Seven courses all’italiana

It was a rainy night in Rome and while it made the walk to Trastevere longer (especially when Jesse paused to show everyone the Sixtine Bridge), it made the the restaurant even cosier. Yesterday was the official Pantheon Center welcome dinner and the restauranteur made sure that we all ate our fill, and then some. Rather than gorging quickly, though, the students and staff ate at a leisurely pace, starting with antipasti misti: bruschetta with finely diced tomatoes and basil and drizzled with olive oil, mixed cold cuts (prosciutto and bresaola, a kind of cured cut made with beef), and even mozzarella di bufala in the shape of a braid.The primo (pasta dish) was the classic Roman rigatoni all'amatriciana, a tomato sauce made with bacon and finely cut onions. The secondo (meat dish) was mixed grilled cuts, including sausage, beef, and even some veal. The fuzzy water and excellent red wine, drunk slowly during alternating bites of pasta and conversation (soccer, art, and Italian politics), prepared us all for the dolce. Dessert was a small plate with some tiramisù (literally “pick me up” in Italian) and panna cotta, a sort of crème brule, both lovingly sprinkled with cocoa powder. And then it was ten-thirty, and we realized we’d been at the table for almost three hours, and it was time to go to sleep, as there were classes the next morning. Ahh, Italia!

Photos courtesy Molly McRoskey.