Eat Rome

I bit the bullet and bought the Elizabeth Minchilli app called Eat Rome, even though it didn't have any ratings.  Few of the other Rome guides had ratings either so I guess that isn't unusual.  I'm using Eat Rome to explore the area around the apartment on Via Napoli and then I'll go further afield.  Here are a couple of reviews that sounded interesting.

Castroni is a gourmet food store that has both Italian and international products.  They have a store at Via Nazionale 71 but that particular one doesn't have a website.  The largest one is supposed to be at Via Cola di Rienzo 196/198 which is located near the Vatican, not too close to us.  However they are supposed to have a nice selection of teas so maybe I can get that double strong English tea that I picked up in Paris.

Open Colonna is the less expensive eatery of Antonello Colonna, one of Italy's best loved chefs.  It is located on top of the Palazzo degli Esposizioni on Via Milano near Via Nazionale.  Eat Rome says they have a fixed priced lunch for 15 euros but a 2014 posting on Spotted by Locals says: "There aren’t many people that know that from Tuesday to Friday there is a promotion called City Lunch only at lunch time. During City Lunch for only 16 euros (beverages not included water is € 2.50) it’s possible to eat exquisite dishes of great quality, sitting in a beautiful modern structure made of glass, but if the weather is nice there is also a balcony."  The restaurant's website is quite uninformative and I haven't run across any Italian restaurant website that lists prices.  And Minchilli's app is equally vague:  almost all the restaurants she mentions are marked with 2 or 3 euros but I can't find the price range of those ratings.  I haven't run across a 1 euro listing yet.

Unfortunately Minchilli doesn't list much near the apartment and when she gets towards Termini station she talks about stumbling over drunks to reach the door of a Chinese restaurant called Food & Beverage.  She does have some interesting listings in other parts of the city, like Chiostro del Bramante, a 15th century cloister near the Piazza Navona that has a caffeteria, although Spotted by Locals calls it a Tea Room.  The Cloisters contain a painting of the Sybils by Rafael whom we perhaps should call by his Italian name: Raffaello.

As I keep referring back to Spotted by Locals, I notice that they have an app as well.  It covers 50+ cities and is free.  Oh wait, it's not.  Just the index of the 50+ cities is!!  The Spotted by Locals Rome Guide is $3.99, just like Eat Rome was, so I'll think about it.  Most of the restaurants will probably seem expensive to us so if I can find some good places to buy cheese and bread and fruit, I'll be happy.

Nuovo Mercato Esquilino is the market by the Termini station that caters to the immigrant population, especially Indians and east Asians.  Minchilli says there are few Italian vendors here but the prices of the fresh produce can't be beat.  Spotted by Locals also has an article on it but calls it Mercato Vittorio and places it at Via Principe Amedeo, 285, instead of 184.  Is it the same one?  It sure sounds like it!  This posting from Minchilli's blog explains the reason behind the two names, Piazza Vittorio being the previous location for it.  Now the market is indoors in a large hall which perhaps extends from #184 to #285...  It's open from 6:00 to 14:00 so we should be able to get some early grocery shopping in before we go see the sights.  On the other hand, Minchilli in her app says 7 am to 3 pm but on her blog (2011) says 5 am to 3 pm.  The Rome Digest says 7:30 am to 2 pm...