Enoteca Corsi

Located up a side street off of Corso Vittorio Emanuele in Rome, Enoteca Corsi is very easy to find on Via Del Gesu, just across the street from Chiesa Del Gesu. As you walk up the street and it narrows and darkens from the shade from the surrounding buildings, don't lose heart. The enoteca is just up the street to the left at number 87-88. 

Number 87 is the enoteca with its dark wood paneling and matching bar. Bottles of regional wines and grappa make their way to the ceiling surrounding a smattering of wooden tables. Take in the atmosphere and enjoy it. Enoteca Corsi is from another era and you will likely not see more places like this in the future as modernization sweeps the many trattorie and osterie in this city. 

When we walked in, we saw local workmen at the bar, ordering carafes of wine filled from the spigots behind the bar. Old world charm revealed itself in small ways, like the tiled floor is a small side room. Most of the other diners lingered over their meals and were speaking Italian. With the exception of ourselves, the only other person speaking English was our  hostess. Her family owns  the enoteca, and her husband was proud to point himself out in one of the photos, after I showed them the David Downey book Food and Wine Rome, one of his new terroir books.  They were tickled to see the book, because they had only seen an article, perhaps a tear sheet, from the author. 

We told them that we had come for the Carbonara, which was not on the daily menu. They were happy to make it up for us and even offered us a choice of pasta; we ordered both. The menu was very modest in price with pasta costing 9 euro instead of the usual 10 - 12. It included meat and fish as well as antipasti. As it turned out our special order cost 12 euro per plate, but we were very pleased to be accommodated and were happy to pay that.

We tried the local Frascati and found it refreshing. The bread that appears on every table in Italy was excellent, rustic Italian bread and came with a condiment of fruity olive oil.

What about number 88? I walked outside and discovered a very large room filled with more tables. It can easily be imagined completely full, but since we walked in within 20 minutes of closing, it only had the family and their friends sitting around one of the tables chatting. I'll bet this restaurant is lively during lunch hour. After looking through their website, it seems they also offer accommodations across the street from the osteria. It's a great central location.

Enoteca Corsi Website

 

Via del Gesù, 87/88

00186 Rome Italy

+39 06 679 0821

Salumeria con Cucina Roscioli

Roscioli is a big name on the food scene in Rome. Members of the family own this restaurant as well as a bakery a block or so away on Via Dei Chiavi . Cousins own several other food venues in the city, but this post is exclusively about their enoteca restaurant, which is too simple a description for this food and wine emporium restaurant. Having read about it, Roscioli was number one on my list of new places to try on this trip. Since their pasta à la carbonara was described as being an excellent
version, I needed to see what all the fuss was about.

        

As I understand it, Roscioli started out as a salumeria and expanded itself by adding deli items such as cheeses, prepared foods, and antipasti items. The big boy in the above photo is proof of that. Italian restaurateurs lovingly show off their equipment and this slicer can probably go through a salami in seconds. Soon it expanded further to became an enoteca adding a very large selection of wines from all over Italy. Now you could probably call it a gourmet store, they call it a kitchen, but I call it a fine restaurant. The menu proves that by identifying quality products that go into each selection on their menu.  

The book that I was reading suggested that a reservation was necessary. We decided to stop by in the middle of the afternoon when we happened to be walking down Via Giubbinori where Roscioli is located. Since half the room is taken up by the deli counter and all the walls are lined with shelves filled with wine, tables were minimal. Even though it looked completely full, I asked the waiter if there was any chance that we could get a table. I told him we did not have a reservation, which did not faze him. He took a look at the back portion of the building where more tables were, and told us the best he could do was to put us downstairs. So down we went, down several flights of stairs into the basement. It was lovely. It turned out that the basement is a wine cellar that requires reservations made weeks in advance and is highly sought after by locals. After seating us, we were presented with a menu and excellent whole grain breads along with pizza bianca. I suspect it came from the family bakery.

