Elizabeth S.
Yelp
I'm not quite sure why I'm not raving about this place. It was, as Yelp writes next to 3 stars, "A-OK." Nothing spectacular.
First -- the locale; it's off the beaten path which is nice, except you definitely need to take a cab unless you're a local and can drive it yourself. The place itself is something others have commented on -- I imagine you'll love it or hate it. It felt extremely claustrophobic to me; not because it was a tight space but because it was, indeed, carved into the hill. It was like dining in a wine cellar -- no windows, just stone all around.
We asked for a wine list and were told to walk into the entryway where wines were listed by their prices. We chose an excellent Sangiovese and enjoyed it immensely. But I've never been to a restaurant where we "shop" for the wine. Interesting.
For our appetizer, we ordered prosciutto -- and, indeed, what we got was a plate of prosciutto. It didn't say there'd be melon with it so I knew not to expect that, but I certainly expected, I don't know, some sliced tomato, a side of oil, something to make it interesting. So it was just prosciutto. It was delicious prosciutto, but again... interesting choice.
We both had primi dishes -- and both had the cacio e pepe; excellent.
We didn't have secondi; wasn't necessary, we were pretty satisfied with the other dishes. We shared a tiramisu for dessert; this was different from any I'd ever had -- there was a sort of custard/pudding filling to it and was served in a glass. It was light and delicious. We both had coffee; it, like all Italian coffee, put hair on my chest. Loved it.
In the end, the meal cost about 90 euro for all that for two people; kind of what I'd expect when wine is included. If you're in that area, it's worth checking out; otherwise I wouldn't make a special trip for it.