Tips for tourists (Rome)

Given the recent scandal that is all over the local and International news about 4 British tourists who were charged 16 euros per ice cream cone, at a horrible tourist trap bar, I thought it would be a good idea to list some of my tips for tourists in Rome.

1) Do not get ice cream from any old gelateria, go to the reputable ones that are in most guide books. To give you an idea, a small gelato usually costs €2.50 whether it be cone or cup. Some places charge €0.50 extra for cream on top. The best places in the historic center are Venchi, Ciampini, and Grom. I also think Blu Ice has decent ice cream as does Giolitti. The trend recently is to find specialty ice cream made from top ingredients.

2) Ordering a milk based coffee drink after meals is a no no in Italy, but is generally accepted as a tourist thing. Order an espresso or an  espresso macchiato (espresso with a splash of milk) if you must have milk with your coffee. Cappuccino and caffè latte are usually consumed up until noon.

3) Only use white taxis from the airport, and never go for the guys who ask you if you want a taxi as you exit customs. Taxi prices are standard to the center of Rome only, and cost €48 from Fiumicino, and €30 from Ciampino.

4) "Bars" in Italy are coffee shops everywhere else in the world. You must pay first and then head over to the counter to order and consume your order. If you want table service, a waiter will take your order. Table service usually costs triple the price of counter service.

5) A typical Italian breakfast is consumed at a bar  usually consists of cappuccino and cornetto (croissant).
Eggs are not consumed at breakfast.

That's all that comes to mind at the moment.

La Baia (Fregene)

raw antipasto plate

scallop on potato and leek puree

pasta with potatoes, provola, and calamari

fish with toasted pine nuts

I have to say that La Baia is one of the best places to eat in Fregene. The restaurant is not your average run of the mill sea food place, serving the same old antipasti, pasta, and fish. You have to go during the week or on a rainy weekend in order to truly enjoy great food, but above all great service. I have been several times on beautiful sunny weekends and I must say everything suffers, but mainly getting someone to wait on you becomes the biggest challenge.
On this particular visit, it was a holiday Friday afternoon, and it was raining. We headed over to La Baia without a reservation, and thoroughly enjoyed our lunch. The table shared mixed raw antipasti to start and the scallop dish. My friends had pasta, which was heavenly, especially the paccheri with potatoes, provola cheese, and calamari. I had the pan roasted fish with pine nuts, and loved it. The total came to €50 a person, and that included 2 bottles of wine, water, coffee, one dessert, and a baby pasta. 

Open Colonna (Rome)

I had heard that Open Colonna is a good place to go for lunch on the weekends. It is supposed to be family friendly (children under 6 eat free)  and  €30 for a very decent selection of food and dessert cannot be beat.
Open Colonna sits atop the Palazzo delle Esposizioni on via Nazionale, and is right under the more famous, and much more expensive Antonello Colonna restaurant.

The buffet has lots of fresh food including lots of vegetable dishes and salads, pasta, risotto, cheese, and lasagna. The second courses included fish, meat, meatballs in tomato sauce, and soup. The dessert table has lots of creamy desserts, cakes, and muffins. I would say that there was something for everyone.

The thing that I liked most, other than the beautiful, light filled space, is that you can go up to the buffet as many times as you want, and it got replenished very often, sometimes with different foods and desserts. It didn't take long to have food replenished, and service is pretty good.

€30 buffet excluding water and drinks. Reservations recommended.

Milano restaurant roundup

I was in Milano recently and visited the following restaurants:

Trattoria Da Mirta -The only Italian restaurant I went to on this trip. It is located at about 15 minute walk from Loreto metro stop. It is a cozy but charming trattoria which serves stick to your ribs Italian food. Tortino di zucca e provola (squash and provola cheese), cheese filled crespelle, fig stuffed guinea fowl, braised beef with polenta and potatoes, pasta with rich meat sauce. Desserts were wonderful too. While my friend thoroughly enjoyed her chocolate fondant with orange compote, I decided to go with the goat's milk and pistacchio bavarese which I loved. Good wine selection too. Decent prices, we spent €45 euros each, which included a first course, meat course, dessert, and wine.
www.trattoriamirta.it

Hana  (Japanese)- Very good Japanese restaurant on corso Vercelli. Small, but nice modern, and cozy interior. Really good rolls and great quality sushi. Good wine to accompany the meal. The restaurant is on the pricey side, but we did order quite a lot of food. €65 a head including wine.
www.hanarestaurant.it

Shiva (Indian)  - A good Indian restaurant in the Ticinese area. Authentic Indian food, with a very vast selection. €38 a head including wine. I would say that wine is not their forte since we did not enjoy the bottle we ordered. I remember this also from my last visit.
www.ristoranteshiva.it

El Gaucho (Argentinian) - Good Argentinean place. Great meat selection, very good wine.  €58 a head which only includes a  meat course each plus 2 side dishes and wine. It may not seem like a lot of food, but the portions were big enough, and the meal filling.
www.elgaucho.it