Best wine and food tour or experience in Rome?

[scher]

Hi, since I posted about going to vineyards in Tuscany from Rome and was told it was to difficult to do in half a day can you please tell me from one foodie to another....What is the best food and wine experience you have had in Rome? Ideally I would now like to have an amazing experience learning about and how to taste wine from regions of Italy and pairing it with amazing foods from Italy IE meats, cheeses, pastas, desserts. Also looking for fantastic places to eat in Rome as we will be there for a few days. Do not need expensive and dressy just great typical Italian fare.

[slidergirl]

Do a search on this forum. We've had some recent discussions on food in Rome.

 

A quick list of my favorite, places to eat in Rome:

Armando al Pantheon - excellent traditional Roman cuisine (I always eat there my first night)

Cesare al Caseletto - excellent everything - best to go with friends so you can sample a bunch of their amazing appetizers

Pizzeria Emma - sit-down restaurant with pizza dough from the Rosciolis and quality ingredients AND Brunello by the glass!

Pizzarium - small hole-in-the-wall standup place outside the Cipro Metro stop - very eclectic pizza al taglio, suppli, and arancini by Gabriele Bonci (acknowledged as one of the best bread/dough men in Italy)

Roscioli - more Roman fare. Some don't like the service, but I was treated well as a solo woman.

 

 

 

I will confess that I learned of all these places from Katie Parla. She steered me in good directions every time we exchanged emails.

For some photos from her on those restaurants:

http://willtravelforfood.com/2015/05/21/rome-restaurants/

 

If you want some solid recommendations, look up "Katie Parla" and "Elizabeth Minchilli" - both have never steered me wrong. I got some good recs for Florence from Elizabeth's site (and a few emails awhile ago). They also both have apps if you want advice "to go" on the spur of the moment.

[cruisemom42]

Why oh why are "food tours" such a thing? I feel they are a very American way of experiencing the fantastic Mediterranean cuisine. I don't think it would ever occur to an Italian (or French) tourist to take a "food tour" anywhere.

 

Why not just enjoy food like the locals do? Find a good place for dinner and then enjoy a nice, leisurely, several course experience with some good wine to go with it...

 

In general, Italians have a much more relaxed attitude to both food and wine than many countries. Food in Italy isn't complex -- often it involves only a few key ingredients. The key is that everything is very fresh and of very good quality. Same with wine -- most Italians have a very egalitarian attitude toward wine. I've enjoyed eating in local trattorias where the no-name but perfectly adequate house wine is made by the owner's brother.

 

Slidergirl recommends some good places for consideration. She hasn't steered me wrong in the past. But several places I've discovered (and still treasure) have been the result of wandering and serendipity.

[slidergirl]

Thank you for the nice words, cruisemom.

 

There is a women mentioned on Chow and occasionally by Katie Parla and Elizabeth Minchilli that I would love to do a wine class with the next time I'm in Rome. But, I cannot mention her without violating the T&Cs here. She also was one of those who pointed me to Cesare al Casaletto on Chow, but warned me that it is best experienced with other people. I didn't care - I went anyway. I was jealous that I couldn't try all those antipasti passing by me, but I tried one and was blown away (the fried gnocchi in gorgonzola sauce), a secondi and a contorni.

[Host Bonjour]

I have visited the "caves" in Champagne - with my proud French friends - we even took the tour in French...made it even better (I had studied the language plus waiting for English required a wait...When in France!) the tour was FULL :D Apparently, many French wanted to know more about this fantastic, delicious, can- only-be-called-Champagne-if-made-in-Champagne renowned beverage! So very not cliché ;) There was a tasting at the end but where else can one walk in the vineyards of Moet and eat a grape that was missed by the crush? :D

 

Likewise I have cooked traditional Italian food with Italians in Modena - they WANTED me to KNOW and understand their food (R-E-S-P-E-C-T!) and of course, just sit, eat, enjoy. However, being an honored guest for a big dinner in Italia also meant being IN the kitchen and helping to make it - it was quite a production, it was beyond delicious and unforgettable. (The cuisine was a combination of Tuscan and Emilia-Romagna - learning from them, and the Tuscan maternal side of the family - especially in Florence, was a treat!)

