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!

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.

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. 

Grattachecca (sora Maria)

I apologize for posting this at the end of Summer, but it is still hot in Rome, and so I hope you forgive me!

I had the pleasure of finally tasting a Roman classic, the grattachecca. The grattachecca consists of some shaved iced, your choice of various fruit syrup, and fresh fruit. I had the thirst quencher about a month ago, and it was delicious and very satisfying. The thirst quencher (disettante) included orange and mandarin syrup, freshly squeezed lemon juice, and pieces of fresh lemon and coconut. There are many kiosks around Rome, but the famous ones are famous for a reason. This one is run by Maria herself with the help of two other ladies. Highly recommended on a hot day!

Sora Maria 

Via Trionfale angolo Via Bernardino Telesio

Come il Latte (Ice cream)

I have been meaning to go to this gelateria since I first heard about it a year ago. It is not in my part of the center,  yet it is not far from the American embassy on Via Veneto. The gelateria is different from your everyday ice cream places, the decor is old fashioned, yet modern, and the ice cream is to die for. The reason I really wanted to go there is for the chocolate fountain. When you order your cone they give you the option of having white or dark chocolate sauce put in the bottom of the cone, and then they dip a wafer into the chocolate of choice and put that on top of your ice cream. The chocolate hardens a little and you gets little bits of it in the first bites. The quality of the ingredients is top notch. I had my usual pistachio and chocolate, and loved both flavors. I highly recommend this gelateria, and in fact I already plan on getting a waffle cone the next time I am there!
www.comeillatte.it
Via Silvio Spaventa 24