Contributed by Mark Leslie
"Travel and Food Experiences in Italy~ their influences on my American life, plus photos and recipes, too!" by Mark Leslie, author "Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family"
When in Rome...
In a little more than a week, we will be in Rome and, although there are many reasons to be excited about going to Rome, the one thing that I look forward to the most is EATING in Rome. For me, the excitement of eating in Rome is more than the meal itself. It is the hunt for a ristorante--restaurant--tucked out of the way enough that we end up being the only Americans in the place.
I am not exactly sure why I enjoy that feeling, maybe it is the notion of being secluded by one's own language (although it seems that just about everyone in Rome speaks English). If we find a restaurant where the host or proprietress does not speak English, then I really feel like we have discovered a hidden treasure. It forces me to use my Italian--infantile as it is--and it also adds to the "flavor" of being in a foreign land and enjoying the local cuisine.
Here are some of our favorite ristoranti in Rome. Ristoranti so cherished that just by mentioning their names I grin wide--and salivate. Each of these ristoranti has a completely unique feel, some are more upscale (true ristorante), while others are more working class (trattoria) and one is a wine bar (enoteca). We have favorite dishes at some of these ristoranti and I will try to mention the dishes we look forward to eating there. These establishments don't have websites, but I have no doubt you can hunt online and find reviews and more information.
Here's the list:
Trattoria da Settimio all'Arancio
Via dell'Arancio, 50
*wonderful fresh gnocchi in a basil cream sauce.
La Carbonara
Piazza Campo dei Fiori, 23
*the photo above is of their antipasti buffet as you first walk into the restaurant. It is a definite must have.
Hosteria Cannavota
Piazza San Giovani in Laterno, 20
*Enjoyed a plate of wonderfully spicy linguine with langoustine.
Enoteca Corsi
Via del Gesu'
*a wonderful place in the neighborhood surrounding the Pantheon to stop and enjoy a great glass of wine and some simple family dishes.
Osertia dell'Angelo
Via G. Bettola, 24
*north of the Vatican and tucked away in the Prati neighborhood is this rustic gem of a place. It is very old, rather rundown, and very good. I have never enjoyed rabbit more than at this restaurant. The entire meal was simple and truly amazing. I wonder whose nonna they have chained to the stove in the kitchen. It was that good.
Ristorante Monserrato
Via di Monserrato, 96
*Simple but well-appointed, their food is very good, but the reason we love it so much is for their sgroppino--a drink made with prosecco, vodka, and lemon gelato. Wow!
Siciliainbocca
Via Emilio Faa' di Bruno, 26 www.siciliainboccaweb.com
*This trattoria is tucked deep into the Prati neighborhood. They specialize in seafood--they are a Sicilian trattoria after all. I had the most sublime cold seafood salad of baby octopus, squid, and scallops in a tangy lime vinegrette. A+
Buonissimi!
Mark
Contributed by Mark Leslie
Mark Leslie works in professional theatre as a stage manager and is a member of Actors’ Equity Association. Currently he is busy working with Gemelli Press on his first book "Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language & Life with an Italian Family." http://beyondthepasta.com
Every year, Mark vacations in Italy and lives to eat his way through every plate of pasta and cone of gelato placed before him. In 2005, he had the good fortune to live for a month in Viterbo, Italy with the Stefani family. There he took cooking lessons from Nonna, the grandmother of the family, and Italian language lessons from Alessandra, the mother. That experience is the basis of his first book "Beyond the Pasta: Recipes, Language, & Life with an Italian Family." SEE DETAILS ABOUT THE BOOK: http://mark-leslie.net/we-have-a-publisher
THEATRICAL CREDITS:
Mark is in Winona, MN working on GRSF's production of COMEDY OF ERRORS. Recently, he wrapped up LE NOZZE DI FIGARO and AIDA for Opera Birmingham in Alabama. Last September, he stage managed CABARET at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina in Hilton Head, SC. He also worked at the Arts Center in 2005 on its production of Evita. This past summer, he worked in Minnesota on Great River Shakespeare Festival’s production of Love’s Labour’s Lost. Over the past 22 years, Mark’s regional theatre credits include: Denver Center Theatre Company (White Christmas, Noises Off, and a reading of a new adaption of The Unsinkable Molly Brown directed by Kathleen Marshall and authored by Dick Scanlon), Alabama Shakespeare Festival (resident stage manager on over 65 productions), Actors’ Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival (D. Boone by Marsha Norman), Arizona Theatre Company (Amadeus, Loot, and Ain’t Misbehavin’ directed by Arthur Faria), and Maine State Music Theatre (Phantom, South Pacific, Jesus Christ Superstar, La Cages Aux Folles, and the world premiere of Chamberlain).
Theme created for Posterous by Obox
Comments 0 Comments