Ten Best Restaurants in Rome

Elizabeth Helman Minchilli

Magazines, guidebooks, newspapers and the Internet all tout the best places to eat in Rome, but I have a better guide. I have direct access to Elizabeth Helman Minchilli, and she has the inside scoop.

Elizabeth leads the charmed Italian life. She was born in the United States, but has lived in Italy for 20 years, dividing  her time between a rooftop apartment in Rome, and a villa in Umbria, where I’ve had the pleasure of staying. (Five bedrooms, olive grove, 40 varieties of roses and a pool make the villa my idea of heaven. Since she rents it out, you can visit heaven too.)  Elizabeth travels through Italy gathering material for not only her articles, which she contributes to an enviable number of magazines, but also her books—six to date with Italian Rustic (Artisan, 2009) being her newest. Elizabeth is an authority on the best of the best Italian architecture, style, culture and food—which is why she tops my list of friends to call for restaurant recommendations.

So what are Elizabeth’s current favorite places to eat in Rome? Where would she suggest visitors try if they are headed to Rome the summer of 2010?

In her own words:

“It’s always hard choosing ‘the best’ of anything. While a lot of people complain about food in Rome, I find it’s hard to go wrong when going out to dinner here. In Florence and Venice it’s almost impossible to avoid tourist traps, but in Rome, it’s just not that hard to get a good plate of pasta. That said, I definitely have my favorites. The following are the places I go regularly, not in any particular order. I’ve tried to include a few in different neighborhoods since I imagine you’ll be touring around. For more Roman tips, visit my web site.

La Gensola

Piazza della Gensola 15

Tel: 06 581 6312

One of the best places to eat the freshest seafood in Rome. The other night we were there and the fish was delivered fresh from the boat, as we sat down at 8:30. By 8:45 we were dining on barely cooked sea scallops drizzled with aged balsamic and pasta tossed with chunks of fresh tuna and pine nuts. Dishes include such hard to find, and artisanal ingredients as saba from Emilia Romagna, collatura from Campania and small white beans from the hills of Lazio.

Urbana 47

Urbana

Via Urbana 47

06 478 84006

It’s not a coincidence that one of the most successful restaurant openings of the past few years happened in the ever-hipper Monti neighborhood. Walk past a handful of outside tables, to be welcomed by big over stuffed velvet armchairs. Mismatched tables and chairs are scattered over several loft-like rooms, including one that is completely open to the kitchen. There is something for everyone here, since service starts with breakfast and goes into the wee hours. Ingredients are organic and sourced locally, a forerunner of the “Zero Kilometro” or locavore movement in Rome. The menu changes seasonally, but this past fall we enjoyed pumpkin stuffed ravioli and vegetable ‘meatballs’ in a yogurt and pecorino sauce. Don’t miss their lunch buffet, a real bargain at 8 euros.

Taverna Dei Fori Imperiali

Via Madonna dei Monti 9

06 679 8643

Although it looks very touristy from the outside – red checked table clothes, dripping candle in Chianti bottle, etc.- this is actually a well-hidden secret. Don’t be fooled by the ordinary sounding menu posted by the front door. Chef Alessio always offers about a dozen specials, which are hard to choose from since they all sound so good! My favorite new addition is Fettuccine alla Romana, a pasta take on the venerable saltimboca. Homemade fettucine are tossed with prosciutto, pine nuts and sage. While the clientele is usually an assortment of locals and some tourists, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino and Robert De Niro dropped in during the film festival and New York Times critic Frank Bruni and San Francisco chef Gary Danko both recently ordered Alessio’s famous meatloaf.

La Vecchia Bottega del Vino

Via Santa Maria del Piano 9a/11

06 681 92 210

Anacleto Bleve, and his wife Tina, are responsible the high standard of today’s enotecas in Rome. They first opened their wine shop in Rome’s ghetto twenty years ago, before expanding to their newer – and grander – Casa Bleve, near Piazza Navona. The original enoteca, which regulars love as much for its cozy décor as for the excellent wines is still my favorite. Their warm and friendly service – and fair prices and ever-excellent food – makes this many Roman’s favorite enoteca.

