Nicole in Rome

Occasion: Sunday Evening Dinner

Initial Impressions: It was hard to find this restaurant because it is really small. I also wasn’t so sure of the place because next door there was this disgusting bar with flies all in their food display case.

Once Seated: The decorations inside are very pretty. I liked the ambience very much. Also the benches were a nice touch and very comfortable but it was slightly stained and the material would have been more fitting for a bar or cafe setting, not a restaurant. I also enjoyed the more quiet atmosphere. It was a bit warm inside the restaurant at first, but once we sat for a while the temperature was fine. I don’t consider seating inside to be handicap accessible, however they do have outdoor seating. The menu is beautifully bound on very nice paper. It is available in English and Italian (I am not sure about the restroom situation).

The Food:The food here is not bad, however it is not extraordinary either. We were given bread and fried dough. I ordered the lasagne and Paolo ordered the carbonara, then we both ordered the steak.

4/5 Fried Dough Balls: This came out hot and was good. I especially liked the selection of oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper provided to dip. The bread was also good here. However, the fried dough balls retained too much oily and tasted a bit too greasy beyond the first bite. Also the bread was a bit too dense.

3/5 Carbonara and Lasagne: Unfortunately, this is not on bar with piccolo arrancio. I was going to give this a 4 or a 3.5, but as I’m considering if I would recommend the pastas, the answer would be no. It did not taste bad or make me sick and was editable. However, both dishes lacked flavor somehow. I almost thought it was missing salt for once. The pasta of carbonara wasn’t bad, but it tasted like it had absorbed the flavor of the container it was storied in/the pantry. I felt myself missing the rich carbonara of piccolo arrancio. As for the lasagne, it was better than the carbonara, but I felt that it was plain and I was very bored eating it.

3/5 Steak: This was nicely presented. The meat was also cooked as our instructions. I like mushrooms, but the type of mushrooms in this dish was a wrong choice and was a bit overpowering. The tomatoes did not have a regular tomato taste that I love and again had a more watery/refrigerated aftertaste and took away rather than adding a refreshing component. The chimmichurri-like sauce lacked flavor although it was a fine idea. The arugula was also a nice idea, but the leaves looked a bit withered. As for the steak, it was not very soft, but still better than what was served at Il Marchese, but it was bleeding slightly and did not taste as fresh as well as lacked seasoning (salt and pepper basically). For its price point (20 euros), I would say I wasn’t angry at this and I still finished the dish, but again, I can’t help but recall piccolo arrancio’s take that costs 4 euros more.

Service: The service wasn’t bad. However, I would say that off the bat this was not 5 star restaurant service. They used these tiny plastic things to place our cutlery, but those were slippery and not effective at keeping the utensils in one place. Also there was no communication about the knives, so we were given steak knives before hand and then on our plates for the steaks, there were knives on the plates. I don’t mind this but, if we are being meticulous, someone came and took the first set of knives back. Also with the bread in the beginning, no plates were given to us and so we were eating bread and dipping it from the singular serving dish of the bread. The cups are also far too large, making them look empty even if we filled them with 1/4 of the bottle.

Payment: the total cost was 71.50 euros. I don’t know if they accept American Express because I was paid for, but for the price point this was not bad (two pastas and two steaks) and a direct view of the Colosseo. I would say this restaurant is a pass and Tavernelle would be the better option similarly priced. However if you are willing to spend 10/20 euros more per person, then piccolo arrancio executes these exact dishes perfectly. I hope you found this review helpful!