RISTORANTE TOSCANO IL BUCO

RISTORANTE TOSCANO IL BUCO – Via S. Ignazio, Roma

This photo of Il Buco dal 1901 is  published 

with kind permision by TripAdvisor.

As I have admitted I have a special relation to Italian food. Il Buco however was a really good experience. We were recommended this restaurant by our Norwegian friends, that was a double edged thing. The first visit was at lunch together with our Norwegian friends. We were received like royalties and were placed in the Norwegian room with a glass of spumante while they fixed a table in the already full restaurant. We heard that the restaurant is a place where the Norwegian expats in Rome goes – especially those with resources and taste for good food.

The habit among them were to let the restaurant choose what to eat. It was a good choice when it came to taste. We got salad on fresh mushrooms that was delicious which was followed by three small pasta dishes generously sprinkled with white truffles. The wine was a well matured local Lazio wine. As it was a late lunch we settled for these to dishes and promised to come back for dinner.

The bill was however a small surprise. They had served us the most expensive of everything and I must say 60 euros for two small dishes and wine for lunch is a little too much for us. Now I understood why they were talking so much about how rich Norwegian people are.

At dinner we – Englishmen and us from Sweden - decided to choose from the menu and the Norwegians followed our example. The bill was much more reasonable and the food as good as at lunch. We also made it absolutely clear to the patron – an absolutely charming man – that some of us were ”poor people” from England and Sweden and not stinking rich people from Norway.

Round the table we had sea-bass, rabbit, Ginny foul, veal and a few other things – all delicious. The wine, for a reasonable prize was even better than the one from lunch.

A funny thing was that the waiter looked like a twin to Sylvester Stallone and he had even put his voice and accent exactly like Rocky’s.

Web: http://www.ilbuco.it/
Latest visit: 2013
Number of visits: 2

Those who read Swedish can go to Några dagar i Rom and read about our visit to Rome

LA TAVERNA DEI FORI IMPERIALI

LA TAVERNA DEI FORI IMPERIALI – Via della Madonna dei Monti 9, Roma

This picture of La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali is used
with kind permission by TripAdvisor

It does not take long to go to Rome from Languedoc. I must admit I am not the greatest fan of Italian food. My main complaint is that you are supposed to fill you up with a enormous plate with pasta from start so you can not enjoy the more subtle delicatessen of Italian food. The second problem I have is the habit of cooking good meat until it is grey and totally dry. So – admitted that you must understand that the restaurants I recommend are really good – according to my taste.

The restaurant La Taverna dei Fori Imperiali is located on a little parallel street to Via Cavour, just a few steps from Forum Romanum. It is very typical Italian. We were seven people of three nationalities and we were all very satisfied with the food. We actually went there two times and both times I had very good pasta for starter, which I surprisingly finished as it was not enormous. My main course was something extra the first visit. It was wild bore with a sauce with blueberries and juniper – delicious. Next time I had the chef's special meat-loaf that was really good. I heard from my wife that the chocolate desert was lovely and my Baba Rum was very good as the pear-desert I had the second time.

The environment is very genuine and the service friendly and professional. The second time we were attended by the chef himself, which was very nice.

Web: http://www.latavernadeiforiimperiali.com
Latest visit: 2013
Number of visits: 2

Those who read Swedish can go to "Några dagar i Rom" and read about our visit to Rome