Settembrini

Via Luigi Settembrini 25

06 323 2617

When head sommelier Luca Boccoli left Casa Bleve last year, he was quickly nabbed by this new restaurant, and many regulars followed him there. The softly lit dining room is mostly taken up by the food-laden counter, topped with cheeses, hams, salamis and a chilled bucket of half a dozen champagnes and proseccos. Known for its extensive wine list, the food is innovative, but simple, based on the best ingredients. Although you can make a meal of their artisanal cheeses, hams and salamis, save room for the fish. As a first course try papperdelle tossed with grouper – both raw and cooked. A fillet of ricciolo – a Mediterranean fish – was perfectly cooked with crispy skin, atop a bed of puréed zucchini and topped with fried zucchini strips. If you are too full for dessert share the selection of artisanal chocolates.

Perilli

Via Marmorata 39

06 574 4215

Closed Wed.

One of my all time favorite roman restaurants. Located in the Testaccio neighborhood, this is a real old fashioned roman restaurant, complete with old grumpy waiters. Extraordinary carbornara, amatricana and pagliata (a pasta made with unborn calf intenstines). Meat is also great, including whatever roasts they have that day, as well as various innards. A typical Roman experience.

Trattoria Monti

Via San Vito 13/a

06 4466 573

On of my favorites in Rome, although the place has been there for 30 years. Excellent food and wonderful friendly service. Look at the menu, but the specials (which are many) are what you should concentrate on. They usually do pigeon some way, which is always good.  Do try the parmesan flan with lettuce sauce (listed under vegetarian dishes) as a antipasto. Also, their big tortolloni with a runny egg yolk inside is fantastic. Don’t miss their apple cake, a sort of pudding, for dessert.

Edy

Vicolo del Babuino 4

06 36 00 17 38

Closed Sunday

I only recently discovered this place, located on a small street not far from the Spanish steps. A very old fashioned trattoria that hasn’t been touched since the days of the Dolce Vita. It’s filled mostly with locals, including lots of antique dealers from the area. This is the place to try Roman specialties. I had a vitello tonnato that was great, not so easy to find these days in Rome. There are a few outside tables, but the wood panelled interior felt cool and shady on a summer day.

Ristorante Nerone

Via Delle Terme Di Tito, 96

06 4817952

You can’t come to Rome without visiting the Coliseum and the Roman Forum. Nerone is one of the handful of truly Roman trattoria that haven’t changed their interiors or their menu in the last thirty years. Offering the classics such as Spaghetti alla Carbonara and Vitello Saltimboca as well as a delicious array of antipasti. If you are lucky, nab a table with a view of the Coliseum, which looms a block away. Start with the self-serve antipasti buffet, which includes classics like grilled zucchini and frittata.

Bir & Fud

Via Benedetta 23 Trastevere

06 589 4016

This pizzeria is one of the hottest spots in Rome at the moment. The owner is one of the more highly regarded artisan beer makers in Italy and has a wide and very interesting selection. You can also order a ‘tasting’ menu of 5 beers. Pizzas are fantastic, made with top notch ingredients, but better yet are the other items which change daily. These include ‘fritti’, bruschette and things like suppli which are EXCELLENT! It does get noisy and crowded. To avoid that, get there on the early side, 7:30.”

AND DON’T FORGET COFFEE:  CLICK HERE AND HERE FOR THE BEST IN ROME

Jennifer English

Jennifer English is as knowledgeable about food as anyone anywhere on the planet and she generously shares her knowledge with articulate flair. This is big praise, but well deserved and I’m not the only one who thinks so. Jen has won the James Beard Foundation’s top award for radio broadcasting and a 2010 Gracie Allen award for host-show interviewing.

Founder of The Food and Wine Radio Network; owner of Flavorbank (a spice market retail shop as well as spice lab); teacher; writer; trend consultant and brilliant broadcaster on both radio and TV, Jennifer English is the quintessential food authority. That’s why I asked her to suggest the best places to eat in Tucson, Arizona, where she currently lives. Her list covers a range of dining experiences and will serve as a reference for anyone lucky enough to visit the city.

