kylecrowe
Favorite Dinners
A friend of mine visited us in Rome the other day, upon arrival she asked what our favorite part of the city was. It took me a while to think about it, but it really was quite obvious that it was food. I have always loved food, but this semester it has taken on a new importance in my life. More than just a means to solve the current craving I have, it has become the center of my social life and the highlight of many of my evenings spent abroad. No longer do I measure a meal strictly on the quality of food, but now on the environment in which we eat, the company you’re with, and the wine you drink the meal with. There have been four distinct meals that stand out from all the others throughout this semester:
4. La Rosetta: My family was in Rome for the week and we had plans to go to a different restaurant, but we passed La Rosetta on the way, decided it looked good, and walked in. We quickly knew we didn’t fit in, as reservations are strongly recommended. Luckily they found a table for us, right near the front door. Located right next to the Pantheon, La Rosetta is a seafood only restaurant that might have been the most classy eating establishment I’ve stepped foot in. We ordered the tasting menu that provided us with more different kinds of seafood than I’ve tasted in my whole life. I came to Europe fairly scared of eating seafood; I’m going to leave a huge fan of almost every single sea creature, as long as it’s cooked to perfection, thanks in part to this dinner.
3. Za Za’s (Florence): For our first Saturday spent in Europe my friends and I were in Florence, the supposed Steak capitol of Italy. We asked our hostel for a recommendation to somewhere we can taste the steak of Florence, yet still remain in our student budget. We were told to go to Za Za’s, and weren’t disappointed. While the food was great, as a I had a steak and fantastic potatoes that were prepared in olive oil. To this day they’ve been the best potatoes I’ve had in Europe. But this meal was more memorable because of the company.
It provided the perfect transition from a day full of sightseeing to the insanity that would ensue in the next few hours. A few bottles of wine here certainly helped in making the night as magical as it was.
2. La Cisterna: Recommended by my younger brother’s Italian teacher, my family went to this restaurant located in the heart of Trastevere. We didn’t get to order. Our waiter, who barely spoke English, decided what we wanted to eat. We nearly ate ourselves to death through the five course meal, but luckily the restaurant provided entertainment to ease our stomachs, as the hilarious duo of a vocalist and acoustic guitarist kept us laughing all night. It was the perfect family dinner.
1. Glass: My family ate here after we went to La Rosetta a few nights before, this replaced the latter for the most elegant dinner I’ve ever had. I had been looking forward to this dinner all semester as our cooking teacher, Christina, is the head chef. Some of my classmates had gone already and couldn’t put the dinner into words. Extremely classy and ordered, the tasting menu was more than I could have dreamed of.
Everything from the breads down to the desserts were fantastic. My taste buds have never felt more alive as we thoroughly and patiently enjoyed a course of about a dozen different sized meals, all about appetizer-sized portions. As we finished our meal, head chef Christina came to talk to us as we digested our meal. We walked away 100% satisfied.
