(Here the italian version) Everybody calm down, there’s no need to get riled up. Ok, we get it–your trusted trattoria, immobile for fifty-years- is dead, closed, the doors are barred. But at times, those stories about metempsychosis, the rebirth of one’s soul in another body, are not all hog’s wash. And, in fact, witness the resurgence of the trattoria da Enzo just a few meters away from its old location, in a new light, more delicious and inviting than before. Of course, the old Enzo on Via dei Vascellari is no more, it's true. But just walk around the corner, into one of the most beautiful little piazzette in Rome, piazza dei Ponziani, and shining brightly you will find da Teo (from Teodoro Filippini, the owner). New clothes and a new name fit the new space for the same quality and reliability that has lasted throughout the years.
This is traditional food; you really can't more Roman than this. They have the typical first plates (an excellent amatriciana, a pasta dish), a broccoli and skate stew, oxtail and baby lamb, as well as some good fish options. Forget about the plastic tables which used to inhabit the old locale, there's a beautiful veranda on the piazza and the new locale is more polished but not to the point of being snobby. The staff has remained the same: a mix between the brusque and light-hearted. A little taste of the former: get out of here, and go outside to wait for your table. And the latter: to answer the query of whether or not the red wine of the house was still, the response an imperturbable little joke-the last time I saw him he still wasn't married. But you know, its all part of the fun of this old Roman joint. And this one is for real, unlike many of the trattorie that are just old.
The wine of the house is drinkable, and the prices are a little higher than those of a trattoria: the amatriciana costs nine Euro, the delectable maltagliati (a type of pasta) with amberjack (a type of fish) are fourteen. One fried zucchini flower (excellent and crunchy) costs 1.50; a fried artichoke, 3.50; good meatballs flavored with lemon come to nine euro, even if the lemon flavor dominates and ultimately overwhelms the dish.
Bonus: The veranda overlooking the piazza is worth the trip.
Minus: The walls are a fluorescent yellow, its quite noisy, and, of course, the customary treatment by the staff.
Votes by Puntarella Rossa
Food: 6/7
Ambience: 7,5 (outisde) 6,5 (inside)
Service: 6
Da Teo – Piazza dei Ponziani 7A. Tel. 06-5818355. Cell 338-7004615 327-2092590. Closed on sunday
(translated by Alida Borgna)