M'tucci's in Roma, Day One

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We want your visit to the future M’tucci’s Bar Roma to be a slice of Rome. If you have been reading La Gazzeta for awhile or if you have traveled to several of Italy’s regions, you know that Italian food is a pretty broad term that really doesn’t describe the food of Italy, which is definitely regional. The menu in a Tuscan restaurant will probably not have the same items as a Roman restaurant. In order to bring Rome to you, we needed to experience Rome ourselves.

Five of us have spent the last five days doing just that. We walked and scootered the streets, visiting grand piazzas, monuments, ancient churches, osterias, restaurants, caffes, bakeries, gelato shops, and as the name M’tucci’s Bar Roma implies - bars and speakeasies.

During the next few weeks, La Gazzeta will bring you the images and experiences from our trip, which will help us make M’tucci’s Bar Roma a destination in Nob Hill.

The first day in Europe is always an exercise of acclimatization. After flying for 10 hours, we arrived in Campo dei Fiore at 9:00am (1:00am New Mexico time) with its bustling flower and vegetable market. Our goal was to walk, get a lot of fresh air and basically stay up as late as possible to reset our internal clocks.

We started at Roscioli caffe, one of three Roscioli food spots near Campo. Expertly roasted beans and fresh pastries keep this spot crowded throughout the day. Roscioli’s Salumaria is open for lunch and dinner and is nearly impossible to visit without a reservation - but we had one for 7:00pm.

We walked to Piazza Navona and wowed at the majestic fountains by Bernini and the former family palace of Pope Innocent X who reigned from 1644-65. The piazza was relatively empty compared to past visits.

Down a narrow street are several restaurants and it was time for brunch, since the Italian cornetto doesn’t keep one going for long. We found Mami Pizza, which makes slices with creative toppings - the cheese and escarole was fantastic. They also do a version of arancini called suppli, fried balls of rice with flavored ingredients.

Nearby, next to the Italian Senate and a few steps from the Pantheon is the Caffe Sant’ Eustachio. Anchoring this small piazza, they have been roasting beans in a wood-fired roaster since the 1930s. Always a crowd and always good cappucino and espresso.

After checking into our Air BnB at 3:00 to unpack and clean up, we made our way to small neighborhood bar for Prosecco and then to Roscioli Salumeria for dinner. It was good, but given the hype and popularity, we were expecting more. We tried to go to Rome’s first Speakeasy, Jerry Thomas Project, but you have to call ahead (and we called and called but couldn’t get an answer) to reserve a spot in the exclusive club which only seats 25. We were turned away.

We’ll be back with more of Rome in the next La Gazzeta.

Weekend Specials

M’tucci’s Italian

24 oz Hand Cut T-Bone: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $36

Pan-Seared Halibut: Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Grilled Artichoke, Sautéed Arugula, Lemon Caper Sauce $29

Jalepeño Goat Cheese Ricotta Ravioli: Roast chicken, marinated tomato, pickled jalepeño, roasted red bell peppers, spicy cream sauce $23

Braised Beef and Shrimp: Creamy polenta, mushroom, cherry tomato, scalliion, crispy shallot $23

M’tucci’s Moderno

14oz NY Strip: Salt water potatoes, grilled asparagus, salsa verde $32

Mahi Mahi: Garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed arugula, roast artichoke, caper lemon butter sauce, prosciutto powder $28

Jumbo Shrimp Pasta: Pink shrimp, yellow onion, celery, grape tomatoes, seafood sauce, fettuccine pasta $28

Weekend Cocktail


M’tucci’s Twenty-Five

Pork Chop allá parmigiana: Crispy breaded bone in pork chop, spicy marinara and melted mozzarella, served with a fettuccine cacio, topped with sautéed mushrooms and spinach $20

14 oz. Ribeye: Mashed potatoes, grilled broccolini $39

Mahi Mahi: Mashed potatoes, grilled escarole, artichokes, lemon butter, capers $28

Coconut Crust Sword Fish: potatoes green beans and spinach and an orange gastrique. Lunch special for today $15

Weekend Cocktail

Goodbye Summer: Nickel vodka, strawberry lemonade shrub, lemon juice, cranberry juice, simple syrup, topped with Sprite

Live Music for September and October at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five and M’tucci’s Moderno

Thursdays @ 6:30 & Fridays @ 7:30

9/24 Oscar Butler @ Moderno

9/30

RJ Perez @ Moderno

Kirk Matthews @ 25

10/1

Melissa Rios @ Moderno

10/7

Cali Shaw @ Moderno

Lani Nash @ 25

10/14

Oscar Butler @ Moderno

Amy Faithe @ 25

10/15

RJ Perez @ Moderno

10/21

Kirk Matthews @ Moderno

Cali Shaw @ 25

10/22

Lani Nash @ Moderno

10/28

Melissa Rios @ Moderno

RJ Perez @ 25

10/29

Cali Shaw @ Moderno

Thanks for reading. See you next Friday. Ciao!