Girl Meets Food

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From around the world, Amuse-Bouche gives you little morsels of delight.

One of the most beautiful cities I’ve ever been to is Rome, where modern-day buildings sit atop 2,000-year-old ruins, everyone rides a scooter at break-neck speeds and there is a panini truck outside The Forum.

The Colosseum in modern-day Rome.

I started each morning with a foamy cappuccino and ended each night with an espresso.  I devoured pasta, pizza, gelato and red wine almost exclusively.

It’s important to take everything in when in Rome.

Italians are super-friendly, especially when they drive.  When speeding in your direction, they will slam on their brakes to allow you to cross the street.  Walk behind a nun just to be safe.

Everything is smaller in Europe–people, streets, serving sizes—and the same goes in Rome.  If you prefer a large, American-sized coffee in the morning, don’t succumb to Starbucks—just ask for a max cappuccino.

Dinner in Rome usually last several hours, and while you don’t have to order every course, it’s customary to order at least two.

In the charming, artists’ town of Trastevere, there are many restaurants and pubs, but only one with roaming Roman musicians.

At Osteria da Meo Patacca (Piazza de’ Mercanti, 30, Rome, Italy) you may hear the clichéd “That’s Amore,” but you will be treated to old, romantic Italian songs as well.

As a first course, spaghetti alla carbonara ($17, pictured left), is tossed in a whisper of rich cream and salty, aged pancetta. So creamy and satisfying, I longed for a Venti-sized bowl of it. See the dinner menu here.

Across the Tiber near Piazza Navona, locals know to head to Antica Taverna (Via Monte Giordano, 12, Rome, Italy).  My dining companions included local artist Leonardo from the piazza, and a periodontist named Dr. Guiseppe who said I ate with a surgeon’s precision.

A trough-like platter of freshly grilled seafood required strategic planning and careful savoring when there is buttery, rich salmon; large, firm prawns; tender, chewy calamari; salted codfish from Norway; and a soft, white sea bass.

“My mother used to say when you eat,” Dr. Giuseppe said, “you fight the death.”

I was winning.

After visiting the Colosseum, walk a half mile to La Mela D’Oro (Via Santa Maria Maggiore, 157, Rome, Italy) for pizza that is so ethereal, you’ll want to kiss the Pope.

Order a classic margherita with a wondrous crust that is paper-thin and crisp, impossibly full of flavor and bubbly with areas of delightful charring.  Plump, ripe, sweet tomato sauce and a veil of mozzarella is so fresh, you’ll feel like you’re eating tomatoes off the vine next to a cow.

Rome is a memorable place with lovely people, rich history, and a Colosseum full of cats.  I am counting the days until I return.  My only regret is that I ran out of time and room in my stomach.

Address Book:

Osteria da Meo Patacca, Piazza de’ Mercanti, 30, Rome, Italy
Antica Taverna, Via Monte Giordano, 12, Rome, Italy
La Mela D’Oro, Via Santa Maria Maggiore, 157, Rome, Italy

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