Posted by Gina DePalma, May 13, 2008 at 8:30 AM
In a city of numerous and terrific markets that are spread among wonderfully characteristic neighborhoods, it is almost hard to become attached to yet another one. But Rome's twice-monthly Organic Market has definitely won me over.
It takes place on the second and fourth Sunday of every month, which is more than enough to get excited about. If the timing is right, it is a relief to have a place to head for fresh produce on a day when everything else is shut down tight. The location is right, too, in a little piazza where some of the most characteristic streets of the Centro Storico converge, not far from the Campo de'Fiori.
Relaxed and Leisurely Pace
My first visit had a very relaxed vibe, especially compared to the usual frenzied commotion at every other market on Fridays and Saturdays, when everyone is scrambling to get their shopping done. Sundays are sacred for most Romans, reserved for relaxing or spending time with the family. Although this little market was buzzing, it wasn't too busy to have a leisurely chat with the organic producers who had traveled from all over Lazio, Umbria, and lower Tuscany, eager to answer questions or give me a sample to nibble.
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Posted by Gina DePalma, February 19, 2008 at 10:00 AM
At the Mercato Esquillino, stalls operated by generations of Roman butchers, fishmongers and produce vendors stand alongside merchants from Morocco, North Africa, India, Pakistan, China and Korea selling fresh fruits, vegetables, and just about every ethnic grocery item you can think of.
One of the things that I love about life in New York City is the crazy convergence of diverse cultures taking place in nearly every neighborhood, a dizzying array of food choices offered at the corner market as well as the corner restaurant. I've learned never to under-appreciate the blessing of choosing between Dominican, Greek, or Japanese in a span of ten blocks.
Rome doesn't have the same level of multi-culti vibe going on in its modern food scene; it is something you have to seek out with a bit of effort. Finding truly exciting, authentic, well-prepared ethnic food can be a challenge.
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Posted by Gina DePalma, February 5, 2008 at 9:45 AM
The height of citrus season is just starting to wind down here in Rome, and I feel an urgent need to get in on as much of the action as I can in the next month or so. Luckily the tiny fruitteria just outside my door is still piled high each day with an astounding assortment of oranges, tangerines, clementines, and lemons.
Other signs of citrus mania are evident on trips to the market. Huge takeaway buckets of sweet oranges are conveniently stacked at the front of my supermercato—there seemed to be one sitting in every creaking, wheeled cart I passed the other day. Even shoppers running in and out for a quart of milk and a pack of toilet paper were grabbing a sagging, red net bag of mandarins on their way to the register. I chose to participate this week with a pyramid of clementines stacked on my kitchen counter; they are like little wet, drippy, squirting balls of candy.
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Posted by Gina DePalma, January 29, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Editor's note: We're excited to introduce the following author to you today—though you may already be familiar with her work. Gina DePalma is the pastry chef at Mario Batali restaurant Babbo and the author of Dolce Italiano
. She's now in Rome, doing research for a new cookbook, and will be posting weekly here on Serious Eats as her journey there unfolds.
Outside of Forno Marco Roscioli.
I engage in a specific eating ritual immediately upon my arrival in Rome; it is a personal affirmation to my heart and stomach that I am really, truly here. Other Roma regulars may want to run to the nearest bar for a perfectly pulled espresso, sit down to a steaming plate of spaghetti alla carbonara, or indulge in crispy carciofi alla giudea. But for me, it is a visit to Forno Marco Roscioli, on Via dei Chiavari near the Campo de’Fiori, which sends me headfirst into Roman mode with a sensory jolt.
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Posted by Ed Levine, July 12, 2007 at 7:45 AM
It's July and serious eaters' gustatory thoughts turn to ice cream. Every city has its creamy delights, its "drips-run-down-the-side-of-your-face" pleasures, and here at Serious Eats we have decided to explore the ice cream culture of every state and city we can, in the US and beyond. Today we explore the Eternal City, Rome. We have been inspired to do so by a enlightening (hey, it is the Eternal City) story in the New York Post by David Appell. I like his fundamental premise: "Partly because of its size, the Eternal City has some of the finest gelaterie on the planet. Unfortunately (and any New York City bagel lover can understand this) there are plenty of hacks gelato serving gelato-ish--bluntly, people who don't know from it." Sounds like Appell subscribes to the Serious Eats mantra: Passionate, Discerning, Inclusive
Appell's Top Five:
Giolitti: 107-year-old original location near the Pantheon, Belle Epoque setting with lots of marble and mirrors; his favorites: gianduia, chocolate, semi-freddo ai torroncino (runny pink ice cream cake), Via Uffici del Vicario 40, one other location
Al Settimo Gelo (Seventh Gelato Heaven) NE of the Vatican in the Prati neighborhood near Piazza Mazzini, very friendly service; Appell's favorites: a la Barolo, cardamon, "Iranian" (cream with rosewater, saffron, and pistachio) Via Vodice 21/A
Gelarmony: vaulted space also in Prati; Sicilian orientation; Appell's picks: cannoli, cassata (ricotta/candied fruit), profumi di Sicilia (jasmine), vitamine dell'Etra(orange, lemon, and grapefruit). Get your ice cream on a brioche. It's what Sicilians do. Via Marcantonio Colonna 34, one other location
Alla Scala: located in a small piazza across from the baroque Santa Maria della Scala church in the Trastavere neighborhood; Appell's picks: pear, pineapple, kiwi, banana, fragola (strawberry), or frutti di bosco (forest berries). Via della Scala 51
San Crispino: Two blocks from the Trevi Fountain; Appells favs: Vahlrona cocoa, the zabaione (Custard made with reserve Marsala) and the house San Crispino--cream subtly sweetened with honey. Appell's complaints: you can't window shop (the bins have lids), don't ask for a sample (not gonna happen) and don't think of sitting down (you can't). San Crispino is my personal fave in Rome, but Appell is spot on when it comes to the place's attitude. But I had a grapefruit ice cream there that I still remember every lick of. Via della Panetteria 42, two other locations.
For a third opinion on San Crispino here's my friend Faith Willinger's take on it.
Posted by Ed Levine, March 26, 2006 at 12:43 PM
For those of us who derive great pleasure from eating and talking about it, today's New York Times is a veritable smorgasboard, a feast for our stomachs, brains and heart. Let's start with Mimi Sheraton's cover story on eating in Rome in the Travel section . I've met Mimi Sheraton on a few occasions, even broken bread with her, and she has been nasty and unpleasant towards me each time. Why I don't know. That said, she often writes very well and very passionately about the lusty pleasures so many of us derive from life around the table. I still have a yellowed clipping of the piece she wrote for New York Magazine about New Orleans food many, many years ago. And her piece on eating in Rome today was Sheraton at her best. Halfway through it I wanted to jump on a plane to Rome to savor the "tiny fried croquettes of artichokes, meatballs and the like," as well as the "big, rustic chunks of oxtail" at Il Matriciano, the carbonara and fried artichokes at Matricianella, and the breads and sandwiches at Compagnia del Pane.
