Eating is always a challenge when you are travelling. Finding the authentic versus the tourist trap. Rome is no different and our first night was a total bust. On the streets in Rome the restaurants have glass buildings where you can eat (with the kitchen situated in a building). Across from our hotel were a line of these restaurants and the one we chose was awful and way over priced.

The next night we asked the concierge for something memorable, authentic. He recommended Alfredo’s, the home of the Fettuccine Alfredo which happens to be my favourite Italian dish. It is a must visit place. We arrived to an empty restaurant, as we did the non-European thing and arrived at opening (people started wandering in for dinner around 8 PM).

The restaurant is covered with pictures of Alfredo with patrons or of movie star photos signed ‘with love to Alfredo’. It was like transporting back to another era, Cary Grant, Sinatra, Dean Martin, Marlon Brando. I spent a good 20 minutes walking around the room looking at the photos. If you love old movies (I grew up loving old war movies), it is amazing. I wish I would have brought my camera.

My favourite photo is one tucked in the back. It is Ringo star in a group, wearing a plaid suit (placing the picture in the 70’s .. one of the newer photos), with his finger up his nose for the camera and the entire table in hysterics. What a great piece of humorous history.

As for the restaurant and the Alfredo? Amazing. I had an Alfredo in Ottawa and Alberta in the last month … no comparison (although the one in Alberta was pretty good!). A must visit if you are in Rome. I love the story of the Alfredo from their web site …

A must do …. check out their photo gallery here.