Italy: all things food and wine-related

[euro cruiser]

It depends on the cruise line, each have their own policies.  Check with them.

[bennybear]

We love trying the local Italian wines and find it worthwhile even when paying the corkage on Holland America.

Edited August 20, 2023 by bennybear

[-Lew-]

On 8/12/2023 at 12:22 PM, Anyislandwilldo said:

We are headed to Italy next year for a cruise.  I remember reading somewhere this cruise will allow you to bring wine on board in almost every port to be consumed right away.  Is this correct??

 

This is a question better posed on the forum dedicated to the cruise line you're sailing...Carnival perhaps?  Cruise lines each have their own rules for bringing wines and spirits onboard and their consumption.

[-Lew-]

In November 2019 we did a food tour in Rome with Eating Rome Food Tours.  At the end of the tour our excellent guide shared his favorites with us.  See below...

 

 

[slidergirl]

Lew - when I first saw 'birria", I thought "gee, I didn't know Rome did tacos".  Then I remembered that birria is beer 😸

 

Nice list of places.  

[marazul]

1 minute ago, slidergirl said:

Lew - when I first saw 'birria", I thought "gee, I didn't know Rome did tacos".  Then I remembered that birria is beer 😸

 

Nice list of places.  

Birra, not birria. 😉

[slidergirl]

4 hours ago, marazul said:

birra, not birria.  😉

My old, bad eyes.   Plus, I think I was hungry at the time 😉

[MrsPeel55]

right, I only read the very first few posts, will come back tomorrow, mainly because is 05:11 am in the UK and I had no sleep (our living room is taken by two big suitcases open with piles of clothes and shoe boxes) but also  my daughter wont forgive me for reading on my own (gelato passionate, she is)

 

I keep counting my blessings, each and every day, and at this point in time, having found Cruise Critic is very high on the list. I am a bit more emotional and talk (a bit? LOL) more than average English speaker, but I have to say, my heart is full of gratitude for all of you who share your time, info, experiences which is making my life so much easier. ❤️ 

Thank YOU!!!! 

[UKWildcatCruiser]

Weird question - is asking for a to go box for leftovers a faux pas in Rome?  I can't eat a lot in one seating but usually want a bite of something before bed.  I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos on restaurants and I never see anyone taking their leftovers.  Do the restaurants even have the to go containers?

[cruisemom42]

22 minutes ago, UKWildcatCruiser said:

Weird question - is asking for a to go box for leftovers a faux pas in Rome?  I can't eat a lot in one seating but usually want a bite of something before bed.  I've been watching a lot of Youtube videos on restaurants and I never see anyone taking their leftovers.  Do the restaurants even have the to go containers?

 

Taking home "left overs" appears to be a mostly US custom, based on my travels. At least in Europe. Portion sizes in restaurants are (in general) more reasonable than what we are served in the US, and since most meals are ordered and eaten in courses, I suppose the expectation is that you do not order more than you expect to eat in the restaurant. 

 

According to my Italian teacher, for years there was not even really a word or phrase in Italian that was the equivalent of "left overs" or "doggie bag" (which I always thought was a strange way of saying it). Of course, things are always changing, and I gather that some now call leftovers "gli avanzi", which basically means "the remains". 

 

A waiter may not even understand your request to take uneaten food with you, although those in more touristy areas probably are familiar with the request. I wouldn't ask for them in a really nice restaurant as culturally, this practice still seems to be a little frowned upon. Obviously it is fine in some situations such as pizzerias and bars where you may be ordering food to take-away in the first place.

 

[lisiamc]

One of my favourite stories from dining in Italy: we ate at a lovely restaurant in the Marche countryside, and had tagliata, served with a hot stone to finish cooking it to our liking. It was delicious, but just a bit too much for DH and I. We asked if our leftover steak could be boxed up “per portare via” and it was, in a nice foil box. When we got home, I looked in the box, and we had a quite a lot more sliced steak than just what we had been unable to finish. I’m pretty sure they thought we were going to give it to our (nonexistent) dog. I looked at the large-ish packet of beautiful steak, and… cooked it up the next day into a lovely curry! We didn’t die, and it made a fabulous curry. 😁

[tfg]

Hi we are staying in rome the day before our cruise land at 1000 local,we are staying near the Spanish steps in via belsiana 90 and would like some recommendations for authentic places for lunch and dinner,have looked at LA campana and cantina belsiana any recommendations really appreciated.

