Valentine's Day Restaurant Review: Ketumbar

Another Valentine's Day Single. Sigh... 

No really, I don't actually mind.  This year I spent my day teaching and perpetually working which was surprisingly fun. 

I even had my little 5 year old Valentine, Georgio who is an absolute love and adorable. He surprise hugs me all the time. He and the other kids made my Valentine's day very entertaining because we made cards and flowers out of construction paper.  

A lot of effort, but a lot of fun. 

Then after dinner I went out to dinner, a nice single girl dinner.  

We went to a restaurant called Ketumbar in Testaccio. 

It was quite interesting and not very typical as far as Italian restaurants go.  It used a lot of locally grown organic products and also had some combinations of foods that I had not seen before.  

For example, I decided to try a tonnarelli (a typical Roman pasta) with a twist. This tonnarelli dish was made with shrimp and avocado.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect

because I've never seen the combination before. The result was surprisingly good. The avocado created a lovely, creamy sauce that was lighter than a traditional cream based sauce.  The shrimp was handled delicated and cooked perfectly.  That being said, there wasn't enough of it. In my entire dish there were only 3 or 5 chunks of shrimp which is certainly not enough shrimp for a €14 dish.  The head of the shrimp was part of the presentation so be warned.  I didn't mind it, but I known a few people who get antsy when they see eyes.  The pasta itself had a good flavor

but it was a bit undercooked for me. It was definitely more than a little al dente.  

If I go back again I would consider trying one of their traditional Roman dishes (which are a little less expensive) or I might even consider trying a second because Endira's Tagliata, a cut of beef was quite delicious.  As was the Cicoria. We got the organic cicoria and it was utterly fantastic. You could really tell that it was organic by the taste, it was crisp and light and bursting with flavor.  

The wine was also quite good with a full body of flavor so I would consider going back to

eat there, maybe for an aperitivo or brunch rather than a full and more expensive dinner.  My only real qualm with the restaurant was the service.  The waiters and waitresses were generally inattentive which was unfortunate because we didn’t actually require much attention.  It took a long time to order, and then even longer to get a wine menu in order to get some wine. The food did not take terribly long to come which is nice  however, it also would have been nice if the waitress had mentioned that Endira’s steak actually came with a baked potato seeing that she ordered potatoes. It could have been an intentional ordering of two helpings of potatoes but it wasn’t. It would’ve have been nice for the waitress to mention it. 

I know Italy is known for slow food, so I didn’t mind that our waitress left us to our own devices. We were not remotely rushed while eating, but it was a little excessive to sit with our empty dishes in front of us for more than a half an hour.  Then the dessert menu was brought promptly but she didn’t come back to see if we wanted anything for another twenty minutes or so. By that time, I didn’t want dessert anymore.  When I said that we were okay, the waitress looked at me and said, “What a shame, the dessert here is fantastic,” and walked away.  I really did have the urge to tell her that if she had come a bit sooner I probably would have ordered dessert. Waiting made me realize that I was actually full and didn’t need anything else. On one side this is good because I

beautiful and cozy seating for two

saved my money and waist line but honestly I would have loved to try a dessert. I was quite curious about their tiramisu since it was made with “birra artigianale” or artisanal beer which is anything but traditional.  That being said I was completely irritated with her attitude and behavior by the end of the night.

Normally I do not get annoyed in restaurants. I very much appreciate how difficult the job of waitressing must be, however, this waitress was quite rude to us and then didn’t bring us the bill for another half hour.  We spent more time waiting around than eating which I am usually fine with. But again this was excessive.

I don’t know that I’d go back for dinner. There was live music and the atmosphere was very calm so I would consider going back for an aperitivo or buffet style dinner where being left to our own devices would be welcome. 

All in all I had a great night because I was in great company and then we also made friends with the table next to us; two ladies visiting from Milan. One was originally from Rome and the other from Sicily, but they live in Milan now (they are not thrilled with this turn of events) so they were really happy to talk to us about food in Rome and I now have an excellent list of restaurants to try in the area.

