Wednesday in Roma

So far, so great!
In 1989 Angelo Croce bought and old one-room tavern near the corner of Via G. Bettolo and Via S. Saint Bon. It was originally a post WWI hangout serving basic lunches and dinners as well as wine and spirits. Angelo expanded it to take up the corner storefronts and christened it Osteria dell’Angelo. An osteria is a neighborhood bar-restaurant, which in large cities caters primarily to locals. Today he operates this family restaurant with his son Carrado and daughter Marta. We had reservations for 8:30 [20:30 for the international set] and were seated at the last out-door table. The pranzo menu was Presso fisso for 25 Euros “se magna o non se magna.” Coffee and beverages are extra. The antipasto consisted of oiled toast, mini salamis, beans and a subtle spread that could have been composed of tuna, white beans, hummus, etc.; we could not figure it out. We will ask next time we go and we will go again. The pasta course offered 4 choices with two rigatoni, one spaghetti and one fettuccine. This was followed by a choice of meatball, rabbit, ox-tail and at least one other. Insalata included mixed greens, bean salad and some others. The dessert was a little, hard doughnut flavored with pistachio and amaretto. We had the house red which was served chilled but warmed up in the warm Roman night air. It was a nice low alcohol, dry, fruit-forward delight at 8 Euros a litre. As usual the Walters charmed the pants off the proprietors and we were comped a ½ litre of their dessert red. Carrado [the son] described it a sweet but I detected only the slightest hint of sweetness. It was perfect with the little cookies/doughnuts. We were the only tourists there and it seemed that everyone, even the passers-by, new and loved Angelo and his family. We were treated at least as well as the regulars. Our tab was 116 Euros which included 1½ litres of wine, 3 bottles of water and two espressos. Everyone has been telling me about the quality of coffee in Roma and I agree! It is as if I have been drinking a cheap imitation for the last 45 years. It’s 11PM and we just got home [oops; I mean back to our hotel]. We started the day [?] at about 2:30PM with a walk to Hadrian’s Tomb, AKA Castel Sant’Angelo. We walked along the Tiber to the Palazzo di Giustizia which is a pompously ornate “hall of justice” that virtually everyone scorns. It was built between 1889 and 1910 to “right the injustices of Papal rule, and the best insult I have heard is that it may collapse under it’s own weight. We had lunch at Dal Toscano, a popular Tuscan eatery near our hotel. I thought it was fine particularly as the pasta is served al dente as I remember al dent from growing up amidst Italians in Connecticut. I can’t think of anywhere that they do real al dente in Healdsburg other than the old Felix and Louie’s and I always heard complaints that they served their pasta undercooked. I am full [fat?] and happy… and ready for bed. I will get some photos up on line soon.