WHERE TO EAT IN TUCSON

Jennifer English’s top ten (or so) picks:

1a. Start the day in Tucson with breakfast at the Little Cafe Poca Cosa where you will be greeted with a huge smile, hug, kiss and stimulation for every one of your senses. This is my favorite local flavor place. Only open for breakfast & lunch. Lunch is just as good as breakfast. Locals say the eggs & chorizo are as good as their mother used to make.

1b. Jane & Michael Stern declared that Tucson’s Gus Balons was one of the 10 best breakfasts in America. Their homemade sticky bun is the crown & glory. This 3rd generation-run family style diner is like the culinary

Chef Janos Wilder collects garden-fresh vegetables

place that time forgot. In a good way. Home made bread on every sandwich, made fresh daily, homemade pies & soups. As it should be. But the house hand-dipped fried chicken is my favorite. Well seasoned, extra crispy. Yummy.

2. Janos & J-Bar are the home of James Beard Award winning Chef Janos Wilder. Nobody does fresh, local, seasonal like Janos.

Sea bass takes on new heights at Acacia

3. Chef Albert Hall’s Acacia at St. Phillips is an award winning take on fresh local dining with the exquisite eclectic cuisine that keeps the perfectionist chef at his best. Chef Hall is classically trained and a master of flavor and nuance. Devoted to his craft and tireless in his pursuit, he offers the very finest ingredients. No compromises.

4. and 5. TIE

Maynards and  Jax Kitchen

Jax Kitchen's famous chicken

I love that one of the 10 best young bartenders in America is behind the stick at Maynards, and that Chef Adam Buzzalini is doing great things in the kitchen (he is one of the talented young chefs on the national scene to watch).

I love that Jax Kitchen has won the World Margarita Championship too many times to count and their roasted chicken is perfect (it takes up to 45 minutes to do a la minute) and worth every minute.

6. You cannot visit Tucson without making a pilgrimage to the original El Charro. One of Gourmet mags 21 legendary restaurants, one of the 50 best plates in America according to USA TODAY, and the oldest Mexican restaurant in the US. The chicken mole is outstanding. They invented the chimichanga. Really. The carne seca is as authentic as it gets.

El Charro, circa 1922

Interior of Ha Long Bay

7. Ha Long Bay features bright, fresh clean flavors. In other words, classic Vietnamese cuisine. The salt & pepper shrimp, grilled lemon grass pork w/ baby rice, and Pho are my picks. I eat there at least twice a week.

8., 9. and 10.  Tucson Taco Trail

This is sort of like an edible pub crawl to a variety of Tucson’s Mexican restaurants located in different neighborhoods. Each restaurant, unofficially grouped under the title of Tucson Taco Trail, serves the best example of one classic Tucson specialty, but might not do other dishes nearly as well. For example Lerua’s serves the city’s best green corn tamale. The best Chile relleno is found at sister restaurant El Torero, and Pico de Gallo serves the finest fish tacos. These are just a sampling of the many different restaurants serving a not-to-miss dish.

Although the Michelin one-star restaurant focuses attention on traditional dishes made with organic or locally produced ingredients, sometime surprises slip into the offerings.  For example joining the spatzle, schnitzel, apfelstrudel and wine list that is decidedly European, is the Seasonal Wellness Drink based on acai—the health food’s darling berry from Brazil.

Odd choice for this restaurant, but chef/owner Wolfgang Ban says the drink is delicious, detoxifying and health promoting and he enjoys it. He’ll even add crème de cassis, rum, or vodka and serve the drink as a house cocktail.

Go figure, the best of Austrian/German specialties and acai—what can I say? Perhaps “prosit!” will do.

Seasonal's Wellness Drink

SEASONAL’S WELLNESS DRINK

4 ounces pineapple juice (fresh is best)

1 ounce passion fruit puree, strained (or substitute juice)

1 ounce acai berry puree or juice

Combine juices and serve in a tall glass on the rocks.

