Maureen B. Fant

"In carpione" is the preparation for freshwater fish that resembles "in saor."

The strike is at least in Tuscany and Liguria and from what the papers implied, at least all over the western coast of the country. ← Yes, my pals at the Testaccio market said it affected the whole Tyrrhenian, so add that to the Ligurian.

I think it's safe to say that, while cheese/seafood is not used in most Italian traditions, Italians don't find the combination inherently disgusting, just not very effective as a rule. Creative cooks feel free to push the boundaries. The original question was about clams, which may be a special case in that they are often accompanied by garlic. Certainly spaghetti alle vongole in Rome contains lots of garlic, and most people would consider parmigiano on that not just untraditional but unappetizing. It bears noting that pecorino romano can go places barred to parmigiano. Anchovies are often paired with pecorino, even fresh anchovies. I looked in Marcella's Classic Italian Cooking and More Classic Italian Cooking (her first two) but found only red clam sauce, with garlic and without cheese. Marcella often sneaks butter in where it doesn’t officially belong, and actually many cooks sneak butter into the spaghetti alle vongole to help make the sauce creamier, and some swear by a sprinkling of flour (I think a pasta like Latini takes the place of both additions). I'm wondering whether Marcella's addition of cheese might be to help the texture of the sauce rather than to add a cheesy taste. While it's true she's from Emilia-Romagna, she's specifically from Cesenatico, in Romagna, a serious fish town right on the Adriatic and presumably does right by her seafood.

Yes, it's true. There was a flurry of discussion on a NY Times blog not long ago about the Italian fish-cheese prohibition. The author went so far as to call it a "superstition," which is hardly fair. The two are considered not to taste good together, and particularly the cheese is considered to drown out the delicate but real flavor of the seafood. Cucina creativa will occasionally sneak some cheese in, but in traditional cooking, no cheese with seafood. I vaguely remember baked clams with a lot of bread crumbs from Italian-American restaurants long ago, and these may have had a sprinkling of grated cheese, but that would not help anybody's case for cheese. Of course, you mention traditional Italian cooking, and there are so many traditions. Certainly in Rome and Lazio, which is what I know best, the ban is strong.

As long as you look as though you are ordering from conscious preference rather than ignorance, restaurants are getting very tolerant of people breaking with tradition. In any case, "offend" isn't the right word; you mean "amuse." Even Checchino, the Testaccio heavy-hitter, can satisfy vegetarians, especially if they eat cheese. For cafeteria style, Volpetti Più, right around the corner from the Volpetti shop, has lots of vegetable- and grain-based dishes and yummy things like supplì and other fritti. There are quite a few trattorias near the market and around Monte Testaccio (where there are also a lot of night spots), and you must never feel obliged to eat meat. One of the big advantages of staying in Testaccio is cooking and eating in. In addition to the market and nearby shops, there's an organic indoor market inside the Mattatoio. I haven't been there, but it should certainly be worth a look. Looking at the Mattatoio, you turn left walk along the facade until you see a driveway coming out of a corral-looking area marked something like L'Altra Economia. Walk up the driveway and look to your right and you'll see a complex of low new buildings. The one on the left is the one I'm talking about. Trastevere has some good trattorias and many bad. I don't eat there often enough to pay attention, since experiences have generally been negative. I do love Frontoni for pizza al taglio, however. When we eat in Trastevere we go to Paris or Antico Arco, which is on the Gianicolo.

I'm a frequent flyer out of FCO and think the food options are appalling. If I had several hours to kill that included a mealtime, I would take a taxi to the superb restaurant Pascucci al Porticciolo, which is in the town of Fiumicino but not on the main drag. +39-06.65029204, Viale Traiano, 85, Fiumicino RM. There are other decent places to have the more or less standard menu, but this is a real standout for light-as-a-feather creative seafood cooking. I try to arrange my returns from visits to NYC for late morning on Saturday or Sunday -- that way Franco will meet me and we go directly to lunch at Pascucci. If the plane is early (it happens), we take a walk along the canal and see the fish vendors. As for taxi difficulty, it's generally a good idea to find where you're going on a Google or similarly detailed map, print it out, and show it to the taxi driver at the first sign of hesitation. The same holds even if you just want to be dropped in a general area. You should have a cellphone and the phone number of the restaurant, especially if you haven't been able to get the map. In case of real difficulty, dial the number and hand the phone to the driver. I know I sound like I'm equipping an expedition to Ultima Thule, but I live here, speak the language fluently, and still never leave the house for dinner without, phone, map, and the coordinates of alternative restaurants in case something goes wrong.

