The Best Meal You'll Eat in Rome......without saying a word

For my Food and Media class this semester, my group has been creating a documentary about Fresh Food Markets and how many restaurants in Rome still use these markets as their primary places to buy ingredients. We have been working in Campo di Fiori and with a restaurant called Trattoria Der Pallaro, just steps away from the market. We found the restaurant listed in a Rick Steve's Travel book, and little did we know that after just 6 hours of filming with the owner Giovanni, we would fall in love. Giovanni and his wife own this tiny place that Giovanni and his father have built from the ground up. They have lots of love to share and Giovanni is probably the most adorable little Italian man I've ever seen. This past Tuesday, we were finally able to eat dinner at the restaurant. It was an experience I will never forget.

First it is important to know how the place works. There is no menu, just whatever they are serving that day. As a sign in their restaurant says, "You will eat what we want to feed you". The menu is given to you at a set price and you enjoy your meal family style. And what a meal it is.....

Our antipasti consisted of bread, olives, cheese, prosciutto, salami, lentils, and assorted fried meat and rice balls. That was just the appetizer. I had a hard time restraining myself to eat a normal appetizer portion because everything was so delicious. I have never been a huge fan of lentils but I must say, I had no problem dumping them on a piece of bread and scarfing it down.

Next came the primi, we were given a dish full of pasta, but split between two kinds. Half was the Roman traditional Carbonara, and the other half was a simple pasta with red sauce. I have tried lots of Carbonara in Rome, including my own home made, and I must say this was hands down the BEST I've tasted. The pasta with red sauce was also delicious and I had no problem clearing my plate. And I loved that I got to try a few different things and even though I was eating a lot, at least I was trying multiple things.

The secondi was a selection of meats, vegetables, and potato chips. Since potato chips are pretty much my favorite thing in the world, I couldn't turn down this fresh, homemade goodie. I was also able to try both of the meats which were different, but perfect all the same. Amongst the vegetables was also the traditional Roman artichoke, and Trattoria der Pallaro probably has the best there is.

For dessert we had a homemade tort, the kind we were also able to taste in our filming, so we knew what was coming. I was more than happy to swipe the extra piece for the table as well as my own. After our dessert we were given a small glass of fresh mandarin juice to cleanse the pallet, and of course you can't forget about the red wine and water that was always available. While the meal did cost us 26 euro, a little more than I normally spend for a meal, it was worth every penny and I would even have to say I would pay more for the wonderful experience and the even better food!