If you’ve ever checked in at Chowhound for advice on Rome restaurants then you probably know that there are a few of us expats that regularly chime in with our musings. Although Vinoroma, Tavole Romane, and Gillian show up regularly, the loudest of the bunch seem to be me, Maureen and Katie.
All three of us write about food regularly for publications like the New York Times, Food & Wine, etc. and Katie and I have both written apps. So we are all ‘professionals’ when it comes to mouthing off. And while we are all friends and all see each other at various events and restaurants around town (Rome is small!) we definitely have our own distinct opinions when it comes to where to eat. Maybe it has to do with the fact we’re all born in different decades? Also the fact that we’ve all spent different amounts of time living here. Whatever.
When it comes to recommending our favorites (as well as the places to avoid) we tend to stick by our guns.
Which is why I want to say right here, right now, Maureen, forgive me for not listening to you when you repeatedly recommended Checchino over and over to inquiring Chowhounders.
I admit it. I had based my negative opinion on two meals over a dozen years ago. I hadn’t been back since, even though you said I should.
My memory was that it was overpriced, stuffy and the food kind of boring. Yes, I knew it was supposed to have a fabulous wine list, but…that usually isn’t my thing anyway.
But a few weeks ago a friend was in town on an expense account, and wanted to take us somewhere ‘special’ where he could have authentic roman food, but with extraordinary wines.
So I decided to give Cecchino one more chance. Because while I love Perillli and Flavio dearly, neither is that great on the wine side of things.
First of all my memory served me correctly on the stuffy front. At least at dinner the place a bit grim feeling: brightly lit, with a few tables full of various varieties of tourists.
And the service was a bit on the weirdly formal side too.
But I’ll get right to the food part of things, since that is the real reason I”ll be heading back.
We started out with a trio of antipasti to split, and headed directly into Testaccio territory. Crostini with guanciale looks simple but was a harbinger of things to come. Simplicity brought to the sublime by the drop dead level of quality. Just the best guanciale I’ve had in recent memory. Which is kind of what you want, right? Meaty and rich, not too salty, and extremely piggy. On a thin slice of pane di lariano, toasted just enough.
Next up insalata di zampi. While all of the Testaccio restaurants talk up a good innard story, rarely can you find something as down-to-Earth, old fashioned yet as ethereal as this. A ‘salad’ made of veal trotter, boned and tossed with a tepid mix of celery, carrots and beans and dressed with salsa verde.
Then fagioli con le cotiche, just because they were on the menu and how often do you see that?
I went very old school / boarder line country club fare and ordered the straciatella next. I figured any restaurant that served bollito was a good choice for anything broth related. I was right.
The dish I would gladly eat everyday was the rigatoni alla pajata. Again, while most Testaccio restaurants do serve this, I rarely order it since it usually comes with a few measly squiggles of veal intestine thrown into a tomato sauce. Checchino does it right, with the ratio of rigatoni to pajata being about 50/50. The sauce tasted like pajata, just like it should, with a healthy dusting of sharp pecorino.
Domenico, being Domenico, ordered trippa alla romana. Set down on the table the piping hot dish sent out a blast of mint, just the way a good roman restaurant should make it (but rarely does).
The highlight of the meal (at least for me) was the mixed grill of (get this) pajata, kidney, sweet breads and liver. All crispy, crunchy, salty and cooked till just barely done. Never having had grilled pajata before, I found it a transformative experience. Tender curls of veal intestine, still filled with milk, which had undergone a miraculous change by being lightly grilled. This is definitely the dish to come to Rome to order, you offal fiends out there.
And right here, I have to tell you Maureen: had you mentioned this dish when rhapsodizing about Checchino I might have heeded your advice and not wasted all these years in an offal wasteland.
Oh yeah. The wine. It was great and made my friend very happy. In fact we enjoyed our wine choices so much that after the first couple of bottles I forgot to write things down (that happens). Sorry.
