Notes from Rome

The blog has been quiet for a while because we've been so busy with travel, life and work that it's been hard to find time to write.  I've got some catching up to do.

We just spent ten days in Rome, sightseeing and eating.  The food was uniformly good, and the farther we got from tourist places, the better it got.  The Italians know how to cook pasta, and every plate we had, even from the cafeteria line at Ostia Antica, was perfectly al dente and dressed with a light, fresh sauce.   Rome was a real carb-fest for me, but I found a few interesting departures from the standard primi.  A few highlights:

 - The most innovative menu we found was at Ditirambo, a block from Campo di Fiori.  I love bitter greens but have never cooked with chicory.  After tasting their chicory souffle with sun dried tomato relish, it's on the list for experimentation.   They also had a zabaglione, flavored with a touch of marsala and served with filo crackers and strawberries that was a bit of heaven.  that I don't usually like sweets very much, but I couldn't stop eating it.

 - My newly discovered guilty pleasure is deep fried artichokes.  The artichokes are halved and trimmed so the tough leaves, choke and thorns are removed, leaving the light green leaves, bottom and stem.  Then, it's deep fried (no coating, just plain) and served with a touch of salt.  The substantial part of the artichoke is cooked through and flavorful, and the outer leaves turn brown and crunchy, just like potato chips. 

We also found a new wine that we absolutely loved, a Vie di Romans sauvignon blanc 2007.  It's different from any other sauvignon blanc we've had.  It's barreled in oak, and takes on a deep gold color and carmel flavor to complement the crisp fruit that is common to this grape.  The wine is hearty, like a white burgundy, so stands up to strong food flavors.  We picked up a few bottles to bring home and are trying to find it in the bay area, or find a similarly oaked sauvignon blanc.