T-Boning in Roma

There comes a time, approximately once every other week, when this Yankee feels the need to unleash pure mayhem on his arteries. The preferred method of this lethal assault on the vital organs in question is the ingestion of 1 kg bloody raw-ish T-bone steak. We're not in Texas, so the task of finding a restaurant that can prepare a Peter Lugar style NY T-bone is not an easy one. The Italian version of a T-bone is called the Fiorentina, or, the Florentine, which is more commonly found in Florence. The typical Florentine steak is prepared bloody raw, cut 3-4 cm thick, and has no condiments other than salt and maybe a drizzle of olive oil. Here are some of my favorite steak restaurants in Metropolitan Rome.

Il Duca degli Abruzzi
via Veio, 8 (near via Appia Nuova - metro A San Giovanni)
00183 Roma
We know this place quite well, as we have been coming here often for the past 2 years as it is conveniently located right next door to The Roman Wine Co.'s partner shop, the Off License, therefore very convenient. The decor looks like it has not been touched in about 30 years. The wood paneling, 1970s lighting, and faded window panes reeks of an outskirts trattoria straight out of a Pasolini film. The owner, Pino, hails from the town of Montereale in Abruzzo, and he inherited the place from his parents several years ago. He now runs it with his Ukrainian wife, and their beautiful 1 year old daughter can be found frolicking in the playpen outside the kitchen. Pino, an avid hunter, kills most of the menu himself, and his meat is of the utmost quality. The cuisine is very rustic, meaning you are brought knife-sliced hunks of cold cuts, heaping bowls of beans and sausage, and home made papardelle pasta smothered in wild boar stew. All presented on non-matching plates, of course. Then, the specialty of the house, La Fiorentina, which Pino sizzles up on the grill and serves with delicious roasted potatoes. No need to book it, but you should make sure he is open. He has odd opening and closing days, as he prefers to spend most of his time at his beautiful country house in Abruzzo. € 25 - 30 per person.

Ristorante La Pampa
Via Collatina Vecchia, 127
00155 Roma
tel. 0622755107
web www.ristorantelapampa.it
We thought this place was a just a legend. Massive Texas countryside style steakhouse. Who would have thought it could exist in Rome? Well, it does exist, and chances are, if you frequently drive on the A24 Roma - L'Aquila (towards Tivoli) highway that you unconsciously acknowledged its existence as well. It is a beautifully restored orange 18th century farmhouse which is curiously visible just as you're passing the Palmiro Togliatti exit. These people are the kings of T-Bone in Rome. The place is massive. I think that it can accommodate 1000 people on a summer evening due to its sprawling outdoor space and multi-level indoor space. They boast the best cuts of steak from all over the world, and it is probably the only restaurant in Rome where fine American culinary delicacies such as Bisonte Americano, or, American Bison, are proudly advertised. It does not quite work as a traditional restaurant. Upon arrival you announce your presence to a body-guard looking host armed with walkie talkies and a headset. You are then seated, and instructed to remember your table number. At that point, you enter the structure and proceed to the front counter where all the steak is on display. Then, you choose your steak, and your cut, it is weighed, and then sent off to the grill while you head back to your table and order wine, side dishes, or in our case, grilled pig livers. The only thing is that it was a bit hard to find, and you have to drive in a very sparsely populated area, and then about 0.5 km thorough a shady nomad camp before you arrive to a massive parking lot with hundreds of cars. Don't forget to book it, I would go as early as possible in order to avoid the usual delirius Romanus that occurs when too many Romans find themselves in the same place and end up employing their usual survival tactics of pushing, shoving, and climbing on top of each other. Plan on spending € 35 per person wine included.

Efeso il Barrocciaio
Via dei Salentini, 12 (San Lorenzo)
00185 Roma
Tel. 06/490408
Web www.efesoilbarrocciaio.it
I rarely trust guide books any more. I have had too many not-so-good experiences from the guide books that I have turned to for good advice on eating establishments in Italy. The best advice is of course word of mouth. And word of mouth not just from anyone, make sure the person is packing at least a pancia (pot belly). Seriously, hwould you trust restaurant advice from someone who stands 2 meters tall and weighs in at 60 kg? Anyway, I purchased a new guidebook called Il Gambero Rozzo, the rude shrimp, which obviously pokes fun at the famous Gambero Rosso, the red shrimp, which can be considered the Italian "Zagat's". The best translation I can think of for the word rozzo when used to describe a restaurant is "down-home" or "comfort-food". It means that si mangia bene e si spende poco, or, one eats well and spends little. When I saw the Il Gambero Rozzo contained recommendations for restaurants that I already like, I thought I figured that it might be the right guidebook for me.

The restaurant is located in the northern end of the San Lorenzo quarter, right near the citta' universitaria. The entry in Il Gambero Rozzo placed emphasis on this restaurant's ability to serve up a mean steak. And it was true. We ordered the tagliata di manzo, like a Fiorentina but only 2/3rds the thickness. It was crispy but not burnt on the outside, and tender and al sangue (bloody) on the inside. We washed it down with a bottle of Casale del Giglio Shiraz. Honestly, I think that a juicy high quality steak warrants a delicate Sangiovese such as Il Diavoletto, or even a Campora for those with higher budgets. About € 35 per person with wine.