Venturing to Rome on a fooding escapade should be on anyone’s bucket list. We stumbled upon a well-kept secret, a niche of an artisanal restaurant hidden away in Rome. Taverna Latina is a great many things to the local Italians who collect at the end of the day to drink generous glasses of frascati (a wine that comes from a village some 30km away from the heart of Rome) eat a selection of pizzas and watch a soccer match together. In fact, rubbing elbows with the lads are the older dames who’ve for years enjoyed a starter dish of fritto mito (battered fried vegetables much like tempura) and a dry white wine.
Then they move on to more generous fare. Here generous fare equates to 3-course meals capped off by hearty soups, a filet of cod, or various platters populated with cheeses; prosciutto; olives and/or fried starters. These demand less attention going down the gullet while the crowds gape at the current match for Euro Cup.
Taverna Latina’s Fritto Miso or fried vegetables . Photo by Akil Wingate.
Then the 2nd course is possibly any variation of ultra thin crust pizza. Taverna Latina, for example, is the namesake pizza, dressed with truffles, gorgonzola, mozzarella, tomatoes, prosciutto, and a constellation of spices that wax from sweet to almost bitterly tangy. Not what some imagine of pizza. But this is the product of a genuine trattoria, cooked over a searing flame where some notions of flavor are burnt to a crisp and others absolutely neglected by the fire.
The Wurstel lends itself to a simpler formula: round cuts of sausage, mozzarella, tomatoes. The sausage while ordinary isn’t a disappointment. But it certainly isn’t the brand of fireworks one expects from the Italians.
Taverna Latina’s signature pizza. Photo by Akil Wingate.
The third course is a dessert: fruit salads washed down with wine or a smolderingly devilish chocolate cake coupled with a gourmet coffee. Yes, we know. Cake is the cool popular kid at the dinner table. And with reason. While the pizzas are hit or miss, the dessert menu is chock full of winners.
Taverna Latina, despite its intimate sense of community flavor and accessibility, fills up quite regularly. You’re best served to reserve in advance. 3 out of 5 stars in terms of flavor. 2 for price.
Taverna Latina serves up antipasti. Photo courtesy of Taverna Latina.
