“Il Pastaio”?? “what, is this some new place in town??”
This is what I hear every time I mention that I love this place.
The fact of the matter is, Il Pastaio has been open in TLV for more than 18 years- or, , similar to “Dog Years”, that means about 18,650 “TLV restaurant years”.

And in that time, it has managed to avoid falling into virtually every one of the stereotypical pitfalls of most of the other places in town- It isn’t owned by a huge group of  greedy and pompous investors, all of whom expect to take home 5-digit monthly salaries for doing nothing, while demanding their manager hire a chef to work 6 days a week for a global salary that their spoiled kids would laugh at if offered as their allowance, and closing the place after 2 years, amidst scandals and lawsuits.

It hasn’t been expensively decorated by some stuck-up interior designer who pays more attention while planning the space to the size of the sex/coke sniffing lounges (bathrooms) than to the size and comfort of the kitchen.

And most importantly of all, at Il Pastaio, they could care less about hiring some high-powered PR firm to pump the media full of overblown and inaccurate press releases, articles, and interviews ad nauseum, bringing in tons of people who don’t know or care if the food is actually good or not, as long as they can say they saw the chef on TV or read some ass-kissing article written by someone who was paid to sit there and write a glowing review.

No. Here you come because you want to EAT DELICIOUS FOOD.
Nothing more, nothing less!

Let’s speak frankly:
The place doesn’t have flattering lighting.
Normally this is something I am unforgiving about, being, ahem, of  “A Certain Age”.
But I suck it up, put on some extra make-up, and STFU about it here!
It has a few tattered posters of Italian Formula 1 racecar drivers adorning the walls, as decoration.
And if I am not mistaken, there may even be a vase of artificial flowers in the corner. Yikes!

Two of my BFF's who happen to also be frequent dining companions

However- what it lacks in atmosphere, it more than makes up for in the food.
They make perfect pastas, all by hand by the chef, Itzac, who is the son of the owner, who works in the front, along with his sister.

You won’t see him offering some “wasabi-flavoured pasta with Brazilian meatballs” or similar experimental silliness, complete with 4 different sauces in squirt-bottles splattered all over the rims of oversized square plates here!
No way!!! He is Old-School all the way!
Respect!!!
They also sell their superb fresh pastas by weight from the shop, if you feel like cooking at home..

on my way to Il Pastaio on my bike a while ago, I saw this beautiful work by my favourite street artist, “Klone Yourself”

My particular favourite pasta here is the Porcini raviolis- delicate, small, charmingly cut in the shape of an actual porcini mushroom, they are packed with intense, true porcini flavour. Every time I order these I feel like ordering another plate of them when I finish the first one! There are excellent gnocchi in real Italian Gorgonzola sauce (NOT cheap, Israeli “Rokfor” I might add!!) Delectable, Lasagne Bianca, perfectly made. Succulent Scalloppine of Veal with Porcini mushrooms, another one of my favourite dishes here. Also an excellent-quality rare entrecote steak, grilled and thinly sliced, on a bed of pristine, fresh arugula, it is light and clean. Too bad there’s no radicchio to be found in Israel!! But that’s not their fault!!The “Carciofi alla Giudia” (Jewish Artichokes- the classic Roman dish) are surprisingly made with delicately marinated artichoke hearts- different, and exquisite. I always eat 3 by myself. (What?! gluttonous you say??! Thank you!!)

Carciofi alla Giudia

Even the old standard Veal alla Milanese, which most people seem to think is just another word for “schnitzel” (it is NOT!) is precise, tender, juicy, and made with a thin slice of REAL veal, with the bone, lightly dredged in crumbs and pan-fried- NOT heavily breaded with a nasty, thick batter of flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs and deep-fried in soy oil, as you will find if you make the horrible mistake of ordering “Milanese” elsewhere.

As a matter of fact, I basically am going to go out on a limb here and say I would be damn surprised if no matter what you order here, won’t be delicious.

