My family and I recently returned from a trip to Italy, which I cover in another post series. Today’s post is a story about the restaurant we visited on our first night there, while staying in Rome.

We arrived with a sense of anticipation; this was the trip we had all been waiting for, and we would kick it off right, with a nice dinner and night out. We were staying right in the core of Rome, and the restaurant, Antico Arco, was on the outskirts, in the neighbourhood of Trastevere. So, we called a cab.

I rode shotgun, which would prove to be one of the more adventurous choices I made during my time in Italy. The cab driver drove like he was Mario Andretti, almost drifting around the hairpin turns of Rome’s back alleys in an effort to get us to our destination in a timely (and affordable) fashion. While my family was white-knuckling it in the back seat, I was loving every minute of it in the front. With the wind in my hair, sights to be seen, and the anticipation of great food, how could you not be in a good mood?

When we arrived at Antico Arco, we were somewhat surprised (but not disappointed) to see a quaint building in a back alley greeting us. We walked in, and were shown to our table by the friendly maître d’. Having arrived early (it was 7:30, and Romans typically eat closer to 9:00), we had our pick of tables, and were shown to one of the very best.

As we sat down, I couldn’t help but admire the atmosphere – traditional, but with modern touches. Live plants growing everywhere. Smooth blues music playing in the background. Light-coloured walls to bounce the light around. Nice.

When we were handed our menus, that’s when the excitement really began to build. There were so many great-sounding options to try – things like sea urchin pasta, beef tenderloin with mushroom sauce, truffle pasta carbonera, and sea bass orecchiette. Where do you even start?

With the scallops. You start with the scallops, damn it.

Or the crispy buffalo mozzarella, which my wife chose. Hard to go wrong with that option, too. We placed our orders, and sat back to let the evening take hold. We weren’t waiting long before the server returned with a selection of breads, all made in-house. Let me tell you something: normally, I skip the bread served before a meal. It fills me up, and usually it’s nowhere near as good as the main course I’m expecting to crush.

This time was different. Each bread was flavourful and complex in its own way. One was infused with lemon; another, with olives. Even the breadsticks were tasty, and breadsticks are never tasty. This boded well for our mains – if the bread was this good, the mains had to be other-worldly. I was worried about overhyping things in my own mind.

I was snapped out of my train of thought by the return of our server this time bringing us a series of amuse-bouches. It was a beautifully-flavoured potato-filled roll or some sort, the specifics of which are a little hazy in my mind. Either way, it brought a smile to our faces.

Then came the apps. The plating was beautiful, and I couldn’t resist snapping a quick photo. I’m normally against using my phone at dinner, but c’mon. When you’re given a plate that’s as artfully constructed as this, it isn’t just food – it really is art. And art must be appreciated.

But not for long, because I was hungry.

As you can see, the scallop came with roasted red peppers and two different kinds of sauces. Now, at restaurants like this, I’m a firm believer that the chef does everything for a reason, and so I like to combine all of the elements on the plate into one bite. And when I put that first fork-full into my mouth… oh my god. You wouldn’t believe how good it was if I told you… but that won’t stop me from trying.

The peppers worked so well with the sauce and the scallop, which was cooked perfectly… they complemented the scallop’s delicate flavour without overpowering it. It’s like adding a delicate effect to a photo in post-processing… you’re trying to enhance what’s already there, not mask it completely. That’s what this dish achieved. The elements came together to make for a bite that was better than the sum of its parts – each one elevating the others to another level entirely.

My wife’s buffalo mozza was no different – full-flavoured, with different textures coming together to add even more interest. In fact, everyone’s appetizer achieved a similar result – causing a big, toothy grin to appear on our faces.

For our mains, I ordered the sea urchin pasta; my wife, the black truffle pasta carbonera. We also grabbed a nice bottle of wine for the table.

The mains proved not to disappoint – my pasta had a delicate flavour to it that I had never experienced before. It was the sea urchin sauce, and I’m glad I made the choice. How often do you get to taste sea urchin like that? It was a unique dish, and one I’ll always remember.

My wife’s pasta proved to be an absolute start though. Nobody at our table had ever seen such large pieces of truffle shaved into a dish before, and the flavour was rich, smooth and absolutely everything you would hope for when ordering a truffle pasta dish, and more. We finished our mains feel full and content with the state of all things in the world at that particular moment in time.

Yet despite that, a couple folks at the table wanted to order dessert. At the same time as the server took our orders, he also brought out another amuse-bouche – this time a lemon sorbet with a raspberry sauce and mint sprig. Just delicious, and exactly what the table needed after such a heavy main.

I sat there in a state of bliss while my brother and uncle demolished their desserts, and to be honest I don’t even remember what they ordered; I was on another plane of existence at the time.

What I did note, however, was that our table seemed to be the unique that was given not one, but two amuse-bouches. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that we were out-of-towners. More likely, it had something to do with the fact that we were very open and audible with our appreciated of every single piece of food that was brought to our table. Italians appreciate those who appreciate food.

For such a fancy dinner, the bill came to a very reasonable 50 euros per person, which we embellished with a tip for the excellent service we were shown at the restaurant. After everything, the server offered to call us a cab, so that we could be taken back to our hotel. He did this without us asking; I’m telling you, top-notch service right until the very end. One more relaxing cab ride later, we were in our hotel rooms ready to turn in for the night.

Wrapping it Up

I wrote a post last week about the importance of getting the small details right. The reality is that they can make or break the customer experience. Antico Arco is an example of a restaurant that gets this, and does the small things very, very well. It’s the sort of magical experience that can make dropping $100 CAD per plate on dinner feel like an absolute bargain.

Would I recommend the restaurant to anyone visiting Rome? In a heartbeat. Would I go back there myself the next time I’m in Rome? You’d better believe it… there’s a sea bass and rock fish tortellini dish with my name all over it.