Parla Food

A travel writer chases down the best food in Italy and elsewhere.

Offal Archive

I am finally ready to talk about it. It would be a stretch to say that I am totally over it, but at least now I can breach the topic without blaspheming. I am speaking of my trip to St John two weeks ago. I know I am supposed to love this place. (more…)

Today’s Daily Food Photo is brought to you by St John, London’s favorite destination for nose to tail eating. This starter was one of the highlights of last night’s meal. I am a sucker for fried food and an offal lover. This is the best of both worlds (more…)

I have had an endorphin rush brought on by eating very spicy food before. I have tasted foods so hot that it has taken me days to recover from eating them. But I have never encountered anything with spice so intense, so profound, that (more…)

A few weeks back I had dinner at Hearth in NYC. I had heard about this place last year from my friends Megan and Liz who adore it and have great taste in food/restaurants. I had high hopes. My dining companions and I tried (more…)

Sweetbreads

This past year has been full of great meals and food that is very bad for me. Here are some of the things I enjoyed eating in 2009: (more…)

00100_testaccio

A few weeks back, a reader named Jordan commented on a pizza post, recommending I visit 00100, a pizza al tagio joint in Testaccio just off Piazza Santa Maria della Liberatrice. Never one to turn down a carb related suggestion (more…)

pane_ca_meusa

Not everyone is lucky enough to have a fond memory associated with deep fried spleen on a bun. My grandfather and I are among the fortunate. In 2004, three generations of Cipollina descendants returned to our ancestral city. (more…)

stigghiuole

After a satisfying lunch of seasonal vegetable starters and fried fish at Zia Pina near the Vucciria, I set out with my friends Diana and Conchita in search of dessert. Our destination was Cappello, a pastry shop just outside Porta Nuova famous for its setteveli (seven layer chocolate cake). (more…)

sartor

My love of Rome’s quinto quarto (offal) is no secret. I often joke that it was archaeology that brought me to Rome, but the organ meats that kept me here. Hilarious, right? Well, it is kind of true. (more…)

testaccio_map

The Testaccio neighborhood is a veritable open air museum that attracts locals and food tourists alike to its authentic market, bakeries, delis, and trattorie. The zone’s history dates back to the Roman era when the Tiber ports (2) lined its banks (more…)

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