As for wine, the list isn’t worth mentioning, but who cares. I always order a few bottles of Orvieto Classico,

The breathtaking Medieval Italian city of Orvieto. I drank some wine here, I can tell you!!

and at less than 90 shekels a bottle, it’s light, crisp, refreshing and goes perfectly with the food here.
If you insist on being a snob, bring your own good bottle and pay the corkage.

As you all know, I adore Rome. In fact, it happens to be one of my favourite cities.
here is a great place I love, and you should try, when in Rome:
Hostaria Romana
Via del Boccaccio, 1, Rome, Italy
064745284

Rima eats fresh Porcini at Hostaria Romana, Rome

I can truly say that Il Pastaio, in both authenticity of food, family-run and warm, and with it’s absolutely non-TLV poseur-oriented atmosphere, I feel like I am sitting in Rome every time I go here, and you will too.

Two cooks on a break in Rome near Piazza Navona

Alon outside the Coliseum

I adore Italian food, and it is one of my most cherished foods to both cook, and eat.

It took me 10 minutes to get this shot

I guess conservatively, I have spent more than 20 years studying and cooking Italian food, from all areas of Italy, and it makes me damn mad to see some coffee-house cowboy with 2 years kitchen experience insulting this noble cuisine by serving up soggy, overcooked pastas swimming in bowls of hideous cream sauces, or plating up “gnocchi” that are so heavy, Tony Soprano could use them as weights when he sends someone who double-crossed him, to “Sleep with the Fishes”!

And it makes me even madder to see some “Top Chef” who, as accomplished as he may be in his own style of food, nonetheless has zero experience in Italian food, yet opens some flashy “Italian” place with his name splashed all over the press and with a line out the door- because  he apparently thinks, “How hard could it be to cook Italian food??” and his PR team will back him up- all the way to the bank- at the expense of the dining experience of the Israeli Public.

Jackass

But when you eat there, if you have actually ever eaten true Italian food, you realize, to your dismay, that you have just been, well, screwed yet again-
Compliments of the nepotistic and clique-ish Israeli PR machines and their fawning servants, the media.  I’m not naming names here, but I could!!!

Do yourself a favour and avoid the hype, the nonsense, the empty pretensions of unqualified charlatans,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8StG4fFWHqg

And more importantly, avoid the inevitably mediocre food to be found so often in so many other “Italian” places in TLV -
and go get a truly excellent Italian meal at Il Pastaio.
And don’t forget to tell those guys over there to get a plate of Jewish Artichokes ready for me! I’m on the way over!!

Il Pastaio
איל פסטיו
http://www.ilpastaio.co.il/
27 Eben Gvirol street
אבן גבירול 27
Tel: 5251166

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Sometimes, you just feel like Getting Away From It All-
And when that happens to me, and I can’t grab a last minute ticket out of here, I head for Yoezer.

Inside Yoezer

Yoezer, for me, is one of those rare spots which when I am sitting there, makes me feel like a million bucks.
The atmosphere of course, is amazing, in fact in my opinion, one of the most beautiful spots around-
In an ancient Arabic house with vaulted ceilings and almost French-Gothic style rustic interior, it will take your breath away.
But it is the absolutely Top-Grade French Wine List which no where else in town, oh let’s face it, in Israel, can come close to, as well as the European class service and food, which seals the deal for me.

Ok, listen- I’m not going to lie. This place is EXPENSIVE.
They don’t skimp on the butter or cream, either- which as you all know, I do not usually use much of myself- But so what!
You don’t come here everyday- it’s a place to come on special occasions, so don’t be cheap, and forget about the cholesterol too for a while!

Really, a few extra hours in the gym is a small price to pay for that DIVINE Heart of Entrecote, or the fresh Polenta with Poached Egg and Truffles!
Damn, that is TASTY!!

My personal favourite happens to be an absolutely decadent plate of “Carpaccio” (now listen- “Carpaccio” at Yoezer, does NOT mean a tiny plate of frozen, paper-thin, pounded to death slices of filet with a few sad arugula leaves on top, and a shaving of parmesan, if you are lucky- like most places!)
NO WAY! I do not exaggerate when I say, the Carpaccio here is in a League of It’s Own-

Rima and Friend

There must be about 250 grams of thick-sliced, aged raw beef filet, cracked pepper, and drenched in the very finest extra-virgin olive oil!! Hallelujah!
Shovel it up like a blood-crazed Viking with some of their perfect pain levain! Wash it down with a fine Bourgogne, like maybe a Gevrey Chambertin!
Oh Hell Yes!!!

