I’m not one for writing about our meals when we travel, unless there is something exceptional about them. Well, for two reasons, there was something exceptional about each dinner we had in Rome.
(Btw, if you are traveling to Barcelona, I did write posts on all the great, and okay, restaurants we ate at there and would be happy to send you the blog posts.)
The first is that its hard not to find fantastic food in Rome (well, Italy, for that matter). The second is between Maria and I, we worked hard in advance to put together a strong list of reservations for our time there.
Maria’s second cousin is a well-known sneaker designer and he has lots of business in Italy. (I’m guessing you are not shocked by the fact that because of my lack of fashion awareness I’ve never heard of him.) So he supplied a list of restaurants. In addition, I did my own research and got advice from friends on where to eat. We didn’t really worry about lunch, figuring we would find a place nearby. But we did have dinner reservations every night but one.
In addition to word of mouth from friends, I also checked into Michelin restaurants. My secret is to look NOT at Michelin Star restaurants, but instead either Michelin Bib Gourmand or Michelin Recommended restaurants. Those two categories are nowhere near as expensive as Michelin Star. Instead they are the price of a regular meal at a nice restaurant, but the food is always top notch.
Our first meal with Julia in town was lunch. Billed by one source as the best pizza in Rome, we went to Forno Campo di Fiori, which, as you can probably tell by the name, is in Campo di Fiori. The pizza was nothing exceptional. If it’s the best pizza in Rome, don’t get pizza in Rome.
Later, in Piazza Navona, we stopped for a snack at Tre Scalini, which is famous for their tartufo. Maria is a conessiour (SPELLING) of gelato, but she never had tartufo before. She approved of it.
That night, we had dinner at one of my Michelin Recommended finds, Luciano Cucina Italiana, just an eleven minute walk from our wonderful apartment. I chose one of the five pasta dishes (it's NOT a big menu). I expected it to be very good, but it turned out to be the best pasta I’ve EVER had. That’s not an exaggeration.
From the menu:
Tagliolini del Nostro Pastificio Aglio, Olio, Peperoncino e Vongole ................. 22 Homemade Fresh Egg Pasta “Tagliolini” | Garlic, Oil & Chili | Clams
Yup -- that's a world class entree for just 22 Euro.
When I started eating it, I wasn’t sure I believed my opinion. I didn’t want to share that opinion with the other four, but as I dined, I had to tell the others. Wow. The flavor is incredible. The others enjoyed what they ate, but none deemed it the best they’ve ever had.
(Note: I don't include a lot of links, just because that's a few extra steps. I do NOT get paid a fee for everyone who clicks on it. I'm bad at capitalism, because I do this blog and make no money on it -- just the satisfaction of documenting our trips and doing the occasional clever writing.
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