Thanks for the list. I haven't been to nos. 4 and 7, but clearly I should. I have studied Primo's web site and it makes me feel old. Nor have I been to Felice since the big cleanup a couple of years ago. It's the sort of place that hold little appeal for me when I'm off duty since I rarely seek the home-cooking trattoria repertoire when I go out. As for the rest, I just wish there would be a global moratorium on top-ten lists. It is unconscionable to put Monti at the top of a list. It is a very good restaurant, make no mistake, but it shouldn't be made into a pilgrimage destination. The author was evidently seeking a mix of types. Otherwise there's no explanation for including Antico Arco and omitting Agata e Romeo and Il Convivio. Personally I'm finding this so-called culinary revival is more an invasion by a new generation -- to which it would be curmudgeonly to object -- than an actual improvement.

That's correct. When you buy it, songino is sometimes used as synonimous with 'valeriana', but I'm not sure about the botanical correctness of the usage. And to complicate things there's also 'valerianella'... ← It's also corn salad in English. In Italian we juggle soncino, songino, gallinella (same as the fish), valeriana, and valerianella. There are probably others. As far as I can tell they are all the same, except that sometimes the leaf is a bit more succulent, other times thinner. I have unfortunately not observed scientifically whether this difference is associated with some of these terms more than others. The leaf shape is the same or nearly. I don't know the botanical taxonomy and would be obliged for any enlightenment.

Has anyone any dope on this new Nikon? The food setting supposedly allows closeups in low light without flash. Seems too good to be true, and the more expensive Coopix models don't have it, at least under that name. My Pentax Optio has just ceased to function and I'm at risk of doing something rash.

I can't grasp the limoncello martini ... It's not usual to eat anything with limoncello, but I assume this is very different. You could use the barbecue to make bruschetta and arrosticini (tiny skewers of just meat). Also spiedini di gamberi, shrimp skewers. I may be being dense, but could you flesh out your request a bit? I do casual outdoor Italian dinner parties all summer long. Occasionally I've deep fried on a hotplate outdoors.

For supplies, Tervi, near San Giovanni, and mentioned elsewhere, is very well organized and good for professional stuff, especially for sweets and ice cream. A hole in the wall professional supply shop is Metalcristal, via S. Martino ai Monti 24. Peroni (www.peronisnc.it), mentioned in the other thread, is near a very nice municipal market and the Franchi tavola calda and shop (www.franchi.it), via Cola di Rienzo 204, which I heartily recommend. Castroni, next door, is worth a walk through but fails to excite me. It's mainly useful for residents (which I am) to find ingredients when they want to make something non-Italian once in a while. But their coffee is very good. For shopping, in addition to Volpetti (which I love and where I shop all the time), there is La Tradizione, at Via Cipro 8e, right across from the Cipro metro station on line A. Also near there, have a slice of pizza al taglio (a VERY Roman thing) at Pizzarium at via della Meloria 43. There are good shops on and around piazza Campo de' Fiori, though the neighborhood and market are quite overrun with tourists.