Now, as I said before, Yoezer is definitely the place to go when you want to feel Spoiled and Important.
But it’s not all because of the food and the wines- Shaul Avron, the legendary owner or Yoezer, and the veritable “Godfather” of the Israeli Culinary Scene-
is what really makes this place Where It’s At, for me-

He presides at the bar, taking time to talk to all the heavy hitters from Industry, the wine biz, cooks, chefs, FOH guys, and Camp Followers of the restaurant biz- Handing out pithy comments, tales from a lifetime of fine food, wine, and travels, wine recommendations, and best of all-
Woe be to any challengers who dare try to Drink Him Under The Table!

Now, as everyone knows- Alon likes to drink wine, and he can drink A LOT of it- But Shaul separated the “Men from the Boys” a few months ago-
We were sitting at Yoezer, eating endless plates of food sent out by Shaul, and drinking endless bottles of wine, too!

Shaul and Alon drinking wine

Alon drinking Vermentino in Rome

I think I mentioned before, one of them happened to be a 2005 White Aligote Bourgogne, which tasted EXACTLY like a plate of fresh oysters-
I’ve never tasted anything even remotely similar! Exquisite!!
Anyway, to make a long story a bit shorter, Alon and I staggered out of there about 6pm, after sitting there since noon, and Alon claims he didn’t even remember the taxi ride home!!

And, Shaul was still sitting there, as crisp as a daisy when we left, sipping another glass of wine! Or was it a martini?! Well, I actually don’t remember!
What a legend!!

Shaul and friend in Omnivore

When ever he comes to Omnivore, he brings his own wine, because let’s face it, mine does not make the grade, sits at my bar, and I am honoured and happy to get any comments he might have about my food, I can tell you that from the heart!

As well as all the other desirable features I have just mentioned, Yoezer happened to have also redeemed my reputation with my Dad last year-
He was visiting, and I had been dragging him around all week in TLV from one dive to another, and let me tell you something- My Dad is not the type who “Gets” paper napkins.
Especially thin, crappy ones pulled out of a dispenser and printed with “B’Te’avon”. No. No. No.

Us in one of the dives of Tel Aviv with paper napkins, actually it's Gabes!

Anyway, finally I got smart, and brought him to Yoezer.
I swear he had tears of joy in his eyes when he sat down and picked up a huge, soft, pressed, linen napkin from the table!
And that was even before he had a few cocktails before dinner, and as he put it so succinctly:
“Finally, Rima, a place which pours a decent glass of Bourbon!”
Thanks for saving the day, Yoezer!!
As a matter of fact, I still have a pile of those very same napkins I borrowed from Shaul a while ago for Omnivore, and “forgot” to give back!

Now look- don’t come crying to me if your wallet feels a little lighter after dinner at Yoezer, and you feel a little heavier- just remember my Motto:
”Your Body is Not a Temple- it’s an Amusement Park!”

So Enjoy The Ride!!!!!

Yoezer Wine Bar
יועזר בר ייו
2 Yoezer Ish HaBira St, Jaffa (in the alley right across from the Clock Tower)
03 6839115

*here is a cool link which will allow you to see a “virtual tour” of the interior:
http://www.3disrael.com/telaviv/yoezer_bar_wine.cfm

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Rome happens to be one of those cities that I just never get enough of..
It has everything that I love in a world-class city- History, art, architecture, shopping, and well, let’s face it, most importantly- GREAT FOOD and WINE!!!!
Last month, Alon and I said, “Let’s get out of here and go to Rome for a week- the tickets are dirt cheap, and we have been missing Rome..”
So that’s just what we did!

