snack.
www.pinsere.it 

Temakinho Rome (Monti)






Temakinho is a Japanese Brazilian sushi restaurant originating in Milan, Italy. The two locations in Milano are always packed and booking at a decent hour is quite difficult. Even though it is now also difficult to get a dinner reservation at a decent hour in the Rome location, I was lucky enough to have had a chance to go a few months ago. We started the evening with the signature Caipirinhas (regular and passion fruit) and then I had another which wasn't as good as the passion fruit one. The sushi was good, it is not easy to come by decent makis (rolls) in Rome! Prices are not bad, and the quality is not bad either. We started with the ceviche which was not the best I have ever had but was decent. We also ordered three types of rolls, one with tempura shrimp and salmon, one with scallop and passion fruit, and one with salmon and avocado, they were good, but the scallop with passion fruit took getting used to. Their dessert looked tempting, they had American style cakes on display, but we decided to be good and resisted.
Overall, an enjoyable dinner in a hip part of town, only downside, getting a reservation!
Salute!

Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Iside (Colosseum area)

Iside is one of my favorite fish restaurants in Rome. It has the freshest fish, and their crudi (raw seafood) is to die for. On this visit we started with some antipasti to share of Tuna tartare on a mashed potato bed, raw squid strips marinated in olive oil and pink peppercorns, sea bass carpaccio, burrata and anchovies, and oysters. We followed up this feast with the catalana. OMG the catalana! It is basically a dish with boiled potatoes on the bottom topped with lobster, shrimp, and scampi (crayfish), cherry tomatoes, red onions from Tropea, and olives, all drizzled in lots of olive oil, and seasoned with salt and pepper. This is heaven on a dish. I think the pictures speak by themselves. This is not a cheap restaurant but it is well worth it for the quality of the seafood. The portions are generous as well. The bill came to about €85 a person, and it included 2 desserts, a bottle of wine, and 3 bottles of water.








Renato e Luisa




A celebratory dinner was had at Renato e Luisa about a month ago. I meant to write about it sooner but yada yada yada. It was memorable, and the food was really good. We had an antipasto offered by the chef to start and then I had the farro pasta with wild boar ragu and zucchini and then the coda alla vaccinara (oxtail stew) while the hubs had a carbonara with black truffle and a steak. Everything was cooked to perfection and very good. We ended up not getting dessert just because we were so satisfied with the meal.
Renato e Luisa is by Largo Argentina in the center of Rome.

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

Romeo Chef and Baker (Prati)


I finally had a chance to go to Romeo Chef and Baker a few weeks ago. I found the space to be very modern, and airy. I liked the fact that while it is a restaurant, you can also go there for an aperitivo, to buy bread and baked goods, and they have a deli section for cheese and cold cuts.  
We arrived early by Italian standards, but wanted to have dinner and not an aperitivo. Even though the restaurant was huge,and empty we were somehow placed not far from the restrooms, so they obviously loose points for that! I have to say my overall experience was not positive. I had high expectations since this is part owned by Cristina Bowerman of Glass (Michelin starred restaurant) and the people behind Roscioli. I have been to Glass and enjoyed it very much, and Roscioli is my go to place when I want to have a nice dinner. Service was good, keeping in mind that the place was empty, and so was the bread.
We had :

Costolette di agnello, verza, chips e salsa BBQ
€ 11,00
Tartare di gamberi, ceci in hummus e pomodoro aromatizzato
€ 15,00
Cavatelli vongole, cozze,  vermouth e finocchietto
€ 13,00
Tagliatelle, pesto di zucchine, pinoli e ricotta affumicata
€ 11,00
Mont Blanc and Tiramisu €8 each 

Tiramisu
Mont Blanc


We enjoyed the appetizers very much, found the pasta to be nothing special, actually my Cavatelli were pretty tasteless, but we really enjoyed the dessert. I would say the dessert was probably the highlight.