Yes. You'll miss the melted-cheese effect, but small squares of parmigiana are often served at buffets at room temp. I'm facing the first terrace meal of the season this Sunday with a coratella coi carciofi, which I don't even like. I make the artichokes and my mother-in-law, thank heaven, does the rest (ormai, it's an annual thing in that we are given a lamb with its coratella every Easter). I need to fill out the rest of the menu. I'm thinking in terms of vignarola for the non-coratella eaters, and I don't know what else, but it has to be easy. Baked white onions maybe. Friggitelli (peppers) maybe. I'm not too good on baked pastas, but that would probably be a good idea, but nothing too heavy... ← eG roasted cauliflower? If I'm not serving it hot I add capers, pine nuts and raisins (thus also bringing it squarely into the Italian side of things)....it is the most foolproof thing I cook these days other than farinata. +++ ← Funny, I just bought a cauliflower thinking either I'd roast in this evening or serve it for the lunch tomorrow. I have come late to roasting cauliflower because Italians don't do it; I got it out of Mitchell Davis's latest book and love it. However, I think it's tons better right out of the oven than the next day. Your system, I presume, solves that problem. And thanks for mentioning farinata. I have half a bag of chickpea flour I want to finish before the weather gets hot. If you have a foolproof recipe I'd love to know it. The other thing I was thinking of doing with it is Sicilian panette.

Yes. You'll miss the melted-cheese effect, but small squares of parmigiana are often served at buffets at room temp. I'm facing the first terrace meal of the season this Sunday with a coratella coi carciofi, which I don't even like. I make the artichokes and my mother-in-law, thank heaven, does the rest (ormai, it's an annual thing in that we are given a lamb with its coratella every Easter). I need to fill out the rest of the menu. I'm thinking in terms of vignarola for the non-coratella eaters, and I don't know what else, but it has to be easy. Baked white onions maybe. Friggitelli (peppers) maybe. I'm not too good on baked pastas, but that would probably be a good idea, but nothing too heavy...

Not far from Bosa is a trattoria called Riccardo where I had the best lobster of my life. I can't remember the name of the town, but we found it in the SlowFood guide, Osterie d'Italia. Bosa is not terribly far from Alghero also.

The hype, as you call it, is unfortunate. It's a fine place filling the needed middle ground between the true trattoria and something more, which I will try to explain below. Frank Bruni, who ought to be ashamed for not knowing about it while he lived here, used too many superlatives to describe it, with the result that those of us who can walk there from home now have to reserve several days ahead. But it IS good. I would send the restaurant an e-mail and ask about taxis and water-taxis. It may be a little far from Sorrento, but not much farther, if at all, than Don Alfonso. We have always stayed there. The terrain is hilly and tortuous, distances definitely more than they look on a map. There is a lot of new stuff happening that is screwing up the old distinctions, but according to the old way of looking at things, the trattoria is usually small, usually family run (and so far this all applies to many Michelin stars too), casual, dedicated to the local cooking, and, the main point, very much like eating at home, if your grandmother does the cooking when you do eat at home. The degree of fanciness ranges from you can practically go in your pajamas to what today is called smart casual. Ristoranti aren't always much fancier but have a less homely style of cooking, as a rule, and make more of a show of service, which again is wide ranging, from a grumpy but professional waiter to the whole team. The distinctions are not sharp or clear and basically it's a case of I know one when I see one. There is lots more to be said on this, but not right now. (I realize I am making a hash of the quoting feature here, but I simply cannot figure it out. I know this is annoying for other people and I apologize.)

Thank you for the kind words about my site, which I tend to neglect. Be aware Il Fico emphasizes seafood, so is not a typical trattoria. For that I'd go to Nerone or La Piazzetta, the former more traditional but the latter better. But that's my neighborhood, so that's where I go. Antico Arco, which I like a lot, is a restaurant, not a trat, though it has some variations of traditional dishes. Colline Emiliane is great but has nothing to do with Rome. Monti would be a good upscale trat. Textbook traditional would be Checchino or Paris. Don't miss the food at Palatium, which is superb. I also love Agata e Romeo, and if you asked, Agata would probably make you her matriciana even if it isn't on the menu. In Pompei, I love Il Principe, which has now added a wine bar that I haven't yet been to. We like Taverna del Capitano better than Don Alfonso, but haven't been to either in a few years.

I'll second that. Tuscania is beautiful, and Al Gallo is great, both hotel and restaurant.

On my first visit, maybe a couple of years ago, I had sort of the same impression you did -- willing to try again but not blown away. But I thought it was a very nice place. This recent dinner was something else. I thought it right up there with the stars or nearly. Everything on the menu looked wonderful, and our group tried quite a few different dishes, and everyone was happy. And all the trimmings and trappings were there too. I'd expect a star next time Michelin checks.

