M'tucci's in Rome, Day 2
/After a good night’s rest, we were off for a full day which began with coffee at Roscioli Caffe at 9:00 and with a speakeasy at 1:30am. Food and drink research is not for those who lack stamina.
Austin experimented with one of the more unusual coffee offerings at Roscioli - think espresso meets pudding. John was amused and Austin stuck to cappuccino for the rest of the week.
Is it coffee or is it dessert?
A walk across the river Tiber took us past Castel Sant’ Angelo, a circular castle which was built in the 2nd Century. The line into the Vatican wasn’t particularly long and we all marveled at the size and grandeur of St. Peter’s Basilica.
One of the regular guests at M’tucci’s Moderno told Amanda we had to have lunch at a small family place 3 blocks east of the Vatican, so I suppose that was our real purpose for being in the neighborhood. Hostaria Dino e Toni just celebrated their 29th year in business, mostly with Dino running the front and Toni running the kitchen. All of the outside tables were full when we arrived, but we were told, “momentito”. Dino and another server appeared from inside with a folding table, five folding chairs, then five set ups and we were ready for lunch.
They were busy so it appeared that Dino is a little bit gruff at first, but he is all heart. There is a menu, but we let Dino bring out what his brother Toni was making special for that day. Aqua? Si, still. Antipasti? Si. Vino? Si, bianco e rosso. Pasta? Si. Fish or Meat? NO! It's too much. Don’t worry, there will be dessert.
The highlight of the dessert plate was the Caffe Granita (coffee-flavored crushed ice) with Panna Cotta on the bottom and whipped cream on top. The tiramisu was very good, too. Finish with a Malvasia from Sicily (Dino simply brought the bottle and five glasses) AND, if you have cleaned your plate (and you better) there will be Limoncello.
Early in the antipasto course, there was one piece of eggplant pizza on the plate (the third plate of antipasti) and as he hurried by our table he looked at the plate and said, "Finish!" before going to the next table.
They love good eaters. At Hostaria Dino e Toni, wasting good food is not how you get after dinner goodies brought to your table.
We walked off the large lunch, strolling through the Piazza del Popolo, down the Spanish steps and past the Trevi fountain. Then we opened up the Lime app on our phones, became daredevils and took the scooters back to our apartment through Rome’s busy traffic.
Not a M’tucci’s employee!
That evening we went to a small place in Campo dei Fiore, chosen by John because he said, “the menu is not typical Roman dishes and, really, how many times do you need to eat Carbonara or Cacio e Pepe.” It was a statement, not a question.
Ditirambo claims to have authentic Italian cuisine, but it’s more related to Piedmont and definitely has a creative flare. We ate Beef Tartare with a soft egg, black truffles and shaved Piave Vecchio (the same cheese that M’tucci’s Italian uses for Pasta dalla Forma); Taglierini with Sausage Ragout, Beef Cheeks braised with Montepulciano wine and some of the best roasted potatoes we had in Rome.
After being turned away from Jerry Thomas Speakeasy on the first night, the team discovered a small basement Speakeasy in the same area. Argot was welcoming to us - even without a reservation - and after selling us memberships for a nominal fee, they enjoyed some cocktails. Still unsuccessful to snag a Jerry Thomas reservation on our second night, we returned to Argot and saluted the small intimate space and our good fortune.
Don’t miss next week’s La Gazzeta to find out if we were able to visit the exclusive Jerry Thomas Project.
Weekend Specials
M’tucci’s Italian
Ravioli: Herbed Ricotta filled raviolis, sun dried tomatoes, fresh carrots, pink shrimp, spring onions, lemon-saffron cream sauce, sunflower seeds $23
24 oz Hand Cut Bone-in NY Strip: Crispy Salt Water Potatoes, Grilled Asparagus, Balsamic Reduction $34
Pan-Seared Fish: Bronzino, creamy garlic mashed potatoes, grilled artichoke, sautéed arugula, lemon caper butter sauce $29
Braised Beef: Garlic mashed potatoes, caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, broccolini, savory brodo $25
Weekend Cocktail
Sangria Martini: Absolute Vodka, Fresh Lime, Cane Sugar, Anciano Crianza Tempranillo
M’tucci’s Moderno
14oz NY Strip: Salt water potatoes, grilled asparagus, salsa verde $32
Rockfish: Garlic mashed potatoes, sautéed arugula, roast artichoke, caper lemon butter sauce, prosciutto powder $21
Seafood Cannelloni: Shrimp, lobster, crab ricotta filling, Rosa sauce, spicy marinara $27
Weekend Cocktail
Flor de Otoño: Cucumber infused casamigos Blanco tequila, Anchor Reyes Chile Liqueur, lime, simple syrup, grapefruit bitters, salt, fresh orange wheel.
M’tucci’s Twenty-Five
14 oz. Ribeye: Garlic whipped potatoes, grilled broccolini, smoked blackberry bone marrow butter $34
7 oz. Amberjack: Roasted garlic mashed potatoes, grilled escarole, seared artichokes, lemon butter, capers $23
Weekend Cocktail
Pesca Amara: Absolute Peach Vodka and Cappalletti Apertivo combined with lemon juice and cane syrup, topped with Caposaldo Prosecco.
M’tucci’s on Monday - New Mexico Living on KRQE
If you missed the segment with Catering Manager Taña Martinez and Minister of Culture Howie Kaibel talking about Balloon Fiesta catering, you can Click Here to Watch.
Live Music for October at M’tucci’s Twenty-Five and M’tucci’s Moderno
Thursdays @ 6:30 & Fridays @ 7:30
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!
