Uncommon Guidebooks: Roma nel Piatto

Don't you wish you had a friend in Rome? One who could give you the scoop on where the locals go for an outstanding meal or where to grab the best pizza? Well look no further, Roma nel Piatto will break you off the path of the guidebook drones and get you into where the locals are eating.

Simone Cargiani and Fernanda D'Arienzo's interest in food writing was born out of frustration. They were frustrated by the chorus of authors pointing eaters to the same restaurants and their acceptance of the status quo. These black sheep founded their appropriately named print house, La Pecora Nera (or black sheep) to take on the Roman restaurant scene and provide an independent voice of where you should be eating in Rome. Their scruples are such that they pay for every meal, reserve tables anonymously, and strive to give you an unabashedly honest portrayal of over 150 restaurants, 51 pizzerie and 258 specialty shops (including baked good, gelato and wine.) After publishing their guide for Italians for many years, they recently entered the tourist market, translating it into English in 2008. Along with their ratings and first hand accounts of eateries, cross-referenced by neighborhood, restaurant type and specialty shops, they've included a great glossary of Italian dishes and an image-based pasta guide. The restaurants selected run from the uber-expensive to the budget-friendly, providing you with a wide variety of choices for your culinary adventures.

For the tourist or traveler who doesn't want to eat in yet another bad restaurant, but still wants a little assistance, this book is for you. The summary of each restaurant allows you to quickly discern what stands out above the rest, how much you'll pay and whether or not it's a good value. But, as the authors suggest, be sure to delve into their individual reviews as well. Their succinct, yet thorough reviews give you insight into the dining experience and culinary highlights of each meal. They delve into restaurants quirks, as well, pointing you to what pizzeria serves the best microbrews or where the staff warns you of the dangers of a locking bathroom door. A nice feature for the traveler are the details they take the time to share with you about each restaurant's hours, typical summer holiday (Italians take time off in August,) and what credit cards are accepted. Of course, like any guidebook, these details are subject to change, but they go above and beyond what a typical guidebook entry would share. I have just one criticism, for a tourist who's going to spend a lot of time in the historic center, it would be useful to have the restaurants further broken down into neighborhoods, or at the very least placed on a map. You see, there's no map in the book itself, although there is a version available for download for your favorite GPS device. For those of us without such equipment, a nice addition would be a public version of their selections on a Google map.

Unlike most restaurant rankings, I'd be inclined to try any and all of the restaurants in Roma nel Piatto regardless if they were listed among the "best." The simple fact that a restaurant is listed in this group, places it high above any tourist trap. The thorough reviews allow you to pick and choose depending on your mood, location or the money left in your wallet. A particular facet that I love about this book is the large expanse of Roman neighborhoods that it covers, including outside destinations such as Castelli Romani. The knowledge that a good meal awaits is the only encouragement that I need to head out of the city in search of local culinary treasures.

And the final question, would I buy this book? Definitely. This guidebook-hating traveler would love to sit down with these black sheep for lunch any day. But, I might be picking up a copy of their Italian version guide for 2009, as well. A quick peek on their website revealed that they've got a few extras that they haven't shared with us english-speaking folk. Check it out for yourself and take a peek inside what Roma nel Piatto has to offer, by reading an excerpt here. Be sure to look for it in bookstores when you arrive in Rome or pre-order your copy online.