Osteria Nuvolari - Rome

One of the clerks at Comptoir de France highly recommended a place on Via degli Ombrellari for lunch, but it turned out to be a very casual tavola calda and we wanted a place to settle in to wait out a thunderstorm that was about to start, so ended up at Nuvolari. We could tell from the aromas that it was a good place. Looked kind of modern but he menu turned out to be classic Roman. Sat down just as it started pouring outside.

We split a fritto misto to start (€12). The photo is of my half: fiore di zucca stuffed with anchovy, eggplant, ricotta, sage leaf, zucchini, and apple. Nicely fried and very fresh-tasting.

For my primo I got taglierini with fiori di zucca. The texture of the pasta was so al dente as to be chewy and the earthiness of the fiori was great. My dining companion had fettuccine with fresh porcini, not as photogenic but delicate and lovely. €24 for both.

For secondi we shared saltimbocca and coda alla vaccinara, both classic (€24 for both), with a plate of that dark stringy green local chicory al burro (€6). All classic and good.

Drank four glasses of wine (€6 each)m Vermentino was the best, a nice bottle of Friuli Cabernet Franc (€15), a liter of gassoza (€2), and a perfect espresso (€3.50).

Service was friendly, relaxed but correct. Had some nice chats with the servers about how things have changed in Rome. Lunch was all tourists (not surprising given the location), but they said they get mostly locals at dinner, on the weekend they have specials.

All in with coperti the total was €115.50. I had been worried about prices but this was a bargain compared with what a similar meal would cost at home. We’ll probably go back to try dinner on a weekend. CASH ONLY.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Nuvolari/112495975477802

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Went back for another lunch. I had an order of just the fiori di zucca to start, excellent.

Split an order of rigatoni alla carbonara so that we’d have room for secondi. The picture is of my half. Perfect, I think as good as I’ve had anywhere. It’ll be interesting to compare Perilli’s (my old gold standard).

Gallinella (tub gunard) al guazzetto: great fish I had not had before, rich flesh, relatively few bones that are large and easy to pick out. Delicious.

Contorno of cicoria and my dining companion’s pollo alla cacciatora, both really good.

With one bottle of Vigne Storte Falanghina di Sannio, another of Claudio Allario Dolcetto di Diano d’Alba (took most of that home), and one grappa, €92.

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Went back twice more and I’m sure glad I did as on our last visit they had just gotten in four orders of fresh lamb so I finally got my proper scottadito.

Simple fresh pasta with fresh black truffles marinated in olive oil, gave me a new appreciation for how good black truffles can be.

Perfect scottadito. The lamb was so small that they did two ribs per chop. Meatier than it looks.

Nice people, very reasonable prices. Looking forward to going back.

That’s €26 for two bottles of delicious wine.

Nuvolari changed hands. We had a good meal but I wouldn’t go out of my way to eat there.