Mozzarella and tomatoes

It's been incredibly hot in Rome recently. Humid, muggy, sun blazing down, no clothes (but of course you have to wear clothes) weather.
And it, sadly, makes me lose my appetite.
I never fare well in the heat.  I never had.  I don't love summer.  I like it when I'm on the beach under an umbrella, or playing in the water... Which really doesn't happen often enough.
I know, I know, everyone hates summer in the middle of a heatwave, they go from complaining about the cold to complaining about the heat in a heartbeat. But I don't complain about the cold, even when there's a polar vortex (with the exception of one evening where I was just dressed inappropriately because I never listen to my mother).
If I could go to the beach everyday I probably wouldn't complain all that much about the heat, but sadly I'm at work everyday so I can't throw myself into the sea and cool down when I'd like.
And the heat just saps my energy so when I get home from work I don't want to do anything. I don't

My gorgeous caprese with dried basil

want to kick or turn on the stove. I don't want to eat. It's just to hot and I'm lackluster.
So my solution has been an insalata Caprese, which is the Italian for a mozzarella and tomato salad. I think the salad must have origins in Capri (an island near Naples in Southern Italy) but I'm not sure.  But with ingredients fresh out of the fridge, the salad is delicious and refreshing.
And it requires amazingly little effort. It's so easy.

With balsamic vinegar

All you need are fresh tomatoes, mozzarella (preferably bufala because it's divine), basil (fresh or dried), olive oil, and balsamic vinegar (although if you don't like balsamic that can be skipped). A traditional caprese doesn't use balsamic vinegar, but I love the added tang.
Slice the tomatoes and mozzarella, layer them onto a plate and drizzle with oil and vinegar.  Garnish with basil and maybe a little salt and pepper. It's simple but really wonderful in the heat.  And if you're not a fan of tomatoes, you can also serve your mozzarella on a bed of arugula. It's equally delicious and equally refreshing for summer
I've been eating it pretty consistently for days now.

mozzarella on a beautiful bed of fresh rucola

Restaurant Review: Bruschetta Ristorante

My mother discovered Bruschetta's a couple of months ago and introduced it to me a month or so after when she realized that Monday there is a live pianist/performer who invites others to sing with him up front. Since I have been singing for fun for years my mother decided to drag me with her to make me sing in front of people.  I have not performed (besides karaoke) in years so the first time was nerve wracking but exciting too.
I love Monday nights at Bruschetta's. It's a lot of fun with an amazingly friendly crowd. The pianist, Al De Leon, is absolutely fantastic and a wonderful, supportive person who plays beautifully. I try to go every Monday now so I can sing. Al also plays there on Tuesday nights with Hunter Hayes, so I may try to go this Tuesday to hear them together. Every night there is different live music at the bar.
However, I also go for the food. We never sit in the main dining area but instead head straight over to the adorable bar area where the piano sits in the corner waiting to be played.
Oh my goodness, the food is original and quite delicious. The restaurant has been around for 16 years and specializes in Northern Italian cuisine including homemade pastas, beautiful steaks and fresh fish.
Since I go relatively often I've gotten to try quite a few dishes with my mom. We usually stick to the appetizers and split a couple of dishes. The staff is lovely and usually splits the various salads onto separate plates for us.  I'm always impressed that even the "half" portions are still styled beautifully for us.

Pear Fennel Salad

Mom and I usually order a salad to start with. We've tried a couple but my absolute favorite is the Pear Fennel salad on the regular dinner menu. It has poached pears, sliced fennel, candied walnuts, fresh strawberries, goat cheese and is served tossed lightly in a raspberry vinaigrette. There are a lot of great flavors in this salad. I wouldn't necessarily expect them altogehter but they mix beautifully nonetheless. I love the crispness of the fennel paired with the sweetness of the poached pears. Plus the strawberries and goat cheese are absolutely delightful.  Honestly, if my mother didn't stop me, I would probably order this every time. It has a lot of great flavor, and is a great portion at only $7. My mother likes it too, but she's been curious about other things on the menu too.

A half portion of the mozzarella salad

My other favorite salad is the mozzarella salad on the bar menu (also $7). It consists of roasted red peppers, red onions, mozzarella cubes, baby greens, tomatoes and olives dressed in a balsamic vinaigrette. The balsamic vinaigrette isn't terribly heavy and the mozzarella, and tomatoes are very fresh. It's a nice, refreshing salad.

yummy calamari

Some of my favorite dishes are right off the bar menu. The calamari is always fresh and coated in a light batter made with garlic and white wine and then it is fried lightly to perfection. It is served topped with thinly sliced, battered and fried leeks, which is a nice twist to the traditional calamari plates. A lot of restaurants do calamari but not all restaurants do calamari well. Although it is not my favorite place for calamari (my favorite calamari is in Italy), it is still very well done and I enjoy it immensely, especially given it is only $6 and the portion size is quite nice.

Delicious Eggplant rollatini

The eggplant rollatini is coated in a beautiful home made marinara sauce. I absolutely love the eggplant cutlets, crisp yet not tough. The whole dish has a lovely flavor and isn't too heavy even though it's fried. The cheese mixture in the middle is a great blend of fresh mozzarella, straight leaf parsley, and ricotta that really melts in your mouth. It was a small portion but only $5 and utterly delicious.

Tortellini alfredo

I also really enjoyed the tortellini alfredo off the bar menu. It's a rich tri-color three cheese tortellini in a creamy and delicious creamy alfredo sauce. I was a little hesitant since I know that alfredo is not an actual sauce that exists in Italy. It probably stems from your basic Northern cream based sauce but does not exist with that name in Italy. However, I did try it and it was quite good. It was a little too rich to have on a regular basis but it was very tasty and didn't have any harsh overtones.
At the bar they also have a specials menu that changes on, I believe, a weekly basis. Every now and then we try something from that small handwritten list.  My favorite so far was the coconut shrimp. The shrimp were very fresh and beautifully prepared. The coconut batter was very refreshing served over arugula salad and strawberries. The dipping sauce was also delicious and I believe had a light mango flavoring to it.

Coconut shrimp beautifully prepared

Mom and I have really enjoyed going to Bruschetta on a regular basis. The atmosphere is very relaxed and the staff is very nice who go out of their way to be helpful.  They are a family run restaurant with some wonderful family recipes.