One of our “go-to” spots when a friend is visiting is Rocioli.  It’s always crowded, and it can get expensive — particularly when truffles are in season!  And, some dishes are more dependable than others.  But when you pick some good ones, you are guaranteed some great quality food.

Here are some of our usual favorites, and a few new ones as well.  First, the burrata with dried tomatoes is divine, and at the top of our usual order:

For those of you who don’t know burrata, what could be more perfect than mozzarella?  The answer is, burrata — it’s basically mozzarella with cream.  When you cut into it, it bleeds cream.  Really.  And Roscioli has the (really) good stuff, and the dried tomatoes provide a nice counterpart to this rich cheese.  I actually have dreamt about this stuff, it’s that good.

Laura wanted something a little different, so we went with the anchovies and butter. Once again, not exactly a low-cal dish.  But delicious, served on a crusty sourdough bread.

Then we had meatballs and polenta, and a tripe salad with fried cod… new to us, and very tasty!

The cured meats are terrific, but today’s lunch was all about pasta, one of the best things on Rosioli’s menu.  The Carbonara, shown at the top of this post, is always good.  As is the Amatriciana…

…with nibbles of the excellent bread from Roscioli’s forno.

And, all washed down with a lovely Piemontese red wine from Rosioli’s large selection.