Tia

[marazul]

1 hour ago, tfg said:

Hi we are staying in rome the day before our cruise land at 1000 local,we are staying near the Spanish steps in via belsiana 90 and would like some recommendations for authentic places for lunch and dinner,have looked at LA campana and cantina belsiana any recommendations really appreciated.

Tia

One of the best gelaterias in Rome is nearby: Venchi

[ninjacat123]

On 11/5/2021 at 2:29 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

If my memory is correct, I asked the Albergo del Senato to make several local reservations for me before I arrived. They have been really helpful with things like that for me.

 

Restaurants, as you say, are pretty easy to do on your own -- but they have also helped with making calls to get me access to various sites (like those operated by Commune di Roma) which depend on being able to discuss more fluently.  I could probably do it now after years of Italian, but a decade ago it was intimidating, plus I would sometimes have trouble getting hold of the correct person/guide/bureaucrat....

 

 

I called Colline Emiliane and left a voice mail requesting a reservation for a 9:30 dinner for two on Saturday, Oct 28.  I left my name, number and email so they could confirm with me.  Is there something else I can do?  I will be in Rome Oct 16-18 so I could walk in and make a reservation if there is still a table.  I saw that they have a Michelin star.  I appreciate any advice!  You too @marazul 😃

[cruisemom42]

2 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

I called Colline Emiliane and left a voice mail requesting a reservation for a 9:30 dinner for two on Saturday, Oct 28.  I left my name, number and email so they could confirm with me.  Is there something else I can do?  I will be in Rome Oct 16-18 so I could walk in and make a reservation if there is still a table.  I saw that they have a Michelin star.  I appreciate any advice!  You too @marazul 😃

 

Are you staying in a hotel? If so, I'd email them and ask them to check on reservation for you. If there isn't one, ask them to make one (if available). They do book up.

 

 

[marazul]

16 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Are you staying in a hotel? If so, I'd email them and ask them to check on reservation for you. If there isn't one, ask them to make one (if available). They do book up.

 

 

Ditto.

[ninjacat123]

22 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

Are you staying in a hotel? If so, I'd email them and ask them to check on reservation for you. If there isn't one, ask them to make one (if available). They do book up.

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, marazul said:

Ditto.

Thank you my dear Italy gurus! I have messaged my hotel manager with the details. We shall see....

[ninjacat123]

On 9/1/2023 at 5:12 PM, cruisemom42 said:

 

Taking home "left overs" appears to be a mostly US custom, based on my travels. At least in Europe. Portion sizes in restaurants are (in general) more reasonable than what we are served in the US, and since most meals are ordered and eaten in courses, I suppose the expectation is that you do not order more than you expect to eat in the restaurant. 

 

According to my Italian teacher, for years there was not even really a word or phrase in Italian that was the equivalent of "left overs" or "doggie bag" (which I always thought was a strange way of saying it). Of course, things are always changing, and I gather that some now call leftovers "gli avanzi", which basically means "the remains". 

 

A waiter may not even understand your request to take uneaten food with you, although those in more touristy areas probably are familiar with the request. I wouldn't ask for them in a really nice restaurant as culturally, this practice still seems to be a little frowned upon. Obviously it is fine in some situations such as pizzerias and bars where you may be ordering food to take-away in the first place.

 

We just had a wonderful dinner here in Charlotte, NC with my DH's second cousin that he hadn't seen in 40 years!  He lives in Copenhagen and when we asked to have a plate wrapped up (it had over half a chicken, the waitress made us over order) the second cousin smiled and said leftovers are not taken home in Europe. Now I know!😄

[marazul]

47 minutes ago, ninjacat123 said:

We just had a wonderful dinner here in Charlotte, NC with my DH's second cousin that he hadn't seen in 40 years!  He lives in Copenhagen and when we asked to have a plate wrapped up (it had over half a chicken, the waitress made us over order) the second cousin smiled and said leftovers are not taken home in Europe. Now I know!😄

It's considered to be tacky. 😄

[cuterlmt]

I've read through a good number of the posts here and have some specific questions.

