Housing Italy: Rome - Restaurants

Restaurants

Near the Spanish Steps

El Toulà
Address: Via della Lupa 29/b
Price: Over 120,000 lire - CURRENCY CONVERTER
Credit cards accepted: AE, DC, MC, V.
Phone: 06-687-3750
Take a byway off Piazza Nicosia in Old Rome to find this prestigious restaurant, one of a number in Italy of the same name; all are spin-offs of a renowned restaurant in Treviso in northern Italy. Rome's El Toulà has the warm, welcoming atmosphere of a 19th-century country house, with white walls, antique furniture in dark wood, heavy silver serving dishes, and spectacular arrangements of fruits and flowers. There's a cozy bar off the entrance, where you can sip a prosecco (Venetian semisparkling white wine), the aperitif best suited to the chef's Venetian specialties, which include risotto with artichokes and fegato alla veneziana (liver with onions). Reservations essential. Jacket and tie.

Ranieri
Address: Via Mario dei Fiori 26
Price: 70,000-120,000 lire - CURRENCY CONVERTER
Credit cards accepted: AE, DC, MC, V.
Phone: 06-678-6505
Walk down a quiet street off fashionable Via Condotti, near the Spanish Steps, to find this historic restaurant, founded by a one-time chef of Queen Victoria. Ranieri remains a favorite for its traditional atmosphere and decor, with damask-covered walls, velvet banquettes, crystal chandeliers, and old paintings. The Italian-French cuisine is excellent: Portions are abundant, and checks remain comfortably in the low end of this price category. Among the many specialties on the vast menu are gnocchetti alla parigina (feather-light dumplings with cheese sauce) and mignonettes alla Regina Vittoria (veal with pâté and an eight-cheese sauce). Reservations essential.

Otello alla Concordia
Address: Via della Croce 81
Price: 40,000-70,000 lire - CURRENCY CONVERTER
Credit cards accepted: AE, DC.
Phone: 06-678-1454
The clientele in this popular spot--it's off a shopping street near Piazza di Spagna--is about evenly divided between tourists and workers from shops and offices in the area. The former like to sit outdoors in the courtyard in any weather; the latter have their regular tables in one of the inside dining rooms. The menu offers classic Roman and Italian dishes, and service is friendly and efficient. Since every tourist in Rome knows about it, and since the regulars won't relinquish their niches, you may have to wait for a table; go early. Reservations not accepted.

Tavernetta
Address: Via del Nazareno 3
Price: Under 40,000 lire - CURRENCY CONVERTER
Credit cards accepted: AE, DC, MC, V.
Phone: 06-679-3124
The central location--between the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps--and the good-value tourist menu make this a reliable bet for a simple but filling meal. The menu features Sicilian and Abruzzese specialties; try the pasta with eggplant or the porchetta (roast suckling pig). Both the red and the white house wines are good. Reservations essential.

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