I had been craving a carbonara. By which I mean, a really good, classically prepared carbonara. But a lot of them are, shall we say, mediocre, even in the Eternal City. 

For at least the last ten years, I’ve been to Baccano many times. It’s a big, chic bistro-style restaurant near the Trevi Fountain. We had been going there for its high-priced but reliably excellent hamburger, satisfying cheese and cured meats, and the good seafood. Despite its touristy location, Baccano is really good. And its clientele is a mix of locals, Romans and expats alike, and tourists. It also has a well performing bar, an elegant interior, and lots of outdoor seating, which we appreciated even more after the pandemic.

Then everything changed. Our long-time favorite Rome food and drink guru, Katie Parla, said that Baccano — under a new chef — now had a really, really good carbonara. Specifically, she posted on Instagram:

Everyday is Carbonara Day at Chef @nabil_hadj_hassen’s table at @baccanoroma. His flawless rendition of this Roman classic features a whole yolk and 1/4 white from ethically raised hens, al dente @pastacavalieri rigatoni, a 5:1 radio of Pec [Pecorino] to Parm [Parmesean] to balance the Roman cheese’s savory notes, fragrant black pepper, and cubes of guanciale that are crispy on the outside and tender within.

When Katie says something is a “flawless rendition,” you stop what you are doing and you go get it and eat it. So we were off to Baccano, which was already decorated for Christmas.

We arrived a few minutes after it opened, which is supposed to be 12 Noon. Apparently Baccano needs a little time to wake up in the morning, because they were definitely not ready to seat us, so we sat at the bar for a couple of minutes.

We would have loved to order a cocktail, but the bartender, who did bring us a glass of water, was not interested in taking an order. We were grateful to be led to a pleasant table after just a few minutes’ wait.

 

We started with cocktails. Laura had the Italicus Spritz, and David had the Hugo Spritz — both thoughtfully refreshing. The cocktails were served with standard olives to nibble.

Another couple entered the restaurant and sat behind us. They both ordered martinis. Well, that’s efficient!

When it came time to order, we — of course — ordered the carbonara. The server, who was very good (as were all the servers we encountered that day), kindly asked if we wanted to share it, which we did. We also ordered the beef with grilled radicchio and pumpkin cream, which we also shared. I always appreciate it when a restaurant is flexible this way. It not only helps you to control the portions, but lets you sample more things.

Soon after, the carbonara arrived.

Damn.

Yes, it’s that good. I find many carbonara servings to be a salt bomb. Too often, they also skimp on the pepper. This dish, however, was a superb balance of the creamy egg yolk and pasta water, saltiness of the cheese, and generous dose of a wonderfully fresh black pepper. Let me be clear: carbonara needs pepper.  This pepper was florally aromatic. The pasta itself was wonderfully flavorful, perfectly cooked, and the essential egginess was perfectly tempered. I’ve had too many professionally prepared carbonara dishes with little flecks of cooked egg, and that’s not how a carbonara should be. This was silky and rich at the same time. When I was done, I wiped up the remaining carbonara with my bread, that is, fare la scarpetta, or “making the little shoe.” I have not done that in a long time.

We moved on to the beef with grilled radicchio. The meat was flavorful and perfectly cooked and seasoned, especially given its accompaniment of bitter radicchio. It was a very nice, straight-forward dish that wasn’t trying to over-perform. And thus, it played its part perfectly.

But that carbonara. We think we found our “place” for carbonara from now on. No need in ordering it anywhere else. It won’t stop us from ordering carbonara elsewhere, but Baccano’s dish sets a high benchmark.

I also saw that Katie likes Chef Hassen’s cacio e pepe.  Looks like we’ll be going back to Baccano!