Recommendations for a College Student Looking to Splurge in Rome

[euro11]

I'm looking to surprise my boyfriend with reservations to a nice restaurant in Rome for his upcoming visit. I've been doing some research, and I'm most interested in Agata e Romeo, Antico Arco, or Checchino dal 1887. Any further recommendations/ comments on my list? While I'd love to whisk him off to La Pergola, I am a college student... with a college student's budget. As such, we will most likely be ordering a la carte. I'm looking to receive the most bang for my buck; however, It's been a while since we've been together and it's his first time in Italy, so atmosphere is a plus. Thanks so much!

[CJT]

What's your idea of a "splurge" in terms of how much you want to spend? Ordering a la carte is not always a way to lower your bill - if the primi and secondi are each quite pricey, you might blow your budget on one dish each. This past December, we ate at Quinzi e Gabrieli, a noted "fancy" seafood restaurant and found their primi in the range of 30 to 45 Euros each and secondi in the range of 45 to 150 Euros each. Have 2 primi there and you are spending 60-90 Euros.
I have a recommendation for you to consider which would cost you about 80 Euros (with house wine) in a very nice restaurant which will serve you both a copious dinner you will both enjoy and remember -- but it's not in the culinary category of Agata e Romeo. Let me know if that's of interest.

[euro11]

I expected to spend between 100-150 euro, though if I can get a nice quality meal for cheaper that would be nice. So, thank you. That recommendation would be helpful.

[CJT]

Here is my post from December 2009 on the place I suggest you try. You will have lots of excellent food if order the fixed price menu described here. If you want to splurge to corss over the 100 Euros, get a bottle of wine instead of carafes of their house wines.

Vladimiro (formerly Vladimiro/Marcello) (Via Aurora 37, from Via Veneto, go 2 blocks in on Ludovisi, right on Aurora) We have had dinner at this restaurant on every trip to Rome and continue to sing its praises for all-around good dinners at a reasonable price. When we first dined here in the late 1990s, the place was called Marcello, then it became Vladimiro/Marcello and now it is Vladimiro (but a Marcello sign is near the entrance.) Everyone there this night seemed to be enjoying different dishes, but we and another table had the prezzo fisso dinner, which we have always ordered. It began with delivery of 6 bowls of vegetable appetizers (warm lentils in tomato puree, roasted red pepper strips, grilled zucchini pieces, grilled eggplant chunks, hot mixed vegetables (carrots, peas, fava beans), and a platter with 2 outstanding mozzarella balls surrounded by fresh tomato chunks. Since my wife is allergic to raw tomatoes, I mentioned this to the waitress and she returned shortly thereafter with a plate of prosciutto slices for my wife.
Primo course is also a standard offering of 3 different pastas, each in a different sauce, all 3 served on a large platter. First was spaghetti with artichokes and parsley, second was a short rigatoni-type pasta in a cream sauce with parmesan cheese, third item should have been another style of pasta in a tomato-based sauce, but because of my wife’s allergy, they substituted (without even asking us) a large mound of risotto full of large porcini mushroom chunks.
Final course was a roast leg of veal with roasted potatoes, the veal sliced from the bone at table. By this time, we were nearly stuffed, so we took with us some leftover veal (ate it next day with pizza bianca bought at a nearby bakery). To finish this meal, they offered a lovely tangerine sorbet with tiny cookies made there. We drank a ½ liter of their house wine and total for the 2 of us for this sumptuous and delicious meal was 80 Euros.
For anyone visiting Rome the first time and looking for an excellent lasting memory of a good meal, we highly recommend Vladimiro. It’s also a reasonably short walk up the hill from the Piazza di Spagna and in the neighborhood of the big fancy hotels on the Via Veneto.

[kyeblue]

Interesting. This is just around the corner of where we will be staying for a weekend this June. Is this place too formal to bring in a 2 and 1/2 year old? Do you have any other suggestions in the neighborhood, especially for Sunday? Are there good Cafes and bakeries around for breakfast? Thanks.

[CJT]

Vladimiro is not at all "formal" but is a nice warm restaurant in which you will feel comfortable. The other place I like to recommend in the area where you will be staying is Palatium on Via Frattina. Here's my post from December 2009 on it:

Palatium (via Frattina, 2 blocks north of Piazza San Silvestro bus terminal, near Corso) This relatively new restaurant/enoteca specializes in offering wines and foods from Lazio (Rome’s province). It’s a modern 2-story place in the downtown shopping area not far from Piazza di Spagna. First floor is the enoteca where you can sample a wide range of Lazio wines at reasonable prices; several tables are there as well if you care to dine downstairs. Second floor is less noisy and has no bar, but seats 35-40 diners. Menu is very interesting and food is quite good. Not very much English spoken by staff here and menus are in Italian only. Menu is the same for luch and dinner, so you can try the place at either time for a good sampling.
Wife started with a lasagna with beef ragout: thin layer of lasagna noodle on bottom, thick layer of meat on top, then second layer of noodle and second layer of meat, topped with layer of noodle. This was more a meat dish than a pasta dish and was therefore very flavorful and interesting. I ordered “pasta and broccoli with mussels”: an excellent and flavorful bowl which consisted of thin, short pieces of noodles (like 1-inch sticks of spaghetti) in what seemed to be nearly a puree of broccoli (maybe broccolini – but there were pieces of the vegetable in the puree for nice added texture). About 6 or 7 shelled mussels sat in the bowl and added an interesting contrast to the dish. I must say this was one of the most satisfying and unique dishes we ate on our trip and I would go back again at any time to try other offerings.
After these primi, we shared a plate of “saltimbocca” which turned out to be a good-sized slice of thin veal which had been grilled or broiled with a slice of prosciutto on one side (not rolled-up pieces of meat). Served with this were a large helping of grilled fresh porcini and a mound of chicory (not bitter, but sweet like a spinach). We tried both white and red Lazio wines by the glass and were pleased with the offerings. Price for 2 wines, 2 primi, and 2 secondi (plus bread): 48 Euros.