Now listen up!
Rome, as much as I love it, can really be a tourist-trap!
You can get sucked into all kinds of horrible places where I wouldn’t feed their food to my cats!
And you can sit innocently at a cafe, drinking a glass of wine, and eating some antipasti- and next thing you know, you get a bill for, well, let’s say, about 5x what the locals would pay! And that could, well, finire in merda!!
So friends- take my advice and enjoy, i mean really ENJOY Rome by following my recommendations for some truly outstanding places- and all you guys who know me.. know that I am NOT a kind critic! For places to end up on my list, i have to have a GREAT experience, from start to finish- and not just once- every time!!

And i tell you- all these people visiting Rome etc, who are getting up at 6am- their day planned down to 15-minute increments- checklists of every single damn historical attraction, museum, cathedral, etc for 100 kilometers in every direction- and are running around like maniacs- sweating, panting, tearing up and down the streets with guidebooks in hand, while they are dutifully checking off each item on their lists- “Piazza Navona- Check!” “Sistine Chapel- Check!” “Coliseum- Check!”..ad nauseum- and at the end of their vacations, they are frazzled, angry, stressed-out, and tired! In need of a vacation!
This sort of thing isn’t for me! non grazie!!

So now let me share another one of my secrets for REALLY HAVING A GREAT TIME, not only in Rome.. but in every city you travel to!
Here’s what a typical day looks like for Alon and I, while on vacation:
11am: wake up
12 noon: sit at cafe down street from hotel, drink a bottle of wine and eat some charcuterie
2pm: walk around town, do a little shopping, stop at another cafe, drink another bottle of wine, then go to a museum!
5pm: sit at a cafe, drink our favourite aperitif  “SanBitter” (it is like campari, but concentrated, and without alcohol- and in the cutest, tiny little bottles!
perfect with soda, and it really sets you up for the next few hours of eating like rabid wolverines and drinking like blood-crazed Vikings-
6pm: got hotel, take a big bath, order a cocktail from room service,  get dressed for dinner.. Because as my Dad says.. “You can’t just waltz around, expecting people to treat you seriously, if you are dressed like a bum!”
8pm: go walking around, maybe grab a taxi to another area of town, make mental notes of all the beautiful alleys and side streets, which are one of the things i love most in every city i ever visit..
9pm: go to dinner, and make sure to order, and finish, enough choices off the menu that at least 4 people should be eating, not just us 2, and of course drink 2 bottles of wine..
Midnight: stagger back to the hotel, hopefully remember to take off shoes, go to sleep..
next day: Repeat!!

Now doesn’t that sound a million times better than some micro-managed 14-hour-a-day nonstop tour?! You’re welcome!!

HOTEL:  Ludovisi Palace:
we stayed here on two different visits, and i can’t recommend it highly enough- GREAT location, very nice rooms, really nice and helpful staff who will do anything at all you ask for, from making restaurant reservations to finding tickets for exhibits, referring to great places, etc.. and excellent price for such great location and service:
http://www.booking.com/hotel/it/ludovisipalacehotelroma.html?aid=311076;label=hotel-81016-it-LGABTxEEHSLLruoiwJwkzAS671713164;ws=&gclid=CO6l9KnUu5sCFUgTzAodHxQhCA

now, here are some new places we found and all of them are great:
Hostaria Romana
via del boccacio  1 (angolo via rasella)
06 474 52 84   -  06 48 35 11
* the concierge (andre) at ludovisi palace hotel is friends w the owner here and at first i thought it was going to be one of those hotel set-up restaurant recommendation scams but he is totally legit and the place was fantastic.
Authentic Roman food- they have great things from a rotisserie like suckling pig and lamb, perfect pastas, carciofa giuda, etc- everything we ate here was excellent.  closed sunday.

Ciccia Bomba
Via del Governo Vecchio, 76
00186 Roma (Latium), Italy
06 68802108‎

sit outside in the back alley. it’s  beautiful and has incredible atmosphere.
you might expect a touristy crappy place to be here because it’s right near Piazza Navona, but this place is incredible, the prices are CHEAP and the food is delicious.
ONLY sit outside…even if you have to wait, tell them you will wait rather than sit inside..the pizzas are excellent, remind them to put light cheese, the only fault i found (we ate there twice so i fixed this mistake the second time..) when non- Italians order pizza, they put about twice the amount of cheese on them as for Italians, this is because most non- Italians are used to loads of cheese and of course it is better the right way with very little..

excellent place!!

