Originally founded in 1843 by a frenchman, the restaurant was acquired in 1861 by a Neapolitan, Guiseppe Ranieri, who had been Queen Victoria's chef and later tried to bring culinary comfort to the unhappy Emperor Maximilian in Mexico. From the day Ranieri took over, the restaurant's success as a rendezvous for epicures and celebrities. crowned and otherwise, was assured. His direct descendant now maintains the same scrupulous standard.
PASSETTO-Via Zanardelli, 14: One of the more recent and fashionable of Roman restaurants, Passetto is set on a broad avenue leading across the Tiber, within walking distance of St. Peter's. Popular with discriminating Latins and Anglo-Saxons alike, its star is rising rapidly. Beyond its glittering revolving door are two long, high-ceilinged rooms, with a simple but sweeping decor and soft lights. The banquettes are as comfortable as armchairs, the service most attentive. The menu, which has an English edition, is truly imposing, especially in the realm of fowl and game. Our exploratory trio hesitated a bit until the hors-d'oeuvre were wheeled by-then there was no other choice. They are just about the best in Rome, richly varied but not too heavy or too weighted down with oil. After these, and a cool Frascati, we split into divergent camps -cinghiale all'agro dolce, wild boar with a superlative sour-sweet sauce, a regal roast pheasant with an orange-flavored sauce, and a tender half chicken alla diavolo. A sturdy red Valpolicella served as a companion piece left us bathed in contentment. We were faintly alarmed at a theatrical orange dessert in which Passetto takes particular pride, and settled for ebony cups of caffè espresso and a spot of Strega. Prices at Fassetto are a little above normal, perhaps, but quite justified.
FAGIANO-Piazza Colonna, 363: The clamorous heart of Rome is brightened by a carved marble column built in 175 A.D. to honor Emperor Marcus Aurelius. More important, in view of present-day problems, a large square surrounds the column. It provides parking space, at 100 lire each, for the automobiles which are choking the city, including those of its most exacting gastronomes. Fagiano (The Pheasant), a conventional Roman restaurant in the top tradition, glitters at one corner of the Piazza Colonna. Its lights shine brightly in high ceilings, its linen is glaring white. Thoroughly “professional,” it has been for decades an outstanding, ultrarespectable citadel of fine Roman food. Chances for disappointment are almost nil at Fagiano. and there is no better place to savor the classic abbacchio, a supreme of turkey with artichokes or a partridge en cocotte with mushrooms, The chef tosses truffles around quite recklessly, and caviar, foie gras and lobster are waiting for the more luxurious diplomats and the fast, older hunting set. For the mere pedestrian tourist, the prices are entirely reasonable and the service, from the bowing maître d'hôtel to the bus boy, is deft and deferential. A fitting motto, “Vita, vinum est” is set in the wall, and the wines are appropriately good. There is a gay little tavern with music and frescoes downstairs, in case Fagiano creates an evening too good to end early-which will probably be the case.
TRE SCALINI-Piazza Navona, 30: On a warm summer evening few places have the setting and the romance of the restaurant of the Three Steps, basking squarely in the middle of one of Rome's most beautiful squares. Bernini's three buoyantly baroque fountains spout and spatter in the long Piazza Navona, but everything else is quiet, except for a few children playing and the staccato sputter of a stray scooter. This is a sidewalk restaurant with superlative dishes to match its privileged stage set. On our first visit we were urged to try its three outstanding specialties, cannelloni (wonderful ones with a monumental sauce), bauletto con fungi (a savory veal bird) and gelato tartufo, a chocolate dessert that seemed a trifle heavy. But we were content, since a noble Barolo kept us company. On a subsequent visit we did even better, sticking to Roman artichokes, saltimbocca alla romana with sylphlike string beans, iced strawberries, coffee and a generous tulip glass of that joyous Italian liqueur. Allium. In the winter months the Tre Scalini must abandon its terrace for a scries of cheerful modern salons, but it abandons none of its high culinary standards in the process. It provides one of the most pleasant dining experiences in the city.
CAPRICCIO Via Lombardia, 29: Strangely enough, the winding Via Veneto, most fashionable of Roman boulevards. has no outstanding restaurant, although it is studded with the top hotels and cafés. If you are sitting in Doney's or Rosati's, contemplating two empty vermouth glasses and wondering whereto dine nearby, the best answer, as hundreds have found, is near at hand on the Via Lombardia. Capriccio is an established favorite with hotel dwellers in the Via Veneto belt, including a generous sprinkling of theatrical and movie people. Its atmosphere is restrained and sophisticated, its lights are keyed mercifully low, and one gets the general impression of a top notch New York establishment. It isn't all illusion, for more than a snatch of the American idiom filters through the air, and the menu is bilingual. The cuisine couldn't be more Italian, however, and the prices ate surprisingly reasonable. Don't miss their cannelloni. “Divine” is the word for them, but I refuse to use it. Noble steaks, chops and cutlets emerge from their charcoal grill, and we tasted a scampi all'americana which is a distinct compliment to Uncle Samuele. Capriccio is very popular, and it is prudent to make a reservation or to arrive early.
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