This was a true foodie experience. It was definitely worth waiting for about twenty minutes to be squeezed in to a table at Da Enzo in the Trastevere part of Rome. Went there on the basis of glowing reviews on a number of blogs, crossing the Tiber from where we staying near the Spanish Steps, queuing in the light rain on a nippy autumn day in Rome. We were absolutely rewarded for our efforts and I couldn’t recommend trying it out yourself when next in Rome.
The restaurant is tucked into a tiny “hole in the wall” down an atmospheric laneway, it was Friday lunchtime and the other restaurants around were pretty empty but Da Enzo was heaving with lots of locals and some savvy tourists. Its reputation for serving authentic, Roman cuisine (cucina Romano) in true Roman family style has grown and grown over the years.
After being shown to our table with rickety chairs and paper tablecloths by a member of the family, we pondered the menu and daily specials. Our neighbours to our right spoke English and told us they were regulars and “everything is delicious”. It was also great to see a menu in Rome that had items that were different from every other Trattoria in town. Driven by seasonality and freshness, with an emphasis on “biologica” – organic produce, today’s menu featured autumnal goodies such as artichokes, chicory and freshly caught “Soleil” (fish)..
We chose to sample the Carciofi ala Romano (artichokes Roman style), Burrata (Soft string cheese), Trippa ala Romano(tripe in tomato sauce and the Tiramasu which was calling for us from the display cabinet across the small room!
The artichoke was steamed and dressed with a zingy, minty olive oil and lemon juice concoction that brilliantly complimented its artichokeness. Tucked away in the middle of the artichoke globe was a little bit of mint leaf stuffing which added to the taste sensation. Who knew artichokes and fresh mint were such firm friends? Da Enzo and many Romans obviously do.
The fresh Burrata salad was a mean in itself with a huge pile of it served on a plate with the freshest cherry tomatoes tag at tasted lime tomato and fresh basil leaves. I have tasted Burrata on a number of occasions before but nothing to compare with this salty, sweet, stringy medley which was presented by Da Enzo. Along with the freshest bread and olive oil with herbs, the Burrata was almost a meal in itself.
However, I could not resist the Trippa Ala Romano, cooked to melt in the mouth tenderness in a delicious tomato sauce with pecorino, I think this dish would convince many people that offal is far from awful!
And for the encore, the Tiramisu was a celebration of fresh cream and rich, real chocolate with the biscuits subtly flavoured with liquer ….an absolute sweet treat to end a sensational meal.
So great finding this little gem of slow food, home cooking in Rome.
Website: http://www.daenzoal29.com