Ristorante Peppone

60 via Emilia

06-48 39 76   j

a fancier place and more expensive than the first two i listed but well worth the money, go for lunch, it’s too uptight to go for dinner and the atmosphere is nicer at the Ciccia Bomba..
it is right around the corner from the hotel, it is very respectable and regarded place and they are famous for their authentic and special version of the delicious pasta dish ” Caci e pepe” (pasta with 3 kinds of pecorino cheese and black pepper) it sounds boring but don’t be fooled- this is absolutely the best one i have had of this dish and i love this dish. Get it with the fresh tagliatelle.
the Octopus salad (ensalata di polpo) is excellent also, and the steak tartare is divine.. great, great place.

Al 34

Via Mario de’ Fiori, 34
00187 Roma (Latium), Italy

066 795091‎

066 786980‎ – Fax

This used to be one of my favourite spots in Rome but i am sorry to say their quality has suffered since the last time we were there a couple years ago.
we still ate there twice this trip but it’s not what it was once..
I still, however, recommend it, though, because even though it is no longer perfect it is a hell of a lot better than a lot of the junky tourist spots in Rome you can be fooled into going to..
i recommend VERY highly the raw Zucchini Carpaccio with truffle oil and parmesan. (zucchini crudo, trufo, e parmigiano)
also the Stinco di Vitello (lamb shank for 2) delicious..
go no later than 9:30 or the service will be rushed.  closed monday.

Good museum!
i don’t know if you are into Japanese art  like I am (ha ha, i know you are!)
but there is on right now (til sept 21) an INCREDIBLE!!!!! exhibit of Hiroshige, the so-called ‘master of nature” of the Edo period.. he is one of my favourite artists and this is the best and largest exhibit oh his work i have ever seen.. WELL WORTH going to.
it’s at the Fondazione Roma Museo (it’s a small museum and it’s not one of the big Rome “museos”.. so i am giving the exact address because otherwise the taxi drivers will take you to the main museum and that’s not the right one.

http://www.fondazioneroma.it/home.html

CASTRONI
Via Cola di Rienzo, 196, Rome, Italy Tel: 06-687-4383

The BEST, and I mean the BEST!!!!!  specialty food/delicatessen/gourmet food shop in Rome:
for everything from absolutely unique and impossible to find items like the exquisite “aliccette” (which are, believe it or not, the just-hatched larvae of the anchovy!! –( pickled in olive oil and salt-)
to world-class grades of Sicilian Bottarga, wildflower bee pollen from Sardinia, tiny salt-cured capers, packed in grey salt, grade AAA porcinis, plus a stand-up bar where you can drink fantastic liqueurs and cocktails, right in the middle of the shop-
and a wine frig filled with the very finest caviars from the world’s very top producers!!
A Jewel of a place and when I am in in Rome i cannot miss it..And you shouldn’t either!!!

“Cherry”
i don’t know if you are into esoteric and rare perfumes but if you are here is the best shop in Rome for them, “Cherry”- and the owner, Marina, is a real sommelier of perfumes and can help you find absolutely unique ones which fit your body chemistry and personality perfectly. Maybe you don’t know this about me but perfumes, the rarer the better, are a huge passion of mine- I believe perfume can influence someone’s moods, emotions, and even loves, as food also does- and a sublime perfume (not the department store mass-produced crap!) can make a difference in your confidence and personal signature..

i happen to recommend very highly the perfumes of Eau di Italie, also Il Profumo, but there are hundreds of unique houses represented here and each of them in this shop are hand-picked by the incredibly knowledgeable owner..
it’s down the hill before the Spanish steps down the street from the hotel:

Cherry
Via F. Crispi 73

Well.. this post got a bit out of hand! sorry! But i warned you Rome is one of my favourite cities..
and I hope it will become one of yours, too…
Because a holiday in Rome is truly, “La Dolce Vita” ..!!

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