After looking through the menu, giggling at the English translations (they call Roman pecorino cheese Romanian cheese) it was clear that we could not have a simple pasta lunch. It needed to be a culinary event, so we selected the Pecorino Ricotta and the Caprese Salad as our first courses. This was my first time tasting sheep's milk ricotta and it was even richer than cow's milk ricotta. I regret I cannot find this in the States. The basil flavored olive oil and pepper were just enough to turn it into a first course instead of an ingredient. The Caprese with the oregano emulsion (pesto) and basil flavored oil came with a cracker-like flat bread and an assortment of cured olives. We had to share, and then linger over this assemblage of flavors, textures and color.

   

As much as I wanted to select another pasta, because they were all so enticing, I dared not miss the Carbonara. Even though my stalwart dining companion would let me taste his order, I knew one bite would not be enough, so we both ordered it. Good call. Eggs check, guanciale (cured hog jowl) check, pecorino cheese (Romanian or otherwise) check, black pepper, check. Every ingredient was in perfect balance and it was truly one of the best tasting pastas we have eaten. For me, Hosteria Romana is still the favorite, but Roscioli is possibly a tie. Another plate of their Carbonara will have to determine that.

Although the dessert was listed as a Cassata, it was partially deconstructed and modernized. It was still composed of a sponge cake, ricotta, and candied fruit, but the pistachio marzipan was replaced with pistachio gelato. Not a bad idea, and not a bad cassata, very good in fact.
 

Even  though we had ordered a dessert,  our waiter appeared with a small gift from the restaurant, two biscotti and a dark, rich , melted chocolate in which to dip them. This is a restaurant we will be going back to on every revisit of Rome. We're already planning another for next year and Roscoli has played a small part in that decision. After reading the menu on their linked website, it  is evident that their menu is seasonal, another plus for this exceptional restaurant.

WEBSITE
Via dei Giubbonari, 21
Rome, Italy 00186
Tel: +39 06 6875287
Fax: +39 06 6865621
info@salumeriaroscioli.com

Ristorante Giglio D’Oro

  

If you find yourself in Italy, consider going on a daytrip to Orvieto in Umbria. It can easily be done through Florence or Rome by train. Once there take the funiculare across the street from the train station, hop the shuttle bus to the duomo, take a few photos of its mosaic facade, and head across the piazza to Ristorante Giglio D'Oro, roughly translated to fleur de lys of gold, before all their tables are taken. To our delight, this was an outstanding choice. With a taverna, trattoria, and tavola caldo as the meager alternative choices on the piazza, we decided to go with the only ristorante in sight. The menu was filled with items we had not seen in Rome. That wasn't such a surprise since we were in Umbria and no longer in Lazio. Umbrian food is heavy on meat, so one can expect to find wild boar, rabbit, pork and lamb as well as beef.

   

Among the antipasti was as sformatino. I have tried this in enough Italian restaurants to know that I don't need to ponder, I now automatically order it. Without resorting to an Italian dictionary, it can be characterized as a vegetable and cheese infused flan. I've tried it made with onion, pumpkin purée, porcini mushroom and now eggplant. Giglio D'Oro's version was covered with a black truffle sauce and it was plated with a sweet, concentrated, red pepper sauce. It was as good in taste as it was attractive in composition. I could have stopped after this one dish and been perfectly satisfied, but I'm pleased that I didn't.

  

A liver pate is hard to resist for my dining companion and me, but in Italy they are generally made with chicken liver and very little butter or cream. Close, but no cigar.

We both ordered the pappardelle in a lamb sauce. Usually, for the sake of this blog, I prefer not to duplicate orders, but to sample a greater diversity of food. I was convinced that this was going to be an exceptional combination and I wanted more than a fork full.  It was so good, I found myself taking smaller and smaller bites, so I could prolong the taste.

 

Because we were in Orvieto, we had to drink the local wine with this meal. Orvieto is famous for its white wine and although I strongly prefer red, the white was well worth a try with its fruit forward, crisp flavor. The red was also a decent wine that went very well with this meal.

  

Too full for a meat course, we decided to stay a bit longer for coffee and dessert. Not having seen Zabaione on an American menu in years, it was a shoe in. Drizzled with caramel and garnished with a biscotti, it appeared to be a thin puddle in the middle of the plate. In reality, it was served in a wide rimmed soup bowl and it was more substantial in viscosity.