We will be staying at Albergo Santa Chiara. We are looking for restaurants for lunch/dinner in that area as we'll be staying there a few days pre-cruise. We do not drink alcohol. And we'll probably stick to mostly non-meat dishes. I don't think I can get my husband on board to eat pork cheek, although I might try it. He likes shrimp, so any pasta with cheese and shrimp, he would probably eat. Pizza is fine, and gelato of course. And if there's a fried artichoke around, I might try it. 

The hotel serves breakfast, so I imagine the only treat we might have after breakfast is one of the filled croissants I've heard about. So mostly afternoon/evening options. Husband will not eat sandwiches, but will eat bread, or pizza. We do not eat a ton of food, so we may split dishes (if allowed) or like a place that has appetizer size meals or we can opt for appetizer pasta or something.

We'd like a place that isn't too busy (if that's possible). We'll be there the 2nd week of November. 

Thank you all for sharing your information! It has been great reading about your experiences and jotting down notes for our visit.

 

[cruisemom42]

12 hours ago, cuterlmt said:

 

We will be staying at Albergo Santa Chiara. We are looking for restaurants for lunch/dinner in that area as we'll be staying there a few days pre-cruise. 

Many of the suggestions provided are in the area near the Pantheon/Piazza Navona, close to your hotel including the highly recommended Armando Al Pantheon. 
 

No restaurant requires you to order wine, of course. And keep in mind that in Italy a pasta course is typically much smaller than you might expect in the US. They size it to be one of several courses.

 

Since you’ll be sightseeing, it would be hard to know where you’ll be at lunchtime. If you want a sit-down lunch, just browse menus and look at places until you find one that appeals. A few restaurants still offer a prix-fixe lunch special that includes 2-3 courses for a reasonable cost but limited choices. If you want to eat quickly and don’t like sandwiches then pizza by the slice or etto might be your best option. There’s a quick pizza place on via dei Pastini (just north of the Pantheon piazza) that has good basic slices.

 

Regarding shrimp and cheese pasta, Italians have a horror of mixing fish and cheese though you might find it in some less traditional kitchens. Oh, and for us Americans who tend to top any Italian dish with Parmesan, in Italy it will only be offered with certain dishes that are considered to be enhanced with it.

 

The best fried artichokes (“alla Giudaea”) are found in the area around the ghetto, not too far of a walk.

 

 Not sure I understand your objection to a busy restaurant. Most good restaurants in the central part of Rome should be busy, and if they aren’t you should wonder why…

[cuterlmt]

Thank you so much for the information - it is exactly what I was looking for,

As far as the busy, my husband is not very patient so I'm just concerned we'll have to wait a while and he'll decide he wants to leave instead of wait. I am very much a planner, so I should probably just make reservations and just get him to those places when it's time.....

I already had Armando Al Pantheon on our list, so that's great that you recommend it.

We plan to visit the Colosseum area and Pantheon area, but plan to stick around there. I've been to the Vatican area and St. Peter's before and hubby does not want to go there, so I think we're just going to hang around areas that are walkable for us. We are a bit older, and slower, but are looking forward to walking around the area.

Can you give me some sense of where the ghetto is to get the famed artichokes? Perhaps the name of a couple of restaurants that might have good ones so I can do some google mapping?

thank you again! These boards are such a wealth of information.

[tfg]

I have several restaurants recommended to me and can't choose so any recommendations will be appreciated

Osteria de sostegno

Matricianella

La campana

Settimio arancio

Lunch ginger grano or pizzeria Italia da 1987

Thanks in advance 

[cruisemom42]

6 minutes ago, cuterlmt said:

Can you give me some sense of where the ghetto is to get the famed artichokes? Perhaps the name of a couple of restaurants that might have good ones so I can do some google mapping?

Ba’ Ghetto is my go-to place for the artichokes. Piperno is good and in the same area but much more of a fancy dinner atmosphere.

 

Start getting your husband to understand that Italians do not rush their dining. Being patient pays off with great food. 🥰

[cuterlmt]

4 minutes ago, cruisemom42 said:

Ba’ Ghetto is my go-to place for the artichokes. Piperno is good and in the same area but much more of a fancy dinner atmosphere.

 

Start getting your husband to understand that Italians do not rush their dining. Being patient pays off with great food. 🥰

Oh he's fine eating slow (LOL), he just isn't patient in his seating and ordering. lol. Thanks for the other suggestions.