Roscioli Restaurant, Rome, Italy

 This restaurant was right down the block from our rented apartment, and we knew about it in two ways.  The woman who we rented the apartment from recommended it as a place that was nearby and good, and because Mario Battali has said a thing or two about it.  That said, they have a cookbook that more or less a recreation of their menu--so if you have something here that you want to recreate, you can get the cookbook and give it a try.  The down side of going to restaurant where Mario Battali has alerted people to is that it is packed.  Always.  A reservation is a must, and the service is definitely slow as a result of the crowd.

The charcuterie and cheese at this place is the whole reason to go here.  They do a good job with pasta,a nd they have some interesting other things on the Secgundi menu,  you really shouldn't pick this place if you are not going to try this.  It is spectacular, in that each component part shines in and of itself and by the time you finish the plate, you are wondering two things.  One is where did that enormous pile of food go, and two, should we get another one.  That was our only real mistake, not getting more, and the blame for that lays solely with me, and I would not make the same mistake again.
While the salume and cheese plate was the clear winner for the meal, the famous Roman artichokes were at least on the map for honorable mention.  So was the burrata with cherry tomatoes.