Roman Food I

On our first full day out and about in Rome (19 October), we found ourselves near the Piazza del Popolo and had lunch in, of all places, a small, German Birreria, located in what seemed like an alley. Jeff is having a plate of salmon and toast, while Isaac is having some sort of pasta dish.

That same evening, we went with our hosts Jim & Renzo to what we knew as "that Sardinian Restaurant", a short walk from their place over in the University Quarter. This place was described as a favorite of our friends Jim & Charlie, who had visited earlier in the year. We could see why too: ample, fresh and tasty food, and for a reasonable price. These are a couple of the antipasto platters.

Still at dinner, still at the Sardinian Restaurant, this was the seafood mixed-grill that Jeff had. It was so yummy that I was well into eating before I remembered to take the picture.

On Friday (19 October) we met Jim near his office (not far the The Gesú, the famous Jesuit church), and ended up having lunch at what would turn into our favored lunch spot: L'Insalata Ricca, which specializes in all sorts of fanciful and satisfying salads.

We took our first day trip with Jim on Saturday (20 October), going to Tivoli to see the Villa D'Este and Hadrian's Villa. In between the two, we had lunch outside in Tivoli at about the only place that seemed open. The food was fine, if a bit overpriced, but the tablecloth was very nice, and it was a pretty day for dining outside.

When we returned from our trip to Tivoli, tired and very hungry, Renzo made dinner for all of us. Since we frequently ate "at home", this table cloth will become very familiar looking. For Primo, Renzo made these lovely cannelloni.

Later in the same meal: Secondo was a hearty chicken stew, along with a salad of whatever was fresh and available. Renzo was firmly of the opinion that Bears are always in need of food; he'd generally eat like a bird and watch us consume the product of his labors. So, we'll be seeing large portions set against this tablecloth.

We made a very early start on Monday (22 October) so that we could tour the Vatican Museums. After that major dose of culture, we enjoyed our lunch in the Vatican Cafeteria. The food was quite tasty and the staff was friendly and efficient. Isaac reports that both of these are quite the improvement since the last time he was there several years ago.

On the evening of Tuesday (23 October), after another extensive day of sightseeing, we were treated to a home-cooked meal at the apartment of Jim and Renzo's friend, composer Alessandro. Half of our meal was a lasagna that Renzo made, the rest was prepared by Alessandro, including a lovely Ensalata Caprese, one of our Italian favorites. Note the nearly ubiquitous red-checked tablecloth.

Wednesday (24 October) was another day of beautiful weather and more sightseeing. Our feet were tired so we stopped for a light pizza luncheon outdoors in sight of the Pantheon, which made a nice backdrop for Jeff's Pizza Capriccioso. Admittedly, the other patrons seemed to think it slightly odd that we should be taking a picture of a pizza.

That same evening we went to the Aventine, Isaac's old haunt when he lived in Rome at Sant' Anselmo. There we met up with his long-time friend Ephrem, and we all went to the nearby restaurant, Il Bucatino, for a 2-hour dinner. Here we are enjoying our Primo: pasta dishes for Isaac and Ephrem, vegetable soup for Jeff.

Still enjoying our dinner at Il Bucatine, this is the Secondo, various (and enormous) meat dishes for all of us. Nearby diners mistook the goal of my photo-documentary efforts and kindly offered to take the picture so that all three of us could be in it. I didn't have the heart (or the vocabulary) to tell them that it was really the food that I taking pictures of.

The next evening (25 October), we were having one of our cultural evening outings (after a day touring with Renzo: the Villa and Galleria Borghese, the Catacombs of Priscilla, the Mausoleum of Santa Constanza, and the Church of Sant' Agnese), so we had a quick supper at home, which included some of Renzo's left-over lasagne.

Continue with the second (and last) page of the Roman-Food Tour.