Tonight I was wandering around the Campo de' Fiore and couldn't really find any place exciting to eat. How could I possibly top last nights meal at Ditrirambo?
How about Ditrirambo again? After today's disappointing lunch at Da Sergio, I think I need a good dinner.
For starters I am having the Tonerelli e Cacio e Pepe (€8.50). That is a fat spaghetti with pepper and cheese. It seems to be a Roman specialty and I've wanted to try it. All the trattorias offer it and I am sure that here it will be properly prepared. This pasta dish is a white sauce based dish which is probably made by thickening the sauce with the Romano cheese and some of the starchy pasta water.
Oh wow! I just finished the dish and it was heaven. The sauce had a good romano flavor and the pasta was cooked perfectly "al dente". the pasta also seemed to be homemade.
The meal is also served with a basket of home made bread and rolls. Every piece in the basket is delicious. One of the rolls seemed to have walnuts in it and the bread is topped with toasted sesame seeds, the bread also seems to be a semolina bread.
Tonight I am having the same wine as I had last night, the Nero d'Avola. I believe this comes from Puglia which is the heal of Italy's boot shape.
For the main course I am having the pork filet with smoked ham and chestnut puree (€14.50) along with an insalata mista. I always feel I have to have some "green" with my meal. Usually in an Italian restaurant, your meat couse is just that, meat. No greens are included.
The pork dish was pretty attractive and had a good flavor. The pork filets were wrapped in a thin sliced smoked pork. On the side were some small roast potatos and the chestnut puree. I have to say that the dish was tasty but I found the pork to be dry. I forgot my general rule that I usually don't order pork in a restaurant because it is usually dry. I thought this would have been the exception. I don't really hold it against them, pork isn't always easy to cook.
On the other hand, the mixed salad was pretty good. It included romain, radicchio, arugula, cherry tomatoes and cucumber. You are given balsamic and olive oil to dress it yourself.
Tonight I am skipping dessert since I will probably have some gelato later.
The service at Ditirambo this evening is as good as it was last night, although one person who was friendly last night is absent this evening. Funny thing but a couple of the other guys here look like his brothers. Maybe this is a family affair?
I just remembered that today is Thanksgiving. Considering I didn't have turkey, this evenings meal was a pretty good substitute.
Tonights check totaled €39 ($51), a bit more reasonable then last night but I skipped a few frills.
After I offered my credit card to pay the check my waiter stopped and asked me if I wanted an amaro or grappa, I am not sure if this is traditional here or if I am getting this as a return customer. Regardless, I accept the offer and have the same amaro I had last night. The best way I can describe this is that it's a potent drink that is sort of sweet, syrupy, fragrant and bitter with a touch of menthol.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Ha! Cacio e Pepe is one of the dishes I make from my Rachael Ray cookbook. She says "This Roman dish is as old as the city's seven hills." I guess she's right!
Posted by: eric3000 | November 25, 2006 at 06:23 AM
Ciao! Thanks for stopping by my blog.
I love Ditirambo. I was introduced to it by one of the people I used to work with and it was his treat so even better!!
Great choice for your Thanksgiving dinner. I had to skim some parts of your post because I was about to drool.
Posted by: Shelley - At Home in Rome | December 12, 2006 at 04:34 PM