Osteria Gusto, Rome

I've been slow on my posts lately...I blame my laptop for that. Its been malfunctioning so it's been back and forth trying to be fixed. It seems to be ok now so I am back to my blogging mode.


Osteria Gusto was one of the last dinners I had during my last trip to Rome. It was recommended to me by Travels with a Gourmet. which I am very thankful for. Located near the center, Gusto is a Bar-Restaurant-Tapas place. When we got there, the Bar was quite full so we opted for the sit down restaurant.

For starters, I ordered a Salumi platter and a Cheese platter. Salumi is an Italian word for cured meats. I would have like to ask the waitress what were the names of what we were eating, but she did not seem too friendly and her English was very limited. I do remember tasting the Prosciutto, Salami Milano and a sort of smoked Bacon...as for the cheese, same as the Salumi. Didn't know much of the types we were eating but of course, we had the usual Reggiano, etc... The blue cheese was excellent but I'm not sure if this is native to Italy.

For main course, I had Carne Cruda (of course Steak Tartare)...it's really hard for me to resist not ordering this if I see it on the menu, since its not a very common dish to see on Menus of Restaurants. I have tried several Tartares the Italian way, and I must say they are pretty good. More subtle then the traditional ones (I don't think they use Lea and Perrins) but very tasty. It had green green and Red Peppers, aside from the usual Anchovies and Capers. I enjoyed this dish with a glass of Barolo wine.

We also had a Pasta dish: Bucatini all Amatriciana, a thick pasta with Tomato based sauce and Pancetta. The sauce was ok but personally I prefer Angel hair or Spaghettini pasta.

Over all a nice experience, thanks R for recommending this place.