Damn You Anthony Bourdain You Stole Our Bar!

I too, have been bewitched by its frosty glare…

First of all, I really like Bourdain. I can't stress that enough. Kitchen Confidential came along at exactly the right moment in pop culture, and since then, this guy has had a career just going around and eating stuff, constantly amazed he still has a show. And we should be likewise amazed, likewise thankful. Honestly, there should be a hundred shows like No Reservations by now. There aren't.

Well, now there are two. I wanted to write a lot about how The Layover both is and isn't No Reservations 2 after watching the first two episodes of the first, and maybe I will, but the third episode just aired.

It was set in Rome.

And Anthony Bourdain, you have stolen our favorite pizzeria from us. But that is forgivable. Even if you ate some dessert nonsense instead of good old tongue-and-green-tomato. Of course, they probably didn't have that when you went. Because they never have anything more than a few times and they always have at least twenty-seven things you want to eat. But you got to hug that guy. And for that we will never forgive you.


Some dessert nonsense.

But there is one thing we will DEFINITELY never forgive you for :

You stole our goddamn bar.

Freni E Frizoni, just across the Ponte Sisto in Trastevere, is only a short walk from the Campo de Fiori, and it has been awesome for ages. Yes, their negroni is excellent, as Mr. Bourdain affirmed. What's also divine is any cocktail from their specials list, especially one made with their home-made cucumber, basil, or ginger infusions. It's a modest, unassuming kind of place that doesn't really hit you over the head with how awesome it is. Ditto the free buffet of mostly-vegan and mostly excellent cold salads and goodies during the aperitivo hours. Ditto the friendly bartenders and patrons (one of our regular hooch-slingers is featured quite heavily in the episode. We forget his name but he's aces).

But damn you! In this or any city, this is one of the first bars we've really enjoyed, really come to think of as our own. We lived in Houston for over four years before finally finding one. So, forgive me if I'm a little miffed.



Yep, that's the place. Good f**king luck now, though.

Thank God he didn't steal our gelato joint…

Pizzarium, well, it was probably about to be impossible as it was. Oh, and for the record, it's not really in Prati. It's technically on what constitutes the border of the Trionfale neighborhood…home of several other excellent spots. Just by circumnavigating the large piazza Pizzarium is on the southern edge of, you will find one of Rome's best delis, one of her finest bakeries, and an excellent cafe with the best and strongest corretto for miles around.

(Oh, and we have another bar, it's in the Tridente and the key is "look down." That's all we'll say for now.)

X-posted with So Hot, So Upset.