Opera season in Toronto starts this month. My sister, Deinah, and I have Canadian Opera Company season tickets. We have gone for the last few years and enjoy the music, the singing and a night out together. The first opera I ever saw was in Rome. I saw a production of Il Trovatore! The Verdi masterpiece is famous for the “Anvil Chorus” which some people recognize from Saturday morning cartoons. (see this post for more about cartoons and opera). At the time, I didn’t realize that the Rome opera house was one short block away from what was to become one of my “go-to” Rome restaurants.
For the last 10 years, when in Rome, I always have dinner at Trattoria Antica Boheme. I first went to the restaurant back in 2006 when I was on a trip to Rome with my stepkids. We stayed at a little spot on Via Cavour and the man at the front desk recommended the spot as a local favourite. The food was great, the service nice and it was wallet-friendly. Over the years, I have sent many people here for dinner as well as eating here many times myself.
The restaurant was named after the Puccini masterpiece, La Bohème, and opened in 1897, the year after the opera debuted. Since the 1970s, the restaurant has been owned and managed by the same brothers, Raffael and Santo De Luca, who keep up the traditions. Speaking of traditions, the restaurant has been awarded the prestigious certification of “typical Roman restaurants” by FIPE (Italian Federation of Bars, Catering, and Entertainment).
We were back in Rome this past summer to see Bruce Springsteen play at the Circus Maximus and went to La Boheme our first night in town with our friend, and fellow Springsteen fan, Rob from the Caymans. The nice thing about having dinner with friends is that you can order a few different items and share them.
Ordering at La Boheme is pretty easy, even for the non-Italian speaker as the menu is in four languages. I do have to say that even with the four different languages on the menu, the restaurant is usually filled with locals. Adding to the local vibe, the walls are covered with photos of famous Italian diners and opera stars.
If you are lucky, in the summer they will have a special antipasto which is not on the normal menu – figs and prosciutto. We lucked out. Initially, we were told that it was not available, but the kitchen managed to find some figs which made us happy. The figs are sweet, juicy and huge. The prosciutto is beautifully cured, salty and dry. The sweet and salty go together beautifully.
The summer classic prosciutto e melone is also a favourite – how do they always manage to make sure that the melon is perfectly ripe?
One of my favorite pastas is the traditional Roman dish – Bucatini all’Amatriciana. This dish sadly has been in the news a bit lately due to the tragic earthquake in Amatrice. Quite a few restaurants in Italy (as well as Toronto and throughout the world) are serving Amatriciana on their menu to help Amatrice and other areas affected by the earthquake.
The Rigatoni La Bohème is one of the house specialties. The rigatoni is served with sausage and cream (I know! What is there not to like about this dish?) It compliments the Bucatini all’Amatriciana and I highly recommend sharing the two pastas.
Scallopini alla Marsala, is another very simple but flavorful dish. To create it, the veal is pounded beautifully thin and lightly sauced with Marsala fortified wine (a Italian specialty from southern Italy).
Filetto ai ferrai is the beef that we chose to round out of shared mains. Just a heads up if you order beef in Italy, it is served seared on the outside, but cooked rare, usually rarer than you are used to, on the inside. Even if you don’t normally order rare meat, you will find that it melts in your mouth. Make sure you hit it with the lemon that it is served with to brighten the grilled flavour!
To round out the meal we order a few sides to split, arrosto patate (roast potatoes) and insalata mista (mixed salad). The potatoes are crispy on the outside and soft inside. The salad is served the traditional Italian style, with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper brought to the table so you can dress as you please.
ELIN’s tip: skip dessert and walk around the corner to Via Nazionale for gelato.
Even after ten years, I have to say that La Boheme does not disappoint. When in Rome, make this a stop on your tour!
Where: 4 Via Napoli, Rome, Italy 00184 Tel: 011 39 06 4885505; When: 12.00 – 15.00; 19.00 – 23.00 (Closed Sunday); reservations accepted by email
I’m famous! Great post as always Elin. And thanks for the awesome dinner company!
Thanks Rob! Fun day and dinner! Good luck with your Avon walk!