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

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.