I guess if to my trip to Rome I applied the do as the Romans do I guess the Romans used to eat a lot. We tried a number of restaurants, some great some not so great.
Da Bolognese : Fabulous risotto, great wine to be had, excellent location and ambiance. My risotto was a daily special of saffron and truffles (really can one ever go wrong with truffles?) A fabulous lunch spot. (kudos to the great Sassicaia that was drank along with the great food)
La pergola: La Pergola was the disappointment of my roman eating adventures. Not that it was bad it just that Expectations did not meet reality. For a Three Star Michelin, the food was a bit of a disappointment. Even though it was a special 7 fishes menu given the date(Christmas Eve) I expected a little bit more from the food and the menu. nothing was spectacular, not much invention, It was good it just wasn’t great! my favorite dish was the spaghetti with sea food and bottarga on cream of rucula. It was fresh, tasty and the gluten-free spaghetti was on point! Our least favorite thing: the wine pairings (which we were very disappointing) and ended up getting another bottle, and the Red Mullet dish. It just wasnt very flavourful and the fish was dry. All the pictures of the meal:
Il Pagliaccio: A wonderful 2 Michelin star experience. Unlike Pergola, were I was disappointed, Pagliaccio was the first meal of the trip and it totally lived up to its 2 Michelin stars. We did the classics tasting menu and it was all divine. I particularly enjoyed the pasta with Snails, the Risotto with rucula jus and the Oyster. The wine list was excellent as well, and we could not start the trip wrong with a 2016 Masseto. Bonus points: Great gluten free bread and 3 great gluten free desserts.
Il Matriciano: Wonderful traditional Roman food. Great place for lunch. Superb pastas, ossobuco and risotto. My favorite part of the meal, it was one fo the few places in Rome during winter that had one of my favorite foods: fragolina di bosco. I obviously had them by the bucketful. 
al Ceppo: Very traditional, with a local flair and with wonderful food. I loved the decoration. The Oven in the middle of the space is beautiful and the food coming out of it even better. We had a delightful rissoto with truffles to start (the first meal in rome and a wonderful place to start) that was just good service. In the menu the truffle option was with pasta and there was no rissoto on the menu, but when i told them about my gluten allergy and asked for the dish with gluten free pasta, he was so nice and said the chef would do it with ricer which would taste better. Top level service. The lamb was great too.
Pierluiggi: traditional and fabulous lux seafood. Elegant and Great Service. a great break from the carb feast that is Rome. We had delicious langoustine carpaccio with mango sauce and lobster and fish (pictured almost alive – one was dead one was alive jaja)
Roscioli: a classic for me for lunch. They can be terrible in terms of service (of course we got into a spat about our table location) but once you are seated, the food is totally worth it. My caccio e pepe pasta was on point and the gluten free pasta they have is delicious.
Gusto: A really nice Osteria for lunch. I had a great octopus pasta, and the ham and cheese platters were also a highlight.
Other Roman Highlights (none food related):
- I love beautiful sculptures and Bernini and Michelangelo are my favorites! Some Rome will always involved some beautiful sculptures. I particularly enjoyed the Bernini exhibit happening in the Galleria Borghese
- Speaking of sculptures, I had not been to Rome since they finished the cleaning of the Trevi Fountain and it is so beautiful now!
- A coffee at Cafe del Greco is always a great idea
- This view for the Christmas Message from the Pope was amazing!
- San Crispino never disappoints:
- And Can you get more Italian Merry Xmas than this?
Tati's Tidbits 