265160 Tue Jan 04 23:13:48 -0800 2005 13 26 International 0 1399657 Can anyone tell me where/if I can buy the 2005 Slow Food Guide (Osteria?) for Italy? We live near Chicago and are planning to travel to Tuscany and Rome this May. Also, is it only in Italian (should I buy a really big Italian/English dictionary?)? Thanks for any information. Ann Tue Jan 04 23:13:48 -0800 2005 0 Ann 1 1399658 You can buy it online from slowfood.it; shipping takes a little while, but you've got plenty of time. (The English language international website slowfood.com doesn't seem to sell the book, you'll have to navigate through the Italian website). Alternatively, any largish bookstore in Italy, e.g. Feltrinelli, should stock it. It is only in Italian, but I don't think you should run out and buy a big dictionary (one big enough to be of any use would be too big to travel with). I think that there are other Chowhounds besides you who use the book who don't speak Italian. Recommended dishes are in bold, and the little symbols (a glass of wine for good wine, the slow food snail for a specially recommended resdaurant etc.) are self-explanatory. The descriptions in the text tend to talk about the owners, the ambience, etc. and are less essential than the addresses and the phone numbers. Tue Jan 04 23:59:54 -0800 2005 1399657 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten) 2 1399661 Thanks so much. We are really looking forward to the trip and want to try out some interesting restaurants and it seems that people on this site rave about ones they recommend. Wed Jan 05 01:22:00 -0800 2005 1399658 0 Ann 3 1399672 It really is a great guide. Wed Jan 05 08:33:41 -0800 2005 1399661 0 Elaine(Snutteplutten) 4 1399680 Without going into the realm of plagarism... can anyone who has this guide post a few low-key recommendations for central Rome? I'm going to be there for few days next week on the spur of the moment and I don't think I can find this book in Madrid between now and then... I promise to report back... Wed Jan 05 11:17:31 -0800 2005 1399672 0 butterfly 5 1399683 If you go to the slowfood website and register (for free), I believe you can access the database for their guides online. You can pick a city or town and ask for dining and food shopping recommendations. Wed Jan 05 12:04:33 -0800 2005 1399680 0 DavidT 6 1399711 This book seems amazing but I'm on a serious budget. Are their recs economical? Wed Jan 05 22:03:09 -0800 2005 1399683 0 nicciola 7 1399712 My guess is that most of the places in the Osteria Guide are where middle class Italians feel comfortable dining on a regular basis. It all depends on how one defines 'economical.' For a college student backpacking their way across Europe, these places would probably seem expensive to dine at more than a once a week splurge. For anyone else, the prices would be reasonable and a good value. but certainly not cheap. Of course, if you are an American, very little in Europe currently seems inexpensive with the Euro costing $1.34. Wed Jan 05 22:38:55 -0800 2005 1399711 0 DavidT 7 1399717 We used it last month for Florence and Piedmont. The Florence listings include a great section devoted to wine bars/enoteca/vineria. Most of these places offer salumi, cheeses, salads, and hot dishes like soups and pasta, and are really quite inexpensive. Many of the Piedmont listings offer degustazione menus at unbeatable prices (assuming you want a full meal) --for example 2 antipasti, a primi, a secondi, and a dolce for 20 euro. In spite of the exchange rate eating out in Italy still offers up much more bang for the buck than the US. Thu Jan 06 00:10:46 -0800 2005 1399711 0 foodfirst 7 1399729 yes they are economical - most of the reccs the reccs are definitely at the low-priced end of the eating out spectrum, so you will be eating tasty local food with italians, not with tourists paying jacked up prices for a less characterful product. remember you dont have to eat a three course meal if you are not that hungry; drink a carafe of the house wine rather than a special bottle, feel free to get your dessert and coffee elsewhere, and you will be satisfied with the economic bargain as we have been. Thu Jan 06 09:13:00 -0800 2005 1399711 0 jen kalb 6 1399737 I tried to register, but the form (modulo) takes only Italy, San Marino, and the Vatican as countries of residence. It's free, but it seems that unless you live there, you can't register. Peccato. Thu Jan 06 11:59:33 -0800 2005 1399683 0 bob oppedisano 5 1399684 super Slowfood meals from last week: (1) Trattoria da Armando al Pantheon - Salita de'Crescenzi - strong all around, recommend bruschetta (we all swooned over the lardo version) farro and orzo soups, cicoria (fried- super salty and garlicy), roman pastas in impeccable versions, lamb - superb versions of scottadito and, even better, cacciatoria, duck with prunes and guinea hen with olives and dark beer were both excellent. Pear in red wine was a fine dessert. (2) Sora Margherita - Piazza delle Cinque Scole 30 i Ghetto - otherwise unmarked - no reservations and limited menu - you have to sign a card and join a membership organization no cost - that and the quirky hand decorations are part of the friendly charm. We had to wait for a table but they were good about calling us in from the street and it went quickly - 3 choices per course - terrific handmade pastas with a choice of sauces and then a limited range of mains - lamb was excellent. Desserts included ciambelline cookies and a glass of vin santo for dipping and an excellent ricotta and visciole cherry tart - served an excellent young velletri red wine by the liter - a great lunch stop. Other central rome slow food recs didnt get to include Matricianella, Via del Leone 4, in the Spanish Steps area (looked great but didnt have a res so couldnt get my party of 5 in), Trattoria Monti, via di San vito 13a (nr Santa Maria Maggiore), enoteca corsi on via del Gesu 87-88 nr the Largo Argentina (open only for lunch), Dal Cavalier Gino, Vicolo Rosini - 4-angolo Piazza al Parliamento. Wanted to get to tram tram in the San Lorenzo district, via dei reti 44-46, with its innovative pugliese-influenced food and Osteria del Velodromo Vecchio on via Genzano 139 with its classic roman cuisine, which is near one of the Metro A Stations out past the Lateran but we all got a virus and our eating tailed off, unfortunately. One thing - nonSlowfood - take a walk over to via Pannetteria near the Trevi fountain for the San Crispino gelato - it really is superlatively delicious for your 2 euro investment. We only tried two flavors, hazelnut with meringue and zabaglione both were great, but I specially recommend trying a flavor with meringue bits for an extra great sensory experience. have a great time! Wed Jan 05 12:19:20 -0800 2005 1399680 0 jen kalb 6 1399811 Thanks so much for the Rome tips. I'll be sure to report back... Sat Jan 08 11:42:27 -0800 2005 1399684 0 butterfly 2 1399780 I emailed the Slow Food Italy website to see how to purchase it as navigating the website was beyond my pitiful Italian :-) Will see what they say. Thanks so much for all the input (makes it harder to wait for May to come, though). Fri Jan 07 11:35:09 -0800 2005 1399658 0 Ann