 

If Charles de Gaulle himself famously made the statement "How does one govern a country that makes ?? types of cheese?" Well this is just the start of how important food, wine, desserts, beer and so many other things are to the cultures of countries all around the world and why the travel interests of people the world over - world travelers crossing cultures - are likewise interested in learning, understanding and more importantly, SAMPLING these national, regional or local treasures.

 

The opportunities for these visits exist because the interest is there - museums are there - for wine, tea, foods. I stumbled into a Tea Museum in Hong Kong that was fascinating! Nearly every town in Germany makes its own local beer (maybe every home?) and I saw a show on American TV, two men moved to Slovenia to open a Bed and Breakfast and...to make cheese - lots of cheese, for their B&B. I just watched Andrew Zimmern visit the Faroe Islands....for food; he's a chef but one segment included a fisherman for langoustines that are exported to only 12 chefs in the world but also, some of the best foods that have not yet been very far outside of the islands - it was a fascinating show.

 

One can and only ever do what makes one happy on one's OWN holiday - what or why other's do on their holiday is just not that interesting. The nice part is that there IS truly something for everyone and to them, it's always fascinating :) Explore, enjoy - keep going!

Edited May 21, 2016 by Host Bonjour

[sippican]

Interesting viewpoints!

In all of our travels i must say that food tours have offered some of our most enjoyable experiences; from a goulash cooking class at the Sofitel in Budapest to a walking tour in Old San Juan, cheese making in a small Swiss village and wine pairings in CA! Many participants were from the US as well as European countries. (We've been on those that were excellent, as well as "just so").

A great food tour is so much more than simply sitting down to eat somewhere. The guide can offer insight into the food cukture, history, traditions, preparation, etc. Plus you get to sample foods from different venues. We've found that we've returned to some gems that we would have never even considered.

It's an option that we are very glad we've discovered.

We are looking forward to our upcoming Eating Italy tour in the fall.

Do what makes you happy.

[cruisemom42]

:o

I have visited the "caves" in Champagne - with my proud French friends - we even took the tour in French...made it even better (I had studied the language plus waiting for English required a wait...When in France!) the tour was FULL :D Apparently, many French wanted to know more about this fantastic, delicious, can- only-be-called-Champagne-if-made-in-Champagne renowned beverage! So very not cliché ;) There was a tasting at the end but where else can one walk in the vineyards of Moet and eat a grape that was missed by the crush? :D

 

Likewise I have cooked traditional Italian food with Italians in Modena - they WANTED me to KNOW and understand their food (R-E-S-P-E-C-T!) and of course, just sit, eat, enjoy. However, being an honored guest for a big dinner in Italia also meant being IN the kitchen and helping to make it - it was quite a production, it was beyond delicious and unforgettable. (The cuisine was a combination of Tuscan and Emilia-Romagna - learning from them, and the Tuscan maternal side of the family - especially in Florence, was a treat!)

 

If Charles de Gaulle himself famously made the statement "How does one govern a country that makes ?? types of cheese?" Well this is just the start of how important food, wine, desserts, beer and so many other things are to the cultures of countries all around the world and why the travel interests of people the world over - world travelers crossing cultures - are likewise interested in learning, understanding and more importantly, SAMPLING these national, regional or local treasures.

 

The opportunities for these visits exist because the interest is there - museums are there - for wine, tea, foods. I stumbled into a Tea Museum in Hong Kong that was fascinating! Nearly every town in Germany makes its own local beer (maybe every home?) and I saw a show on American TV, two men moved to Slovenia to open a Bed and Breakfast and...to make cheese - lots of cheese, for their B&B. I just watched Andrew Zimmern visit the Faroe Islands....for food; he's a chef but one segment included a fisherman for langoustines that are exported to only 12 chefs in the world but also, some of the best foods that have not yet been very far outside of the islands - it was a fascinating show.

 

One can and only ever do what makes one happy on one's OWN holiday - what or why other's do on their holiday is just not that interesting. The nice part is that there IS truly something for everyone and to them, it's always fascinating :) Explore, enjoy - keep going!

 

 

Some of those visits sound lovely and are not at all what I had in mind when I spoke of 'foodie tours' above -- I am thinking of those Viator-type tours that gather 10-12 people together and walk through a particular city, stopping to sample food at half a dozen or more random stops.

 

These types of tours were virtually unknown until a few years ago -- I'm assuming they fill a niche created by the increased number of US (and other non-EU) tourists.

