PIETRO VALENTINI: HUSBAND AND WIFE DUO SERVE TRADITIONAL ROMAN CUISINE IN THEIR RESTAURANT IN THE HEART OF ROME
The Cost - $33 per person
The Atmosphere – An adorable restaurant located steps from Piazza Navona, Ristorante Pietro Valentini has about six tables inside with two small tables outside. The eatery has a rustic and homey feel to it and is a popular spot for locals. Reservations are taken and are recommended, especially for weekend nights. The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner, Monday through Saturday.
Since 1968, Pietro Valentini has been serving up traditional Roman cuisine, a specific variety of Italian food. The co-owners Simona, who runs the front of the house, and Chef Gabriele who handles the kitchen, make for an impressive duo that makes you feel at home with their attention and with their cooking. The menu focuses on authentic Roman dishes with locally sourced ingredients and a large section of it is dedicated to one of the restaurant’s specialties, truffles.
The Order – Tonarelli Cacio e Pepe, Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci, Risotto al Funghi with Truffle and Tiramisu.
The Great – While all four dishes earned the same Great rating, the best dish of the night was the Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci. The three large ravioli, stuffed with fresh ricotta and spinach, were cooked with a cheese sauce with sage and butter that was absolutely delicious. The portion was not enough to be a true entrée, but the dish works well as an appetizer or as a first course and is vegetarian friendly.
The Tonnarelli Cacio e Pepe was the second-best dish of the night. The tonnarelli, square-shaped, thick, spaghetti-like pasta, was homemade and cooked perfectly and the pecorino cheese and black pepper combine to make a wonderful sauce. There is just enough black pepper in the dish to make you feel warm inside and the sauce was neither too heavy nor too light This is one of the oldest and most traditional Roman dishes and it was done very well, to the point where you are likely to think to yourself, “so this is what pasta is supposed to taste like.”
The Tiramisu was the next best item that was ordered. A good-sized homemade piece of the famous Italian cake, Pietro Valentini’s tiramisu features an excellent ratio of homemade cream to chocolate to coffee flavors. The best part of the tiramisu is the cream, which is whipped to fluffy, light perfection. You can’t go wrong here.
The Risotto al Funghi with Truffle may have been my least favorite dish of the night but that certainly does not mean it was bad; in fact, quite the opposite is true. The mushroom risotto was a solid version of the classic Italian dish and while it didn’t blow me away, the tartufo nero, or black truffle, that was shaved on top took the risotto to the next level. While at first the additional 17 euros for the truffle seemed like a bit much, the dish was actually a great value given that there were about 15 thin truffle shavings that covered the risotto, which was served on an entrée-sized plate.
The Verdict – Pietro Valentini offers consistently great, high-quality, traditional Italian food at very reasonable prices, making it a restaurant we recommend for a visit. Whether you are a truffle fan or not, Chef Gabriele and Simona make sure that your dining experience at their restaurant is an enjoyable one. But if you are a truffle fan, don’t leave without adding truffles to one of your dishes.