1 serving.

RED’S BACON OLD FASHIONED

1 thin slice orange

1 maraschino cherry

1/4 ounce maple syrup

2 dashes Angostura bitters

2 ounces bacon-infused Jack Daniel’s

Ice

Splash club soda

Squeeze orange and put in an old-fashioned glass. Add cherry and maple syrup. Muddle lightly. Add bacon infused bourbon. Fill glass with ice and top with club soda.

TO INFUSE BOURBON WITH BACON

Fry 3 to 4 slices of bacon to render fat. Reserve or eat bacon (you won’t need it) and strain the bacon fat into a non-porous container. Pour a 750ml bottle of Jack Daniel’s over fat in container and set aside for 6 hours at room temperature. Refrigerate mixture for about 12 hours or until fat solidifies, then remove fat from bourbon and strain the bourbon back into the bottle.

Maybe it’s my imagination but the food isn’t quite as good since the move, still it is about the best airport food I know.

Lines (there are always lines) in front of the cafeteria steam table move quickly, but if I’m in a hurry, I cut to the chase and order a Cuban sandwich with a side of meltingly sweet plantains from the counter at the end of the room.

If time allows, and the cafeteria is serving Cuban specialties (not in the morning when ordinary American breakfast is served), I join the line and load a tray with thick chunks of roasted pork or fork tender lamb shanks or maybe the arroz con pollo (chicken with yellow rice).

The place is usually packed and a tad chaotic. Portions seem huge (if on a return trip, I fly leftovers home in easy-to-tote containers) and prices run relatively moderate. Once again, that’s La Carreta in the Mmmmmmmm-iami airport.

The recipe comes from the Smithfield Inn, a charming B & B in Smithfield, Virginia.

Everything about this historic property represents the best of genteel Southern comfort, including the graciously appointed rooms, the soft-spoken well-mannered staff and the deeply delicious Southern specialties served in the dining rooms.

As good as the food is, the undoubted jewel in the crown of the menu’s tasty treats has to be lemon chess pie.

It’s hard to imagine more butter or sugar baked into one pie, and the Inn adds to the calories by serving the pie with whipped cream. Because it is so rich, a thin sliver should suffice for a serving. Of course a second and third thin sliver would be even better. When it comes to this pie, to paraphrase Mark Twain, too much is barely enough.

SMITHFIELD INN LEMON CHESS PIE

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie; 8 servings.

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter

2 cups granulated sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

6 eggs

Zest and juice from 3 lemons

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust (recipe follows)

Whipped cream (optional garnish)

Preheat oven to 300°F.

Cream butter and sugar together in a large bowl with an electric mixer. Beat in flour and salt. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Gradually beat in zest and juice.

Spoon batter into pie shell. Bake until pie’s top is golden brown and filling is set, 45 to 65 minutes. Set pie on a rack and cool to room temperature. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until firm enough to cut, several hours to overnight. Serve garnished with a dollop of whipped cream if desired.

PIE CRUST

Yield: 1 (9-inch) pie shell.

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

7 tablespoons shortening

3 tablespoons ice water

Additional all-purpose flour for rolling dough

Mix flour and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Put each tablespoon shortening in a different place on top of flour. Mix lightly with fingers to form coarse crumbs. Sprinkle water over top of crumbs. Mix with a fork until dough begins to hold together. Turn dough out of bowl onto a lightly floured surface and knead lightly and quickly until smooth. Form dough into a ball, flatten slightly with palm of hand, wrap in waxed paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to use.

Roll dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin to an 11-inch circle. Carefully transfer circle to a 9-inch pie plate. Fold overlap under at edge of plate and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate 30 minutes.

The following cheese condiment recipes come from The American Club in Kohler, Wisconsin. This AAA Five Diamond resort hotel is famous not only for golf, but also for its Immigrant Restaurant & Winery, which prides itself on serving the best artisanal Wisconsin cheeses found in the United States. Cheese does not stand alone at the Immigrant, but is offered with a variety of condiments, adding flavor and flair to the already wonderful.

