2 nights in Rome

[klc137]

I am going to be in Rome for two nights in July. There are 5 of us. We are planning on having dinner at Roscioli one night. I was thinking something casual, not terribly expensive - no more than $50 or $60 or so a person for food. We would like to try something in another area, perhaps Testaccio or Trastevere?

We are coming from nearly two weeks in Sicily so don't really want seafood. I was thinking Roman cuisine, and not pizza. Where do you suggest for the second night?

Thanks!

Kelly

[minchilli]

So funny that you are trying to decide between Cesare and Flavio. I was at Flavio a few weeks ago, and Flavio told me his current favorite restaurant in Rome is Cesare.
They are both very different, though, in terms of food. Both are great, and among my go to places in Rome. But Flavio is not as sophisticated, nor does it have as interesting a wine list.
If you have to pick just one, then I would definitely go with Cesare.

And am attaching a photo of their famous fried meatballs, just to tempt

www.elizabethminchilliinrome.com

[klc137]

Elizabeth:

I was hoping you would reply. I read about Cesare on your blog. It sounds terrific. I drink wine but I don't really know that much about wine. With that in mind, do still think Cesare is the better bet? The 30 minute tram ride seemed kind of long since we are only there two nights. Although I live in NY so I am used to traveling all over town for dinner.

Thanks.

[minchilli]

Hard to decide, I know! The tram ride isn't that bad. And you can always take a cab home if you want to. Maybe Vinoroma can suggest a wine for you to try?
On the other hand, I was at Flavio Velavevodetto last night, and it was really great.
It's up to you about how far you'd like to go for a meal. But Cesare isn't THAT far out. And taking the tram is actually a kind of fun experience.

[klc137]

Thanks! I am going with family so I am going to let my father decide.

[klc137]

I am thinking of going to Flavio al Velavevodetto or Cesare al Casaletto. Are there reasons to choose one over the other?

[cleopatra999]

Flavio was our favorite meal in Rome. Can't comment on the Cesare. Here is my review:

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/846743

[tavoleromane]

You have done some research :)
Roscioli will be a nice experience! Better if you book it in advance, few days or a week should be enough.
Flavio and Cesare are two of my favorite restaurants for Roman traditional preparations.
In my opinion food quality and wine selection are at a comparable (high) level. I prefer Flavio for the atmosphere both in the internal rooms and in the nice outdoor seats, recently renewed and extended.
But the main difference is the location: Testaccio is an easy to get area if you stay in the historical center while via del Casaletto is about half an hour from largo Argentina with 8 tram or 20 minutes by taxi. Consequently you'll rarely find tourists at Cesare. Can this be a reason to prefer it? Of course it depends on what you are looking for...

Hope it helps.

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www.tavoleromane.it

[klc137]

Thank you both so much. I think I'm going to go with Flavio. I wasn't sure how long it would take to get to Cesare so the travel time was very helpful.

[vinoroma]

I love roscioli, flavio, cesare all - but if one dinner is roscioli and i have choose btw f and c, definitely go with c. Especially if wine is important - sorry tavoleromane, but you can't even compare f's winelist (well, shelf) with c's. C has the best wine list in rome, as i have reported here: http://www.vinoroma.com/?p=281 and c's outdoor seating is nicer than f.

[tavoleromane]

You don't have to be sorry vinoroma, I love Cesare too and if I remember well I was the first one to recommend it here in CH board, when "Cesare" was discussed only for the homologous (but very different) tuscan reastaurant in Prati area ;)
For sure you can evaluate much better than me the wine selection and I appreciate your comment. I wanted to mean I had not troubles to find good and not common wine bottles at reasonable prices in both places.
My opinion about outdoor seating is the opposite, but of course this is subjective.
However I'd not have doubts to choose Flavio if I'd stay only 2/3 days in Rome.

Finally some news I haven't read here: Flavio has just opened a second branch in Prati. It is located in piazza dei Quiriti (there was a Mexican restaurant before) and it has the same menu as in Testaccio. Just writing a blog post about it. Hoping the extension will not decrease food quality...

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www.tavoleromane.it