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Al Moro Since 1929
Cell Phones Are Tucked Away, and it’s Time to
Eat!
ROME -- Anyone looking for a most traditional Roman
trattoria need look no more. Al Moro, here since 1929,
is the sort of crowded, bustling spots filled with happy
and well-fed businessmen and a scowling owner whose
barks always worse than the bite.
Go to Al Moro – in a hard to find spot just behind
the Trevi Fountain (just keep asking directions) –
at precisely 10 minutes to 1 in the afternoon and you
will see those businessmen all lined up outside the
door. They are carbon copies of one another, all in
dark sports coats, white shirts and ties, all talking
on their cell phones with animation. At precisely 1
pm the doors open, the cell phones are tucked away,
and it’s time to eat!
As you enter, you will come face to face with the owner,
Franco, son of Moro and he might try to throw you out.
He tries to throw everyone out, but persevere and try
to break through that military sternness. The décor
here is dark, with every inch of walls covered with
artwork of varying value and appeal, including giant-sized
photographs of a scowling Moro looking down at you as
you dine. (It is said that the departed owner appeared
in a Fellini movie and that would be very easy to believe).
The scattering of pink roses and the crisp white linens
soften that harshness, as do the kind and gentle waiters
who only want to see that smile on your face as they
serve you.
Specialties here are what we come to Rome for: baby
goat (capretto) roasted to a dark golden crisp with
tons of rosemary, and served with crispy pan-fried potatoes.
Or, Roman-style milk fed lamb (abbacchio) stewed with
tomatoes and cooked to a melting tenderness.
Starters must include the rightly famed carciofi alla
romana, or Roman-style artichokes that are deep-fried
to a crisp. One of those dishes that is close to impossible
to do at home, so when you find it on a menu, go for
it. Here the artichokes --- crisp on the outside and
soft and fragrantly tender on the inside – are
served in portions of two huge pieces, so share or go
slowly, to save room for more.
And more there is! Al Moro is famous for their spaghetti
alla Moro, their version of the popular spaghetti carbonara,
though here sauced with the traditional egg yolks and
pancetta but neither black pepper nor cream, making
for a much lighter, less dense dish. Equally satisfying
is their bucatini all’ amatriciana, with those
fat strands of pasta smoothly coated with a sauce made
up of onion, pancetta, tomato and piquant Pecorino Romano
cheese. Overall, the food here tends to be salty, even
for salt-loving palates as mine, so go forewarned.
The wine list offers some real Italian treats. Try a
beautifully balanced white from the Friuli -- with proper
proportions of acid and that intense flintiness that
comes from the rocky soils – such as Mario Schiopetto’s
1999 Blanc des Rosis. With your meats, go for Sergio
Manetti’s 1998 Le Pergole Torte, the 100% Sangiovese
that remains one of Tuscany’s finest new style
wines.
As you leave take a soft glance at the carefully dressed
quartet of men smoking and silently playing cards. They
have been there every day for 40 years: Half an hour
for lunch, 2 ½ hours for the daily card game
at their home away from home.
Al Moro
Vicolo delle Bollette 13
Rome 00185
Credit cards: Visa and MasterCard. About 75,000 lira
per person, including service but not wine
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