Sebastian Bond - Rome: 2016

ROME 2016 The Food Enthusiasts Complete Restaurant Guide Sebastian Bond Sebastian Bond is the Food Enthusiast. When hes not playing tennis, he dines anonymously at the Publishers (considerable)expense. Gramercy Park Press New York London - Paris Copyright by Gramercy Park Press - All rightsreserved. Please submit corrections, additions orcomments to Published on Smashwords Formatted by * * * All rights reserved. Without limiting therights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publicationmay be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system,or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic,mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without theprior written permission of both the copyright owner and the abovepublisher of this book. Smashwords Edition LicenseNotes This eBook is licensed for your personalenjoyment only.

This eBook may not be re-sold or given away toother people. If you would like to share this book with anotherperson, please purchase an additional copy for each person youshare it with. Thank you for respecting the author'swork. * * * ROME 2016 The Food Enthusiasts Complete Restaurant Guide Table of Contents Ridiculously Extravagant Sensible Alternatives Quality Bargain Spots * * * When in Rome do as the Romans do, and thatmeans enjoying the wonderful food. Visiting Rome may be as muchabout the food as it is about visiting the museums and historicallandmarks. A trip to Rome is certainly not complete withoutexperiencing the food and drink at the many colorful trattorias,pizzerias, ristorantes and gelaterias.

For many years Romesrestaurant scene remained the same and you could stop by a favoriteeatery for mounds of pasta but theres been a recent explosion ofnew restaurants, Panini shops, street-food stalls, bakeries, andcocktail bars run by a new generation of Romans who are adding anew flavor to the ancient city. Traveling the winding streets ofRome you will find many Italian restaurants in tourist centers.While most restaurants in Rome offer the native cuisine you willalso find eateries offering Chinese, Mexican, Indian, and Thai foodbut beware, the standard is not as high as you will find in othermajor cities. Once you try the cuisine at the traditional Italianrestaurants you probably wont care to try anything else,anyway. The best way to see Rome is to walk, sincethe transportation can be a bit unreliable, and you can discover somuch more on foot. Youll see a whole world that could never bedescribed in any tour book. Youll be lured by the salespeople, thearoma of a bakery, and possibly find a hidden piazza that seemsright out of the 16th century (because it is).

Youll wanderthrough neighborhoods filled with families and shops. There are restaurants everywhere but youshould know a few things before heading out for a meal. First,realize that the Italians have a timetable with restaurants openingfor lunch from noon to around 3 p.m., and dinner doesnt beginuntil 7 p.m. Since the Italians usually dont eat until 9 p.m.,its advisable to dine out early to avoid the crowds and mostlikely youll also be dining with other tourists. (If you want toeat with the locals, the later you eat, the better.) Most of the restaurants located on the mainsquares may offer great views but the better and less expensiveeateries are usually located on small streets away from thebustling crowds. For the most part, avoid restaurants that havewaiters aggressively trying to lure customers into their venue orpassing out flyers.

The good restaurants dont need hawkers. Once inside, dont expect the waitstaff tobe as friendly as waiters in America. Waiters are there to do a joband will recite the specials, explain certain dishes, and will evenhelp you select a wine for your meal. Italian menus are dividedinto courses. Italians often order one course at a time. Theyapproach food in a much more relaxed and (some, including myself,would use the word civilized) manner.

They eat it and then orderanother course if theyre still hungry. Dont look for a lot ofthose Italian dishes that youre used to seeing at your localItalian eatery at home because many are not authentic Italian sothey wont be on any menu here in Rome. Personally, I always make ahabit to asking for any specials if they are not offered becauseoften they are some of the freshest and best dishes you can get. Ifthere are specials, I always select one over anything on the menu.Always. Getting the bill and tipping. Italians taketheir time eating and dining is never rushed.

You may have to askfor the check as they consider it rude to drop down a checkimmediately after a meal is finished. Dont be surprised if ittakes a good 15 minutes for the check to arrive after it has beenrequested. Note that in Rome, the waiters are paid a good wage anddo not count on tips. Romans generally leave a euro per two peoplefor a meal but many restaurants add a service charge so then youdont leave a tip. Tips should be left in cash because they dontoffer an option to add a tip to a credit card charge. Enjoy the sites of Rome, see the Coliseum,the Roman Forum, enjoy Sunday morning shopping at the Porta Porteseflea market, toss a coin in the Trevi Fountain, and climb to thetop of St.

Peters Basilica. Those things will all help work up anappetite but nothing gets your stomach churning more than thearomas in the air from the bakeries, the pizzerias, and the outdoorcafes. Eating authentic Italian cuisine is an experience andnothing like eating at your neighborhood Italian restaurant. When in Rome, there are dishes that youcant leave without trying. Authentic Carbonara is the best and AlMoro, a restaurant located near the Trevi Fountain, is famous forits Carbonara. Italians rave about the deep fried crispyartichokes, so venture into the Jewish quarter and try thisdelicacy.

The Italians are known for their pizza and they offerseveral varieties. Pizza Bianca, different than American pizza, ismade with focaccia style pizza bread served in local bakeries. TheRoman style thin crust pizza, not the pizza from Naples servedmostly in the U.S., features a thin crust thats cooked crispywithout the crust lip around the edges. While many American citiesnow feature gelato shops, they are nothing like authentic tartufoor gelato. Real Italian gelato is never fluffed up or disguisedwith artificial colors or chemicals.