When in Rome.......

........where to eat? Or that was the question posed by Eric Kirby of West Cork, in any event (impossible to say something like that, I note and not have it sound like a Radio 2 announcer, or that rather irritating man who chairs Gardeners Question Time these days....). I'm not sure I'm the best person to ask, since I don't dine out in Rome that often any more, and so my recommendations might be a little rusty. My all-time favourite, though - and one which still gets rave reviews from people to whom I've recommended it recently - is Il Chicco d'Uva in Corso Rinascimento. Spectacularly good, in my experience.....and as I write about it now, I can practically smell the aroma of White Truffle Risotto which permeates the place at the right time of year, and which you can sense coming your way as it leaves the kitchen, all of two rooms distant! I also recall with great fondness a parmesan sformato.....and a very good wine list.

Another place of particularly rich memory is Taverna Giulia, in Vicolo dell'Oro - although I'm going back quite a few years on this one, and I've definitely come across some ho-hum references to it recently. My specific memory is of dining by candlelight, and papardelle with a Walnut and Cream sauce (a ligurian speciality, as so many walnut dishes are) which was sensational. Practically as good as the papardelle con carciofi at the Tre Coronne in Verona, which has always pretty much set the standard as far as I'm concerned. Otherwise - in Rome? Sabatini, in Trastevere, was always good - although again it rather seems to have fallen off people's radar these days. Slices of melt-in-the-mouth grilled porcini are the particular memory from there - along with recollections of a Fellini-esque birthday dinner for the sister of a very old friend, who was married to a Roman Municipal Bus Driver, and where the guests included a rather tatty Contessa and one of Italy's leading architects of the day.......

But back to Mr Kirby's question - on which I haven't been a lot of use. I did recently come across the following website, where - buried in amongst much else, - I suspect there are exactly the sort of gems he's looking for: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/422347. It certainly reads well. Worth trying, I think......

We're flying back to London this afternoon, so I'm now off to enjoy a final half an hour on the terrace in the sunshine.....

Tonight's Dinner......will be capable of preparation in all of Ten Minutes, post arrival from the airport:

Casarecci (courtesy of Claudia)

Salsiccie Lunghi (from Maurizio), with Aubergine, braised with Anchovy & Garlic

Fresh Raspberries and Cream (Welcome back to London!)