Nicole in Rome

Occasion: Sunday evening dinner

Initial Impressions: The restaurant was small but it was a full house. Very difficult to maneuver around because the tables were close together as well as winter jackets behind seats. This would not be a handicap friendly restaurant suitable for indoor seating. Outdoor seating may be possible but it was a bit tight.

Once Seated: The decorations were antique. The ambience was dim/dark. We were already tired and this only exasperated our exhaustion. A restroom is available, but it was not clean and a part of the toilet was sectioned off and there were things stored on the other side of the curtain. Our order was taken some 20 minutes after being seated, which in my opinion was too long. The menu was in Italian, English, and French. While there were enough items on the menu, they were all options for what would regularly be categorized as specials *that rarely anyone would order* at other restaurants. Effectively making it a very limited menu. And by all means, I’m not a picky eater. Also, the names for each menu item were too long. Also, might I add that the wine menu was very long. I do not mind an extensive wine list, but the wine menu made me think a seasoned sommelier was in the back waiting to give recommendations, and there was not. In fact, wine was not mentioned at all.

The Food: Without further ado, here is what was ordered. Warm Bread (complimentary), Fritto misto del Ditirambo, Carbonara, Fettuccine, and Guineafowl. *Side note, the bread was warm and we were given two baskets but only finished one. However, the bread was not memorable and dense.*

3/5 Fritto misto del Ditirambo: This was arguably the only good dish. The potato croquettes *bottom left* were mixed with cheese and it was perfectly fried. The white sauce that was paired with the croquette was slightly salty. The light yellow fritto misto *middle* was cod. It was also good The green sauce didn’t really have a memorable taste. The last fritto misto *top right* was better than the cod because the sauce it was paired with was perfect. However, the potato shavings sprinkled throughout the dish seen in the photo were salty and tasted like stale oil.

3/5 Carbonara: So as a baseline, if a restaurant in Roma doesn’t have a perfect carbonara, very rarely will you convince me that anything else is well done. The carbonara was presented nicely. The noodles were cooked al dante, but I did not appreciate that the name of the carbonara on the menu was such a mouthful! Two stars were taken off because the pancetta was way too salty. It effectively ruined the dish and made the carbonara too heavy.

3/5 Fettuccine: This fettuccine was basically with a bolognese sauce but used wild boar instead. The dish was not bad but the boar was too strong and overpowered everything. Personally, I like a delicate bolognese and this in the mix with the rest of the items ordered gave me PTSD to heavy American food.

2/5 Guineafowl: Honestly, by the time we finished antipasti and primi, we didn’t want the secondi anymore. The lighting was super dark and we were in a food coma and the table was not comfortable. The food also took about 25 minutes to come out. The potatoes that came with it were not good. They were browned but not crispy due to the sauce nor were they soft either. The bird itself tasted like chicken but it was dry. If you see the photo, this bird was not presented well and the dish could have benefited from some garnish for color. We forced ourselves to finish the non fat/tendon parts, left the potatoes, and called it a day.

Payment: The bill total was 67 euros. This establishment does not accept American Express, but they luckily accept apple pay, so I used my Visa to apple pay. However, the card reader was slow (or internet connection in that part of the restaurant was weak), so it took about 5 minutes of awkwardly standing at the cash register waiting for the payment to go through. You can see by the ratings of the food that it wasn’t so terrible, but given the cost, ambience, and non-memorable service, I don’t recommend.