I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago with five Italians. I don't recognize the dishes you describe, probably because the menu is in flux. We all found everything superb and extremely imaginative. My only complaint about the service was they started speaking English to us as soon as they heard my fluent but accented Italian, and I can't swear they didn't start even before that. I thought the tortelli di fegato grasso e tapioca were out of this world. ←

I had dinner there a couple of weeks ago with five Italians. I don't recognize the dishes you describe probably because the menu is in flux. We all found everything superb and extremely imaginative. My only complaint about the service was they started speaking English to us as soon as they heard my fluent but accented Italian, and I can't swear they didn't start even before that. I thought the tortelli di fegato grasso e tapioca were out of this world.

Also had some whipped mortadella to start. Pretty nice little lunch. ← I think I'd love for her to go there, but for a lot of reasons I think it's outside her budget (I know it is) and I don't know how comfortable she'd be eating there, so I was hoping for a similar lasagne in a simpler, cheaper settting - she's a poor 20 year old college student getting clobbered by the dollar as it is and more comfortable in simpler places - but THANK YOU for thinking of that !!!!!!!!!!! ← Diana is a Bologna classic. Why don't you treat her to lunch there? And as for being comfortable, at age 20, traveling in Europe, it might be time to experience a grown-up restaurant. It's not a scary, fancy place, just bourgeois. The whipped mortadella is yummy. Otherwise... I haven't been to Bologna in eons, but I very much liked Trattoria Gianni. You should be able to find its coordinates in the NY Times travel section archives on line.

Hm. I always thought ai ferri means "grilled", while alla piastra means "griddled" (as "a la plancha" in Spanish). ← Now I know what a la plancha means! Ferri, brace, piastra are indeed all different, but these terms (like many Italian food terms) can be thrown around sort of loosely, and for the purposes of translating a menu, "grilled" covers most eventualities. Piastra is also used for the ridged grill pan called bistecchiera. And I've found that "alla piastra" is an expression I hear more in home-cooking contexts than in restaurants, though an actual griddle is rarer at home. In any case, the question was about translating on a menu, and I've found, after decades of translating Italian -- and the same is true for any language -- that a Gordian-knot approach often works best where (as on a menu) space and reader attention span may be limited.

For translation purposes both ai ferri and alla piastra are "grilled." I don't think everybody knows what tagliolini are, but I think they can ask a waiter. If translation were needed, "thin noodles" or even "narrow tagliatelle" would be sufficient. Seared is scottato.

al is correct. Marsala is a wine and masculine. But nothing is that simple. Even though "al" may be correct in certain situations (i.e., with masculine noun), "alla" is sort of idiomatic and frequently found, probably derived from the French à la. They essentially mean the same thing when used correctly (al Marsala, alla crema, for example), but if there is a nuance of difference, it's that the grammatically correct al or alla refers to a specific ingredient and the idiomatic/colloquial alla may refer to a person or a way of cooking. Nevertheless, it's wrong except with a feminine noun. You would certainly say "allo chef" not "alla chef." If you look up recipes on line, you will find a lot of bad Italian. Make sure, at least, that you look at Italian sites for a better chance of correct Italian usage.

I don't know about interesting -- the more beautiful the beans, the less we tend to do with them. That means boiling them (my mother-in-law, the Bean Queen, swears by the pressure cooker) and serving them with salt, freshly ground pepper, the best red wine vinegar, and the best extra-virgin olive oil. Some thin-sliced spring onion (in summer this could instead by red Tropea onion) can be mixed in. Beans this way are wonderful with good Italian tunafish, but also with various kinds of smoked fish. The Bean Queen will, after six months of cajoling and pestering, sometimes make fagioli con le cotiche, beans and pork rinds, using the rind of good prosciutto. I don't (yet) have the recipe but it involves tomato. You can also make pasta e fagioli, though in Rome we prefer borlotti (cranberry-type) beans rather than the white (in Florence and Naples they use white). There are as many recipes as there are cooks. The important thing is you stew the beans in advance, but the pasta is cooked just before serving.