Jessica S.
Yelp
By far my favorite restaurant of the trip, between Florence, Verona, Pompeii and Rome. This restaurant was close(ish) to our hotel, had outdoor seating and a very friendly and helpful staff.
We stopped in for dinner towards the end of our trip, after a long day of walking through the city. We were famished, and I originally said I wasn't going to drink with my meal, but then my husband ordered a glass of red and it looked so good that I asked our waiter to bring me one, as well. He actually took the time to ask me what I was thinking of getting for my main and then pulled a bottle of red for me off of that.
So my main? It was the zucchini risotto (€18), and my husband ordered the Gnocco Amatriciana (€15). We settled in with our glasses of red and the basket of bread (served with a side of olive oil and a side of a red pepper butter) while we enjoyed people-watching around the neighborhood. The outdoor patio wasn't huge but it was comfortable, and our table was tucked away in a corner so we had a view of the cobblestone streets without being on display ourselves.
The risotto was fantastic. Creamy and a bit tangy, with semi-crispy bits of zucchini on top, the risotto itself was perfectly cooked and worked really well with the other elements in the bowl. I'm not ashamed to say that I put a hurtin' on that bowl and polished it off in record time.
My husband loved the flavor of his gnocco, and was mostly pleased with the amatriciana sauce; his only complaint was that they blended the sauce before pouring it over the gnocco, which meant he didn't get the toothsome bites of guanciale or tomato. It didn't hurt the flavor of the dish at all, in his opinion, but he did say he would have preferred a chunkier sauce. I guess chunks aren't part of their aesthetic.
Though we were both full at that point, we decided to share an order of tiramisu (€9). It was a bigger serving than either of us expected, and gave us a subtle sugar kick, without being too sweet. There were cookie crumbles on top, which I really enjoyed, as it gave another texture to the smooth layers of the tiramisu.
I really wish we could have gone back for another meal before leaving, but we just ran out of time (and stomach space, there's only so much I can eat in a day!) Highly recommend this spot if you're in the area, though!