The un-Italian flavors of Rome

As I've mentioned before, it's hard to imagine people getting bored of Italian food, but it happens. And for that reason, I have the Peruvians to thank.

Every Sunday, at Villa Pamphili Park in Rome, the local Peruvian community comes together for a massive BBQ, men and women fire up a grill, set up volleyball nets and turn up the music at the park. And as the sun sets, this community pot luck turns into an outdoor party.


A hot plate of food, dessert included, goes for 5 euros and consists of traditional Peruvian dishes, such as Papa a la Huanacaina, broiled potatoes covered in a cheesy slightly spicy sauce, and Anticuchos, skewered meat, typically beef (pictured above) or chicken. The menu changes every Sunday.

For Peruvians it's a chance to feel at home in a far away country. For others it's one of the best ways to experience authentic flavorful food in Italy, that's not part of the Italian cuisine.

Few choices

You can find a pizzeria on every corner of Rome, but when it comes down to international flavors, it's slim pickings.

Via Covour is lined with Chinese Restaurants, there's the occasional Mexican and Brazilian restaurants, the over prices Sushi and burger joints, but they pale in comparison with the number of international flavors and the fusion food culture that has taken root across the United States. All one has to do is take one look at their local shopping center to witness the melting pot that the U.S., California in particular, really is. SoCal natives can order Tacos at 3 a.m. fresh Sushi and if they really want, eat a different international dish for every meal every day of the week.

Naturally tourists don't visit Italy to eat Peruvian food, but there's something to said for all the non-tourists who pack the few international over priced eateries in Rome.

Tira-Mizzou!!!!!

From Carlo Menta in Trastevere. Sorry...but I couldn't wait. I had to take a bite before snapping a picture.

Yes!!! Those are french fries on my pizza!

Wow! I thought those people who stuff their french fries inside their burgers were bad? But french fries on pizza? Really? Thankfully, it tasted a lot better than it looked, at first that is. We had a slice of this artery clogging pizza in Venice, where the pizza there tends to be round as opposed to the square shaped kind in Rome. And what's more fun is they roll out the dough right in front of you, just like in the movies. You'll be surprised how very little pizzeria's actually make the pizza in front of your eyes.

Across Italy I've seen a lot of interesting ingredients on pizza, such as shrimp, tuna and eggs, but so far this one is the most memorable, and also the most delicious.

Amalfi Dining Adventures

Local fish, Pezzogna in a light lemon sauce











Steak tartare white truffle vinaigrette and eggs poach in a Parmesan cheese crisp








Shrimp tempura with broccoli puree

Calamari!!!!

Calamari-fried squid or the name Clary and Mari use to refer to themselves.

Italians and Americans alike rave about the calamari at Tony's, aka Osteria dell Moro, in Trastervere. The restaurant looks like a tourist trap, but there's a reason why I had ordered the calamari for dinner 3 nights in a row, no joke. What makes this one so special? The spicy tomato based sauce Tony serves it with, and probably, sadly enough, the closest thing to my mami's salsa in Roma. Also, the calamari mix is lightly breaded and the portion size is enough to share, so there's no need to pick a fork battle with friends over the tubes and tentacles.

The Perfect Bun, a perfect 10!

I never thought I could get ever get tired of Italian food, until I moved to Italy. Around the 6 week mark, all I wanted was a burger, and there was no way I would settle for Mickey D's or BK. I was told the only place to get a real burger was at the Hard Rock Cafe, but the burger at the HRC was only able to feed my craving one time.

The next burger I ate in Italy, I devoured. Luckily for me, the chefs at the Perfect Bun mastered in the art of the charbroiled burger.

In between two lightly toasted whole wheat buns, lays a thick juicy patty, the meat is high quality and all the burgers are made to order. The patty is topped with caramelized onions and toppings of your choice. Seems simple enough, but at a time when panino's, pizza and pasta are part my daily meals, a burger means something special.

Aside from their specialty, TPB also serves a monster burrito, which didn't meet my standards, nachos and wings. Sorry kids, carne asada fries are not on the menu.

The clientele is as beautiful as the decor. The colors inside are warm and inviting, think of a chic version of BJ's with a number of low tables and couches for the happy hour crowd. I was counting on finding the bar crawling with expats, but apparently there's a lot of Italians who like to skip out on Carbonara every now and then too.

The Perfect Bun ranks among Rome's best spots for satisfying a craving for American food. Plus it has the sparkliest ladies' room in city. A disco ball spins inside the WC to the tune of ABBA's "Dancing Queen".

While I admit TPB is pricey, sometimes getting a taste home, is price-less.

Absinthe milk shakes, really?

That's what I said, when I first heard of Latte Piu, which means 'more than milk' in Italian. The milk bar situated outside the heart of Rome, is the type of place you take friends from out of town. It's a 'locals only' place, which makes it, my kind of place.

The bars concept is largely based on the film "A Clockwork Orange"where the film's characters drink large glasses of milk spiked with special ingredients, the film is set in the 1940's, a time when milk bars were social venues and on the verge of being replaced by fast food chains across the U.S. But the unlike the original milk bar, this modern day milk bar, Latte Piu, offers yummy cocktails, yummy treats and an atmosphere to match.

The purple menu includes four pages worth of milk shakes, the most popular kind are the ones with Absinthe. It's hard to imagine what a chocolate shake, with gelato, amaretto and absinthe tastes like, you would think the rich think ice creme and the gelato would hide the taste of alcohol. You're wrong! While the absinthe does take the back seat to the chocolate, you still feel the burning sensation down your throat and you're left with bitter licorice after taste. That's why my favorite milk shake on the menu is 'La Verita Interiore'. It's a blend of chocolate gelato, nutella, rum and whip creme. They also serve milk shakes with vodka and non-alcoholic shakes. Nonetheless, the absinthe shakes are a must try, it's not often two popular food groups like ice-creme and absinthe come together.

The chic interior design is just as impressive as its menu. The white walls and sleek purple panels, make you feel like you stepped into an up scale lounge in a big city. Statues of naked white male and female bodies line the perimeter, the tables lay low and a white couch shaped like a penis is the center piece. The background music adds to the ambiance and if you time it out right, you'll be sipping on your vitamin D by the time the fire show at the bar lights up the venue.

The only down side to this bar is the location. It's far from the city center, hard to find and unless you have a car in Rome, you'll have to call it an early night to take the metro home. I've been there twice, and I've always left wanting 'more milk'.