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I'm trying to unite nutritious with sustainable, while still remaining an adventurous, joyful eater. In Rome, we have one farmer's market and I've made it the highlight of my week to create meals around whatever is in season (luckily, in Rome, that's quite a lot all the time). It's a bit of a challenge to find whole grains in Rome (sacriledge to eat whole grain pasta!!!), but I'm finding my suppliers throughout the city little by little.

Good suggestions, all, and many thanks for your responses! Now if I can just learn how to say "are there any signature dishes the chef is known for" in Italian, then I'll be set!

I've been living in Rome for about 6 months now on a student budget, and I'm so broke that I can barely afford to go out to eat, however I do have a few suggestions for you.

As above folks have mentioned, Trastevere in general has pretty good restaurants. In that particular neighborhood, I recommend Forno La Renella for pizza al taglio (pizza by the slice). It's hard to find, but well worth it. Everyone knows where it is, so just ask around how to get there since the winding streets of Trastevere can be confusing. They are a bakery, and the crust on this pizza is the highlight. It's divine. And the toppings are great, too - artichokes with fresh mozerella and arugula, prosciutto cotto, etc., but also plainer options for a picky eater. You can eat there for less than 3 Euros per person. And while there, buy some bread for later. You'll be very happy you did.

Besides pizza al taglio (which varies a lot in quality, so some will be good, and some just plain bad), another great general cheap option for lunch is to go into one of the countless little shops that have a little of everything - cheese, bread, salami, etc - and just ask for a panino (sandwich). You can tell the server what you want and they'll make it for you to take out and eat. They're really good because you can get high quality ingredients (prosciutto cotto, proscuitto crudo, salami, any kind of cheese, roasted red peppers, etc, but I recommend also adding cicoria which is a ubiquitous Italian green to the sandwich. Yum!!) at very cheap prices - each sandwich will be less than 3 Euro. And, unlike pizza al taglio, the quality will always be high.

In terms of trattorie, there's lots of good ones tucked into each little neighborhood. Monti (a neighborhood near via Cavour) has lots of great little restaurants and wine bars, the Jewish Ghetto I've heard has amazing food, while Testaccio has the most authentic Roman food - but if your wife is a picky eater, maybe Testaccio is not so good a place to visit since they specialize in the "fifth quarter" (animal innards). In general, neighborhoods around the Vatican and Colosseum don't have great places to eat so if you know you'll be there around a meal time, do research ahead of time to find out what to choose. Also, the Centro Storico (historic center, area around the Pantheon, Piazza Navona, etc) is really hit or miss - because it's so touristed, there are tons of terrible restaurants there, but because it's the heart of the city, there are also some of the best. So again, do your research on restaurants in Centro Storico. Don't end up paying 12 Euros for a plate of bad Carbonara. Finally, if you want the best coffee in Rome, it's in the Centro Storico just beyond the Pantheon - it's called Caffe San Eustachio. You will be happy you went, it is a truly authentic Roman experience.

If you want to contact me for more info, I'd be happy to give more suggestions if I know more specifically where you'll be staying so I can suggest good restaurants in the neighborhood.

New Seasons, in the Portland, Oregon area, blows all these grocery stores out of the water BY FAR! Not just in taste and selection, but also in their amazing business practices and commitment to sustainability and supporting the community and their employees. They say it's the friendliest store in town, and it really, truly is. It's just plain fun to shop there! If any of you SE folks come and visit, you need to check it out. It's just that good.

love the doodles! LOVE them! the pies, eh. but the doodles...! awesome.

Love Ken's, but you should really try Dove Vivi (also on 28th, just north of Glisan), a new kid on the block, for delicious cornmeal crust pizza with innovative, delicious toppings. Much cheaper, less of a wait, and waaay friendlier staff.