Busy hosts and hostesses are going to love these recipes, as they are multitaskers.

Beat Fig Rum Conserve into Mascarpone for a knock-out cheese spread; stir a touch of Port Wine Sauce into a vinaigrette for a distinctive salad dressing; and top vanilla ice cream with Preserved Kumquats for a sophisticated holiday sundae. But of course, don’t forget the original concept: group the condiments together and add panache and pizzazz to any party cheese platter.

CONDIMENTS TO SERVE WITH CHEESE

FIG RUM CONSERVE

Yield: About 3 cups.

12 ounces dried figs

About 1-1/2 cups dark spiced rum

1/4 cup granulated sugar

Water

Put figs in a 2-quart saucepan. Pour enough rum into pan to come to top of figs. Let soak until figs are softened, 1 to 2 hours. Sprinkle sugar over figs. Add enough water to cover figs by one inch. Set saucepan over medium heat and bring liquid to a gentle boil. Gently boil until figs are very tender, 30 to 45 minutes.  Let mixture cool slightly then puree in a blender. Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PORT WINE SAUCE

Yield: About 2 cups.

6 cups port wine

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar

Bring port to a boil in a medium saucepan set over high heat. Boil until port is reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Stir sugar into port and continue boiling until mixture is slightly syrupy and lightly coats a spoon, about 20 minutes (sauce will become more syrupy as it cools). Cool completely at room temperature then refrigerate in a covered container.

PRESERVED KUMQUATS

Yield: About 2 cups.

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

Water

1 pound (about 3-1/2 cups) kumquats

1/2 teaspoon salt

Combine sugar and 1-1/2 cups water in a medium saucepan and set over high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves. Without stirring, boil mixture 3 minutes. Set aside.

Cut kumquats in half and remove all seeds. Put halves in a medium saucepan, add salt and enough water to cover generously (about 6 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Boil 15 minutes.

Drain kumquats and place in saucepan with sugar syrup. Cover and simmer until kumquats are translucent, about 1 hour.

Set saucepan aside, keep covered, and cool completely at room temperature. Refrigerate in a covered container.

Grace Bay beach

Just returned from a fabulous trip to my favorite archipelago, Turks and Caicos—40 islands and cays strung along the blue neck of the Atlantic Ocean like gorgeous shimmering pearls. I stayed on the main island, Providenciales, or “Provo” as locals call it, in Ocean Club West—a peaceful, lushly landscaped resort with individually owned condos renting to vacationers. (I’m going to try to do good deeds the rest of my days so that I can come back in the next life as an Ocean Club owner).

As it happens, Provo, which is located about 550 miles southwest of Miami, has the world’s best beach. Don’t take my word for it. Ask anyone who has ever been. Grace Bay beach has to be Mother Nature’s particular favorite sandy playground as she stretched indescribable-soft, dazzling-white, powder-sugar sand over 12 miles and garnished the glory with 350 days of sunshine, gentle trade winds to fan the heat and clear warm water wearing every vibrant shade of blue. No cruise ships dock in Provo (hallelujah), so the beach is uncrowded and as peaceful as a nap.

In addition to divine beaches (not only on Provo, but throughout the islands) Turks and Caicos is famous for diving, snorkeling and conch (pronounced “konk”).

Conch shells

The world’s only conch farm is found on Provo and those wanting to learn about this large marine snail can tour the farm, but savvy tourists learn most in Provo’s restaurants where the almost-totally flavorless, chewy conch is made ever so palatable.

Not-to-miss conch dishes on Provo include conch fritters at Ocean Club’s Cabana Bar & Grill, conch ravioli at Coco Bistro, the conch burger at Ocean Club West’s Seaside Café, and all things conch at Da Conch Shack.

I could give you a recipe for conch, but I have a better souvenir from Provo for you—a recipe for the award winning beet mojito served at Ocean Club Resorts. Yes, you read it right—beet—the veggie, and OMG, of many ways to consume beets, a mojito beats them all.

