Nando - Grottaferrata

I decided to give this place a try after reading some very positive reviews on TripAdvisor. Kudos, to the reviewers at TripAdvisor because this was definitely our best meal while in Italy.What makes this restaurant special, is that the chef puts his own spin on traditional Italian food and cooks it to order. This of course takes time, so be prepared to spend 2 hours for dinner. The decoration is quite eclectic which you normally would not associate with an superb restaurant but somehow it works and makes for an enjoyable and relaxed atmosphere. For appetizers, we had the Antipasto Vegetariano, an assortment of vegetarian appetizers that is enough for two. The antipasto featured an onion souffle, Buffalo Mozarella with peppers and zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese to name a few. Everything was excellent, very balanced flavors and a nice presentation. For our first dish (Primi Piatto) I had the (Spaghetti) Gricia, which is almost a Carbonara, and it was probably one of the best renditions that I have ever had of this dish. My buddy had the Vermicelli Cacio which was a typical Roman pasta dish featuring lemons and mint which was also very pleasant. Unfortunately the pasta dishes were so big that we never made it to the Secondi Piatto so we skipped this and went straight for the dessert. I had the sampler which included the Mousse di Ricotta, the Zabaione and the Mantecato di Pistaccio. My favorite was the Zabaione. The service is excellent and friendly as only the Italians can be. I will definitely go out of my way to come her next time I am in the vicinity of Rome.

Tasty and innovative food