I’ll post up the list soon and then update as I try the various locales. I’m super excited about it actually!!

gorgeous decoration in the restaurant

Recipe: Updated Valentine's Day Chocolate Russian Cupcakes

For the Superbowl I made White Russian Cupcakes with Espresso Whipped Cream , but for as good as they came out, I wanted to try one more time and tweak. I wanted to get a fluffier cupcake and since it's Valentines Day I decided to add some chocolate!

Chocolate Russian Cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsps baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
6 tbs unsalted butter, softened
3 large egg whites
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 oz Vodka (preferably Vanilla Vodka)
1/4 cup espresso
1/2 cup bailey's coffee creamer
2-3 tbs coccoa powder

Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a cupcake pan. The recipe makes around 16 cupcakes.
Sift the flour, baking powder (hint: be generous with your teaspoons), coccoa powder and salt into a large bowl and set aside.
In a bowl, use a hand mixer to whip the eggwhites to soft peaks. Don't overwhip and put to the side.
In another bowl cream the butter and sugar. Add in the vanilla, vodka and coffee and mix until smooth. Blend in the flour mixture in three additions, alternating with the bailey's cream. Start and end with flour. Once well incorporated, put your hand mixer away. Gently fold the egg whites into the rest of the batter using a rubber spatula.
Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool completely before icing.

They came out a lot fluffier this way and I really enjoyed the hint of chocolate. For frosting, I made the same espresso whipped cream, but did it in larger quantities, meaning I frosted every single cupcake this time.  :)

Espresso Whipped Cream
2 cups whipping cream
6 tbls brown sugar
2 tsps vanilla
4-8 tbls espresso

Whip the cream and brown sugar until you get still peaks (this will take considerably longer than if you whip only one cup at a time). Fold in the vanilla and espresso gently.

Then for toppings, I made (successfully this time!) red glitter sugar.  I took about a quarter cup of sugar (I didn't properly measure) and mixed it with 3 drops of red food coloring. Then I baked the red sugar for about 10 minutes at 300°F, checking on it ever few minutes.  If it over heats you wind up with colorful caramel rather than glitter sugar.  So watch out!
Then after frosting, I sprinkled the cupcakes with the sugar and voila, Valentines day cupcakes! Beautiful and tasty.

Ten reasons Chocolate makes a better boyfriend

Valentine's Day is here yet again... Once a year all of the single people get reminded that they have no significant other, no missing piece, no... well, I think you get the picture (especially if you're single... like me). For those of you with soulmates, your other half, ecc... Congrats!
Hahahaha Ok, I acknowledge, I'm starting to sound bitter. But I'm always single on Valentine's Day.

But I kind of think that's ok.

Chocolate makes a WAYYYY better boyfriend than an actual boyfriend.

1. Chocolate never says No... No mouth. No arguing. You will always win. 
2. It is completely replaceable... When you devour Chocolate, just go to the store and replace. 
3. And you can get any flavor, any time you want. Dark, White, Caramel, Milk, Coffee... 
4. You can totally pick quantity over quality. If you want alot of Chocolate, no problem. You can get hershey kisses for your bite sized treats, or nutella for a rich spread, or twix for a little crunch or m&m's for some color on a rainy day. It's not considered cheating to have multiple pieces of Chocolate lying around waiting for just the right moment. 
5. Watching your figure? You can always go for Quality over quantity. Go for that piece of rich dark Chocolate, that Perugina, that Godiva truffle to die for. Savor the flavor, the sweet complexity of sensations in your mouth. 
6. Chocolate will always melt for you. A little heat and that Chocolate is history. 
7. Chocolate will never tell you that you're getting fat. I repeat, no mouth, no contest. 
8. Chocolate will never leave you. It has no legs. It cannot escape. It will stay with you, until you make it disappear. No one will question you about said missing Chocolate. 
9. Everyone loves Chocolate! Even if it's just a little bit, or secretly, I'm convinced EVERYONE (of importance) loves Chocolate. There will be no parents telling you Chocolate is not good enough for you; No best friends scoffing and wondering what you're doing with said Chocolate. Who can resist a little sweet Chocolate?
10. Chocolate will always make you smile and take away some of your tears. Try to resist its particular charms and you will find you can't. It will always bring at least a small smile to your face. 

So on this Valentine's Day let's toast to Chocolate and all its delicious goodness. 

And now, I think I'll go find some chocolate to savor. 

--Raspberry Truffle