  

Remember this word: zucotto. A more luscious ricotta based dessert has not been invented. Littered with chocolate shavings and candied orange peel, this concoction would have been very good just as a cannolo filling, however, the pastry chef had loftier plans. It was molded and set upon a thick layer of a pistachio sauce that had been decorated with a caramelized sugar syrup. Another daytrip to Orvieto is on the horizon.

Website is under construction, so here is the restaurant’s Facebook page if you want to see more photos of the food Il Giglio d'Oro

Piazza del Duomo 8
Orvieto TR, Italy 05018
+39 0763 341903

Pizzeria Amalfi

After hours on our feet and covering over 7 miles at The Vatican Museum and St. Peter's Basilica, we needed a rest. Not wanting to end up in a tourist trap across the street from St. Peter's, we walked through the Vatican walls and headed north for several blocks to Via Dei Gracchi and found Pizzeria Amalfi. It stood out because of it's large awning and double storefront width. The tables sitting along the sidewalk were full, but it was cooler inside, so we sat down with a sigh of relief. We had no expectations of eating, merely wanted cold drinks. After seeing  pizza fly past, we adjusted our plans.

Since it was hot, it was easy to convince ourselves that prosciutto crudo and melone would be refreshing, and they were. It may not be easy to say one restaurant serves better prosciutto than another, but we were too tired to notice any perceptible difference, and would gladly order this again at Amalfi.  

Being surrounded by pizzerie all over Rome, one thing that stands out is the look of the crust. Not all pizza are created equal and that is especially true of the crusts. Many of the crusts we had seen were flat and bore a resemblance to a cracker like flat bread. They appeared crisp, not chewy. Not so at Pizzeria Amalfi.

Once we saw the ingredients, we immediately needed to try the Zucchini flower pizza with mozzarella and anchovy. Until we bit into it, we had no idea that it had been made with fresh mozzarella. The creamy, milky taste was unmistakable and so much better than dried mozzarella. The flowers were sparse and dispersed throughout the pizza with an equally sparse number of anchovy, but they were just the right amount to allow the flavor of the cheese to dominate. The crust was chewy with a small inflated rim. We talked to the waiter about how we had been avoiding ordering a pizza in  Rome, so he informed us that the reason the Amalfi pizza was different was that it was made in the Neapolitan tradition. Good to know. He was happy to tell us that it had also been made in a wood fired oven.

WEBSITE

Via dei Gracchi 5, 12 Rome, Italy

+39 06 397 33165

email info@pizzeriaamalfi

Osteria Da Fortunato

 

Campo Dei Fiore is surrounded by a plethora of restaurants of various quality and price, not only in the campo itself, but on the surrounding streets. Fortunato has found a great way to distinguish itself from it's many competitors. They have their pasta maker (wearing the white scarf on her head) sitting front and center, so that she can be seen plying her trade by anyone passing by. For that reason it is difficult to continue onward past their osteria located on the small street heading south toward the northwest corner of the campo. Pasta must be ordered here, however, antipasti and secondi are also offered. Besides making fresh pasta, another thing that distinguishes Fortunato from its competitors is the fact that you as the customer make your own selection from a variety of sauces.

What was a quick photo op turned into an early lunch. As we were being seated, the pasta maker walked by with a large tray of gnocchi. No second guessing, with gnocchi that fresh it had to be tried, so a menu selection was quickly made. Coda Alla Vaccinara is a Roman classic. This tomato-based sauce is made with ox tail and celery to name but a few ingredients. I had noticed that the ox tail was also available as a secondi. Perhaps that explains why there was no meat which I had fully expected to find in this sauce. This proved to be a minor disappointment, as the sauce still had the bold flavor that I had also expected.

Caccio e Pepe is another classic Roman recipe. This time it was paired with tagliatelle that had been made with a very egg yolk, rich, pasta dough. The deep, yellow color of the dough made me think that perhaps they were experimenting with saffron flavoring, but it was actually their basic dough. The recipe is very close to that of Carbonara, with the exception of the Guanciale, a salt cured, pig jowl. The recipe is composed of pecorino cheese, eggs and pepper. It is simple and simply delicious and there's no better place to try it than Rome.

 

Via Dei Pellegrini

Rome, Lazio Italy