Viva Trastavere! Testaccio - not so much...

Those of you who know me, know that I can get lost in a paper bag.  My sense of direction is among the worst in the known world.  So, when the family was "too tired" to go out tonight, I had to challenge the Roman night on my own.  With the distinct lack of 3G service, even my Droid map was no help.  Regardless, I wandered off across the Tiber into Trastaverde...for me, this is the equivalent of sailing beyond the horizon using a map made in 1529.  Going, it looked like this...

Coming home, it looked like this...

We have now determined beyond the shadow of a doubt that the wine we get in the USA, whether it be from California or imported, is garbage.  It takes a mere 5 euros to accomplish the transformation above, and the wine is delicious!  It doesn't matter what restaurant you're in, or whether you order bottled or house, the taste is great, and the effect the same.

As to Trastavere, what a cool neighborhood!  Little restaurants abound.  The alleys are winding and tight, yet even with my extreme levels of paranoia, I felt OK.  In Testaccio, you walk into a restaurant and you get the feeling that you are an idiot turista.  The owners and the staff treat you with disdain (of course, I don't care, I'm just there for the food, not the love).  Just across the river in Trastavere, it's a whole different world.  The same great food, the same complete lack of understanding, but the owner and staff are smiling and friendly, not sneering and trying to rip you off.  Trastaverde 1, Testaccio 0.  So after this visit, I say "Keep Testaccio for the Testacles!  Viva Trastavere!"

I stopped into Le Mani in Pasta in Trastavere.  My dinner tonight - ravioli in sage and butter, followed by a delicious veal saltimbocca.

To underscore the comment above regarding turista being overcharged in Testaccio...in Testaccio, we paid anywhere from 3-5 euro for the bread that comes with every meal, and around 2.50 for a bottle of water.  In Trastavere, bread and water are both 1 euro.  Needless to say, we will be eating across the bridge in Trastavere from now on.

For those of you who know me yet still doubt my willpower to abstain from a curry whenever I see one, I did walk past this restaurant on the way, and while I looked inside and took a picture of the menu, I did not go in.   Maybe on Friday!