OCEAN CLUB RESORTS’ BEET MOJITO

Beet mojito served at Ocean Club West

1 lime, cut into 6 wedges

A few sprigs mint

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

Ice

1 tablespoon beet puree (boil beets until soft and puree in a blender until smooth)

1-1/2 ounces rum

Sprite

Garnish (optional): fresh mint, lime wedge and sugar cane stick

In a tall tumbler or highball glass, muddle 5 lime wedges with mint and sugar until well crushed and juicy. Fill glass with ice. Add rum and beet puree. Stir well. Fill remaining glass with Sprite. Stir gently. Garnish with 1 lime wedge, a sprig of mint and a stick of sugar cane.

Danny Meyer

restaurateur opened Union Square Cafe and Gramercy Tavern, two of New York City’s most beloved restaurants, but before he opened Eleven Madison Park, Tabla, Blue Smoke, Shake Shack and The Modern, the decidedly luscious dining room in the Museum of Modern Art.

As fitting America’s quintessential restaurateur, Danny’s turkey is not—not at all—not even remotely—run of the mill or traditional. He practically flash roasts his turkey, cooking it at a high heat covered with bacon, which lends a delicate porky flavor and keeps the turkey moist.

Talking turkey, Danny’s recipe gives cooks with time constraints just one more reason to be thankful on Thanksgiving.

DANNY MEYER’S BACON ROAST TURKEY

1 fresh (11- to 12-pound) turkey

Salt

Coarsely cracked black pepper

About 6 sprigs fresh herb (sage, marjoram, thyme or a combination)

1 pound bacon, thinly sliced

Rinse turkey under cold running water and dry well inside and out. Sprinkle body cavity with salt and pepper. Place herb sprigs inside cavity. Do not truss turkey or close legs. Place turkey, breast up, on a rack in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Completely cover top of turkey with bacon, using the entire pound. Place turkey in a preheated 450-degree oven and roast until bacon is completely browned, about 35 minutes. Remove bacon from turkey (reserve bacon for another use).  Baste turkey well with bacon drippings. Insert a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the turkey thigh, not touching bone. Reduce heat to 425 degrees and continue roasting turkey, basting every 15 minutes with bacon drippings, until turkey registers 180 degrees on the meat thermometer, 1 to 1-1/2 hours. Remove turkey from oven and let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.

Yield: About 10 servings.

APPLE HAZELNUT AND BLUE CHEESE SALAD

Adapted from recipe supplied by Tom Power Jr., chef, Fat Canary.

Yield: 4 servings

1/2 cup port

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons currents

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

About 4 heaping cups mixed baby lettuces

About 1/3 cup skinned, toasted hazelnuts (see note)

1 apple, cored and cut into slender strips

About 4 heaping tablespoons micro greens or sprouts

4 wedges (about 1 ounce each) good blue cheese

In a nonreactive pan, bring port and sugar to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, until liquid reduces and becomes syrupy, about 7 minutes.

Pour hot port syrup over currents and let seep 2 minutes. Drain currents and set syrup and currents aside to cool completely.

Prepare vinaigrette: Whisk 1 tablespoon of the reserved port syrup with vinegar and oil until well blended. Toss lettuce with vinaigrette. Mound lettuce in center of each of four serving plates. Sprinkle hazelnuts and currents over and around lettuce, giving each serving an equal amount. Arrange 1/4 of apple strips haphazardly over each serving of lettuce, and then top each serving with 1 tablespoon micro greens or sprouts. Drizzle remaining port syrup on top of and around salad on each plate. Garnish each serving with a wedge of blue cheese. Serve immediately.

Note: To toast and skin hazelnuts: spread shelled nuts in one layer on a baking sheet. Put in a preheated 300 degree oven and roast, shaking pan once or twice to redistribute nuts, until skins “break” and nuts turn a light golden brown, 10 to 20 minutes. Wrap nuts in a kitchen towel and set aside 1 minute. Rub nuts in towel to remove loose skin (not all skin will come off). Cool completely.