Moral of the story? That I should listen to my colleagues more closely. So thank you Maureen, for finally convincing me to give Cecchino one more chance. And Katie? Who knows, maybe I’ll even make the trek out to the Prenestina to eat at that Ethiopian place you keep talking about.
Checchino dal 1887
Via di Monte Testaccio 30
+39.06.574.6318
For more information on dining in Rome, download my app, EAT ROME , available on iTunes and for Android.
Looks wonderful! I love offal so now HAVE to try this place. Look at this mixed grill!
Mesob is an amazing destination and it is in Pigneto, so hardly a trek. It takes 12 minutes to get there from Termini on the tram. you can probably drive from Monti in 10-15 minutes. The next bloggers meet up is there so hopefully it will get the attention that it should have been getting for the past 2 years from rome’s food ‘professionals’.
I’m so upset I won’t be in town for the next meet up! But will definitely make it there on my own, promise.
My husband and I ate at Checchino for his birthday on a recent trip to Rome. As it was April, we ate outdoors, which completely took care of the stuffy atmosphere part. The food was every bit as delicious as Elizabeth describes (we missed the mixed grill on the menu, an oversight we’ll have to correct on a future visit), and the service was extraordinary.
Oh, but I have heard about this restaurant for years having relatives who are always on the offal trail. Thanks, as always Elizabeth for your personal, yet altogether professional enlightenment. A joy to read, as always.
Ate at Checchino many years ago and was disappointed with their Abbachio alla Cacciatora which was on the tough and stringy side. However, their Spaghetti Carbonara (recommended by Faith Willinger) was so spectacular that I emailed the restaurant requesting the recipe which they were kind enough to send–written in Italian, which I managed to somehow translate–and which I make and enjoy frequently. It was also my first sublime experience with Gorgonzola Dolce with honey for dessert. We were in Rome last year just at this time but had to cancel our evening at Checchino due to illness. A great disappointment.
Elizabeth, as your wonderful posts usually arrive during the apero here in France, I am often inspired by what you have written to cook this or that but…not this time!! Just being silly. I am not anti-offal but just don’t seem to have any in the fridge tonight–quelle surprise! 😉
Bon Soirée…
Heather
What? No offal in your fridge? Quelle horreur!
This restaurant has always been a “don’t miss” on my list. I will again be eating lunch here after a walk up the Aventine hill to see the churches and keyhole. And after a fine lunch, a walk across the street to the MACRO Testaccio.
I read your post about Checchino before eating there last week. I’ve dined here a handful of times and like you find the service a bit formal. I love pajata but haven’t had pajata of veal intestines as it has been banned since the early 90’s due to mad cow epidemic. I was excited to finally try the real thing. I was disappointed to learn that Checchino only serves pajata of lamb intestines not veal : (
For mange år siden havde vi fornøjelsen at være gæster i restauranten i Potteskårshøjen.Omgivelserne lovede ikke godt, men maden, vinene, betjeningen
besøget i vinkælderne – altsammen var fantantisk. En fin-fin oplevelse, som vi stadig mindes med glæde og regelmæssigt bliver mindet om, når opdateringer
på Facebook indløber. 6 tilfredse danske gæster
Just back from lunch and incredibly disappointed. Only one other table for lunch, rooms looks tired, as do the staff. The much lauded wine list is full of no longer available wines which have been replaced with big commercial brands.
The food was good, we ate the salata zampi (ok), artichoke (great but 7 euro for 1), rigatoni pajata (very good), Veal tongue with salsa verde (good) and calves liver with onions which was a stellar plate of food. BUT the final cheese selection we were served a piece of castelmagno that was so rancid it left both my partner and with a sour taste in our mouths.
It feels like everyone is just going through the motions and any real passion is long gone. Its a shame for such a historic restaurant.
I hope they turn this place around but it will be a big ask.
So sorry to hear of your experience there! I’m not surprised at all by the empty dining room though. It’s always like that at lunch, and even more so this time of year, which is low season. I am glad that you liked the food, which is usually very very good. But yes, pricey for what it is. How sad that the wine list disappointed, and even more of a shame to end your meal on a rancid note.