Ditirambo in Rome

I’ve been to this place three times now. That usually means that it is a good find. However, my visits to Ditirambo took place over a period of three years, with at least a year separating each one. The first time was by far the best, and I seem to remember being slightly more disappointed with each successive visit. That is not to say that the quality was lacking. Perhaps I should have stuck to the meal I had the first time instead of sampling the other items on the menu. After all, I am a very “go with what you know” kind of guy.

The restaurant is located right off Campo dei Fiori, which usually means it is likely to be a spennaturisti, or “tourist trap” (literally, tourist-skinner). However, there was a good mix of locals and tourists alike. The menu hasn’t changed in the past three years, and they aren’t big on daily specials. My 9:30pm Friday night reservation was honored and we were seated 3 minutes after arriving. The staff was cordial, and the main room was comfortable with a shade of paint on the wall that blended well with the not-too-dim lighting. The table was ample, and not too close to other tables to the point where you end up listening to people’s bad conversations all evening, and vice versa.

We opted to skip the appetizers and go right to the first course. After perusing the menu, I don’t remember any outstanding appetizer so I would not know what to recommend. As a first course, I had the Calamari con polpa di granchio e vellutata di carciofi (calamari with crab meat and tomato sauce, which was not really calamari, but ring shaped noodles doused in the aforementioned condiment). It was, well, good, not exceptional. The word carciofi, or artichoke, is mentioned in the entry yet I did not taste any. My dining partners went for the Testaroli della Lunigiana al pesto genovese (flat, square shaped pasta thicker than lasagna, smothered in delicious fresh pesto) while the other had the Lasagne integrali con cavolo nero e crema di Raschera (whole wheat lasagna with black cabbage and cream sauce). I had the pesto dish last time I was there, and although it was good, I was not very impressed. The lasagna on the other hand was delicious. The first time I was there, in 2004, I had the Tagliatelle integrali al ragù di coniglio con pesto di pecorino romano e pomodori secchi (whole wheat pasta with wild rabbit and herb sauce with sundried tomatoes) which I loved. We accompanied our pasta dishes with a Verdicchio white wine (Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Vigna delle Oche Fattoria San Lorenzo 2003), which was tasty but not something I would go out of my way to look for again. As a main course, I had the Spezzatino di capriolo al Primitivo di Manduria con riduzione di frutti di bosco (wild boar stew with onions and tangy fruit sauce condiment). It was good, but this is supposed to be a bit of a refined place in the center of Rome. The wild boar stew is something I would expect at a more rustic establishment in the countryside. My dining partners had the Tagliata di angus argrentino (Argentinean filet with rosemary condiment). We washed the second course down with an Umbrian Sangiovese & Merlot blend ( Rosso delle Regine from Castello delle Regine) which I would highly recommend.

Desserts are a strong point of Ditirambo. I had the chocolate and pear cake swimming in hot fudge. One dining partner has the chocolate flan while the other sat it out. The chocolate and pear cake was highly recommendable while the chocolate flan was a bit bland. Both desserts were paired with port and a French liqueur that had the word “poire” in it. I think that means pear, which is probably why it went very well with the chocolate and pear cake.

Ditirambo
Piazza della Cancelleria, 75
00186 Roma
Tel. 066871626