 

I would much rather simply find a promising Salumeria, go in and poke about, asking for small portions of some good looking salamis and cheeses, then ask for opinions on a good wine to accompany. Or I'd go to a food market like the one at Testaccio and do some sampling.

 

I guess I just lack the "tour" gene. Sorry for any inadvertent offense caused.

[slidergirl]

The photos are not from Katie Parla, but the blogger on the listed website. But, they are excellent photos of the food from a few of my favorite places. The one of the fried gnocchi from Cesare - my mouth still waters each time I think of them!!!

 

I did one to mention one more thing - the all-important coffee stop. There are two places everyone mentions since they are in the Centro Storico: Tazza d'oro and Caffe Sant'Eustachio. Tazza is at the end of the Pantheon piazza, and Caffe is kind of in-between the Pantheon and Piazza Navona area. I prefer Tazza for their cafe granita con panna - the coffee granita drink with whip cream on top. The one at Caffe is too sweet for me. For straight-up espresso, I could do either. But, that granita is heaven on a hot day, heck, it's heaven ANY day :D

 

Do we get into gelato??? Gelateria Artigianale Corona (near the cat sanitary in the Lago Argentina area) and Carapina (in Campo di Fiore a block from Pizzeria Emma) are my favorites. Not big touristy places, but little holes-in-the-wall.

[cruisemom42]

Thank you for the nice words, cruisemom.

 

 

You're welcome. :) I'm looking forward to another visit to Armando al Pantheon in June -- just made my reservation. I am dreaming of ordering the truffle and quail egg bruschetta again....

[Host Bonjour]

:o

 

 

Some of those visits sound lovely and are not at all what I had in mind when I spoke of 'foodie tours' above -- I am thinking of those Viator-type tours that gather 10-12 people together and walk through a particular city, stopping to sample food at half a dozen or more random stops.

 

These types of tours were virtually unknown until a few years ago -- I'm assuming they fill a niche created by the increased number of US (and other non-EU) tourists.

 

I would much rather simply find a promising Salumeria, go in and poke about, asking for small portions of some good looking salamis and cheeses, then ask for opinions on a good wine to accompany. Or I'd go to a food market like the one at Testaccio and do some sampling.

 

I guess I just lack the "tour" gene. Sorry for any inadvertent offense caused.

 

Lovely indeed, yes thank you cruisemom - I have been quite fortunate along the way as a guest, explorer, wanderer. Not everything worked out, but most of the time it was beyond expectations...can't hope for more and even a disappointment is an "experience" from which something can be gained - almost *always* an instance where something positive arises - it's when other people tend to shine, especially locals :)

 

I too enjoy popping into a salumeria, patisserie, local market or the Tesco (whatever!) to make a small picnic somewhere (park, garden, river bank - whatever is legal!) out of what I can buy that's local and just relax. It's another way to sample local cuisine and perhaps "be local" at the same time by shopping and sampling foods produced in country.

 

Also not sure if I'd be interested in the type of tours you refer to in your post...to date I've not yet done one though I wouldn't rule one out ;) Didn't ever think I'd do a HoHo until...I did, in Berlin - I arrived not so very long after the wall had come down and the city, primarily the Eastern side, was under massive construction thus making it so much more difficult to explore than it is today. Of course - not quite the same thing - but being the uber independent I tend to be (OK..depends on the company I am in!) I like being on my own. However, if I found myself in a country or city where it just plain made sense or just appealing to do some sort of sampling tour - I'd do it. Out of character for me? Yes. There's always a first time for everything...new/different can be fun and helpful! In China - I needed help and I *was* one of those, albeit in a very small group, following a guide with a flag...thankfully he was not waving it wildly ;) Oddly enough, re: the food in China? Most of the time I really had no idea what I was eating, the meals were all included and we ate someplace different most of the time but I just sort of went with it - that's why I was in China...an entirely new country, experience, discovery :)

 

We are all on our own paths to discovery and so luckily there are as many different ways to find what we are looking for as there are different types of travelers...big tour, small tour, 'vanilla' tour, 'limoncello' tour (lol), no tour - it's all good.

 

And yes - love the granita, but given my drothers...

GELATO day and night..in Roma, and any other place, Italia is for *walking it ALL off* ;) Ha!

Edited May 21, 2016 by Host Bonjour