Nicole in Rome

Update 4 October 2024: I am lowering a star from Il Vero Alfredo. I wanted to take my parents here. I assumed a walk in would be fine if we came at opening. We were early by about 15 minutes. It was a complete mess. They opened 7 minutes late. By the time they opened, there was no hostess but one server who said that reservations would be first. She then proceeded to take about 5 minutes to seat two parties and said out loud that it was good that they had reservations (signaling that it would be very busy on a Thursday night). This would have been ok had there not been ten parties with reservations that were seemingly about to be seated before us. We ended up going to Piccolo Arrancio instead. However, this is very embarrassing for such a famous restaurant. I will also note that it is very expensive compared to other restaurants. I don’t mind paying a premium price, but I do not like when the premium price means a complete mess. I will be trying their rival Alfredo Alla Scrofa (who also claims to have the original Alfredo) to compare.

Occasion: Sunday evening dinner

Initial Impressions: It was about 3/4 full when we arrived and empty when we left (closing). It was easy to maneuver around the restaurant. I saw outdoor seating, but it was not in use (it’s winter). I was very pleased with the size of the table for two (it could have been a table for four). I’m happy to say this restaurant is wheelchair and handicap friendly! In fact, I saw a patron in a wheelchair on my way out of the restaurant. We made a reservation and this was acknowledged by the manager, although he had to come out and took a minute to find the reservation in the book. Also, some my friends who are not Italian but live in Rome complained and said it’s a place for Americans and is a tourist trap. Here are my two cents. I am American and I grew up eating alfredo as a comfort food. It was something that wasn’t so expensive for my parents to make us when money as tight, but it tasted so delicious and comforting. Now we are now doing better, thank God, but I still make the alfredo how my parents made it for me and glance at the frozen section which houses the various frozen pastas we would have “in emergencies” with fondness. So, alfredo holds a special place in my heart, and the American tourist in me just had to try alfredo where it was originally made.

Once Seated: The main part of the dining room is nice. To be honest it is borderline dated. However, there are photos around of actors, singers, and politicians who have dined here (Ella Fitzgerald, Walt Disney, JFK, and Ronald Regan). The lighting was a warm bright, which I appreciated. There was a restroom available, however I did not use it. It took a minute for our order to be taken, but it was also very busy. The menu was in Italian and English. There were enough items on the menu with variety and they did highlight on the menu what they were famous for (alfredo). The wine list was good.

The Food: The food was good! It did not disappoint. I was honestly not expecting much, perhaps out of fear that it would not live up to the hype. However, I was pleasantly satisfied by the end of the night. Here’s what we ordered: Gran fritto Alfredo (Suppli, mozzarella, fritti vegetali secondo la statione), Maestosissime Fettuccine all’Alfredo (La ricotta original dal 1908), Chateaubriand (min. 2 persone, Filetto di manzo cotto in piastra, ripassato nel burro aromatizzato ed I suoi contorni), Babà Rum panna e cioccolato, Bacio di Alfredo (torroncino), and cafe.

4/5 Gran fritto Alfredo (Suppli, mozzarella, fritti vegetali secondo la statione): The Suppli and mozzarella was very very good. Both were worthy of 5 stars. However, the fritti vegetali was just zucchini. They weren’t bad but not very memorable. I brought the dish down one star because of the zucchini.

5/5 Maestosissime Fettuccine all’Alfredo (La ricotta original dal 1908): At first I thought I was being robbed. This is a bit expensive for what it is, but I can’t deny that it was dang good. The fettuccine was cooked to mere perfection and the alfredo was not too salty and not too bland. It was perfectly creamy and I had a ratatouille moment at the first bite. My mother, older sister, and I are huge alfredo fans and my father and little sister prefer spaghetti. However, I think that even then, all five of us would agree, it’s a good alfredo. However as it is a heavier dish, I recommend skipping the wine and pairing this dish with a soda. We had water which was fine, but I can imagine how this might be perfection with a coke. They do mix the alfredo in front of you and allow you to take a photo or videos, but I skipped that and just watched.

5/5 Chateaubriand (min. 2 persone, Filetto di manzo cotto in piastra, ripassato nel burro aromatizzato ed I suoi contorni): Might I be honest now and admit I may have overestimated by ability and by the time I finished my primi, as you may have started to notice from my other reviews…I was satisfied and could have lived without secondi. However, secondi was ordered and I was looking forward to a steak after that whole fiasco at Il Marchese. (You can see that review here):

https://nicoleinrome.com/2024/01/28/il-marchese-osteria-mercato-liquori/: Il Vero Alfredo

Anyways, I wasn’t expecting much. It was actually decently priced for two people. However, I was surprised when the server came out with a side table and then gave us new silver ware and set up plates and his set of serving utensils. And then I was even more surprised when the secondi came out on a sizzling hot serving plate with not only our secondi, but the sides and sauce as well. He asked how we would like the meat, and then cooked it to a perfect medium. The plating was well done. The sauce was perfect. I think it was basically a hollandaise. The potatoes and the spinach was also very well done. I enjoyed the fact that the spinach had some red pepper flakes. The tiny bit of spice was welcome among a dinner that was so far very rich. To be honest, I came here for the alfredo but almost left thinking I would come back for the steak.

4/5 Babà Rum panna e cioccolato & Bacio di Alfredo (torroncino): They had run out of the profiterole for the night (we wanted this :(…) so instead we tried the baba rum and the bacio instead. I would say they are good desserts. The presentation was fun but they were neither memorable nor bad. To be honest after a very heavy meal, something such as a sorbet would have been nice. I was thinking the perfect pair would be a lemon, strawberry, mango, or raspberry sorbet. It would have been refreshing. The bacio cream was very good. Very light, delicate, and perfectly sweet when paired with the chocolate outside. However I did not like the cake part. It tasted too bitter.

Service: The service in the beginning was a bit slow. However by primi, there were less patrons and the servers had more time to focus on the remaining diners. However, we asked if they could charge a phone (we provided the plug and cable) and they kindly allowed it. By the time the antipasti came, we asked for it back and they gave it. We were very thankful. I also appreciated when they asked each time if we were finished before taking the plates, but also making sure we did not feel rushed. They also asked us if we wanted more bread and water (we said yes). The server also noticed I didn’t finish the cake part of my dessert and asked me if it was ok. I said it was a bit bitter for my taste, but the cream was perfect. He explained it was a bit bitter because of the nougatine flavor and was a bit apologetic, but it was complexly fine. Overall the service was very good.

Payment: The bill total was 138 euros. The gran fritto alfredo was 16 euros; pane was 3 euros (we were given two baskets by the end of the night. I was pleased they were generous and did not charge for both unlike il marchese); 2 portions of fettuccine was 44 euros (22 euros each); the steak was 48 euros; Baci di Alfredo was 9 euros; baba run panna e cioccolato was 10 euros; caffe was 3 euros; and the water (two bottles) was 3 euros. We had ordered more than usual for the purposes of the team (all of you) and my blog to review and for all of the food, I would say we left very very full. However, next time we return, we will probably not be ordering the gran fritto alfredo, the one of the two desserts, and coffee. Thus you might expect to pay about 110-150 for dinner for two people here depending if you want to eat less or have more. I hope you enjoy!