Views from the Slow Lane

These will be submitted as reviews or put on the web site.

Renato e Luisa, Via dei Barbieri, 25, tel:06-6869-660, dinner only, closed Monday, reservations recommended
Located just off Largo Argentina.
Small restaurant with an interesting menu. R.G. recommends it and we are going for dinner tonight. They said they have fish every night and there are a few vegetarian offerings for secondo. Full report to come!!

Ditirambo, Piazza della Cancelleria, 74 (near Campo dei Fiori), tel:06-687-1626
Small restaurant with innovative dishes. We have eaten here twice - September 2003 and December 2003. Both times the meals were very good. Many vegetarian selections, organic ingrediants, but also good meat dishes. We had a wonderful dessert that was fruit gelato inside the frozen version of the fruit. Looks like it is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday - Sunday, dinner only Monday.

Steve had chick pea and mullet soup, I had pumpkin ravioli (both were very good). Steve had fish (which he thought was dry), I had sformato (baked vegetable dish - great).

Il Gonfalone, Via del Gonfalone 7 (off Via Giulia), tel:06-6880-1269
We had our small GTG dinner here and were the only table in the restaurant the day after Christmas. The restaurant is cosy with a big fireplace and the fire was going. The food was good, but in my mind it was more "fancy restaurant" than Roman food. It felt like a good restaurant in any city - the US or Europe. When in Rome, I like places that are less innovative and more regular Italian (but that is just me).

Ristorante S. Eustachio, Piazza dei Caprettari, 63 (beside Piazza Sant'Eustachio), tel:06-686-1616
Excellent restaurant in the historic center near the Pantheon. We have eaten here twice before (recommended by Bill Sutherland) and ate here twice over Christmas 2003. Expensive. Good pasta selection, fish dishes, soups. One of our meals was 72 Euro for two for lunch. (Pasta dish was 8 Euro, fish dish 28 Euro.)

Pizzeria Da Baffetto, Via del Governo Vecchio, 114, closed Sunday, tel:06-6861617, but don't bother calling, get there early to line up
Still my favorite pizza in Rome. We had our larger GTG here (Carmel actually managed to reserve us a table!). Excellent selection of simple and perfect pizzas. Good antipasto to start. I love the zuchinni pizza, Steve the onion.

Buon Sapore, Chinese Restaurant, Via della Palombella 34-35 (behind the Pantheon)
Not recommended. The rice was cold and mushy. Other dishes were okay. It was inexpensive. There are better Chinese restaurants in Rome.