12/23/07
For those reading other sites, this is also known as the Football Pub, which is soccer on the TVs. My wife and I were in Rome for Christmas, and our very memorable visits to Ma Che Siete Venuti A Fa were all positive except the last time. The owner of the pub is also the owner of Bir & Fud next door. Both are open later in the evening, so don't show up until the locals head out to dinner. We were never able to match the rhythm of the country, meal time or otherwise. However, they were open on Christmas, which was our best day there.
Our first two visits were great and our bartender worked very hard to find us beers we liked, so he chatted up the various options. My favorite beers were Olfabrikken Porter, Drie Fonteinen Oude Geuze, and Kulmbacher Eisbock--all on tap. I had a couple Italian beers as well, but those weren't as memorable but interesting. Noel from Birrificio Bacad'o was our favorite. There were about a dozen taps and all were well poured and fresh. Our bartender was a photographer and helped us find a new battery by walking us down the street to a store because the directions too difficult in the ancient Roman streets. Just amazingly friendly help.
Unfortunately, our last visit didn't go as well. We met the owner Manuele the first night, but we weren't able to come late enough at night during the rest of the trip to see him again because our hotel was inconvenient. I mispronounced Manuele without the ending vowel syllable, so a local couple and a different bartender made a rude joke at our expense. Rather than stay, we headed to Bir & Fud for dinner instead, bu the mood was blown. In retrospect, I was more upset than I needed to be since Manuele and the other bartender were absolutely fantastic earlier in the week. Manuele not only answered my email before the trip, but emailed after we got home to check on our stay.
Another odd thing about Italy. Here, the bartenders put the glass under the tap, open it up and let a large head pile up, settle and re-pour which means betting a beer is slow process--but eventually well poured. At other pubs, a few poured straight down the side with little head. Don't expect the equivalent of a top rated American beer bar because the choice doesn't quite match. However, for Rome, it's a real beer place in a wine wasteland.
Showing posts with label italy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label italy. Show all posts
Monday, July 14, 2008
Bir & Fud (Rome, Italy)
12/23/07
Bir & Fud is owned by the some person as the football pub across the street. We went over because that's were the food was. This was the only sit down dinner we did in Italy and it was fantastic. We just ordered pizza, but the waiter's recommendation for a potato appetizer was excellent as well. The bar serves only Italian brews, so it was a good place to taste the best in the country. Birrificio Troll Palanfrina was one of the memorable beers, made of chestnuts for the holiday season. Interesting, very nutty, and, honestly, the only chestnut beer I've ever had. Evidently, chestnut ale is an Italian tradition.
Bir & Fud is must do for the beer geek who wants a sit down dinner in Rome. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it. I never got a feel for when to eat in Rome, so we were always too early. We actually went twice, though the service was better the first time when the owner sent us over. The next time it was different and harder to come by.
While I don't mind adjusting to the customs of another country, a beer menu with breweries and names would have been great, even in Italian, to be able to see what's on tap. It's an upscale place, so I understand not wanting to have a beer board; however, a list on a menu wouldn't hurt. I would think in a wine-centric country, such explanations would help the local clientele as well. Regardless, a great stop and one of the best food and beer experiences I've ever had.
12/10/12 update: While I haven't been back to Bir & Fud, a quick look at there website seems to confirm that they are still doing a good job. The beer list is front and center on the website and seems expanded from my visit in 2007. Here's to beer in Italy.
Bir & Fud is owned by the some person as the football pub across the street. We went over because that's were the food was. This was the only sit down dinner we did in Italy and it was fantastic. We just ordered pizza, but the waiter's recommendation for a potato appetizer was excellent as well. The bar serves only Italian brews, so it was a good place to taste the best in the country. Birrificio Troll Palanfrina was one of the memorable beers, made of chestnuts for the holiday season. Interesting, very nutty, and, honestly, the only chestnut beer I've ever had. Evidently, chestnut ale is an Italian tradition.
Bir & Fud is must do for the beer geek who wants a sit down dinner in Rome. It was a bit pricey, but well worth it. I never got a feel for when to eat in Rome, so we were always too early. We actually went twice, though the service was better the first time when the owner sent us over. The next time it was different and harder to come by.
While I don't mind adjusting to the customs of another country, a beer menu with breweries and names would have been great, even in Italian, to be able to see what's on tap. It's an upscale place, so I understand not wanting to have a beer board; however, a list on a menu wouldn't hurt. I would think in a wine-centric country, such explanations would help the local clientele as well. Regardless, a great stop and one of the best food and beer experiences I've ever had.
12/10/12 update: While I haven't been back to Bir & Fud, a quick look at there website seems to confirm that they are still doing a good job. The beer list is front and center on the website and seems expanded from my visit in 2007. Here's to beer in Italy.
Sunday, January 13, 2008
Rome Brewing Company (Rome, IT)
Note on BA 12/20/2012: This brewery is now closed. Read on--I'm not surprised.
My wife and I tried to get to Rome Brewing Co twice during the week and it was closed both times. However, that could've been our fault since Italians tend to eat and go out and later than we do. Not sure if RBC closed over the holiday period or hadn't opened yet for the day when we showed during the early evening (5 pm once, nearly 7 pm another time). It's very easy to get to from the metro--just a couple stations past the stop for St. Peter's Basilica, but it feels like it's out of the touristy area. Finally found it open by showing up past 9 pm, though I was the only person in the bar at that time. Again, a bit later, it filled up quickly with Italians, which leads me to suspect it was my fault for being too early during the previous attempts.
Walking in, RBC has the feel of a English dark wood bar with a couple of small tall tables, and the rest was cozy booths that were almost nitches. More room upstairs where the bathroom is. Seems like a friendly place with staff greeting many of the people walking in the door. And, it had a nice atmosphere that quiet for talking with a friend.
First pint was 5.80 Euro, which seemed a bit pricey to me, but it was an American styled pale ale, seemingly with cascade, so maybe that was it. The rest were cheaper, but I moved to half pints. The beer was very hit or miss. My first beer, the pale ale, was clearly the best, followed by the porter, though it had a bit too much diacytal in it. The remaining two were very much under par. The Red Ale seemed flawed, though the Strong Ale simply tasted like several versions of "doppio malto" I had tasted in Italy (cheap, high alcohol, thin beer that’s often passed from person to person between youths walking in a group or by homeless), so it probably failed my expectations more for a Strong Ale than it would Italians. From the menu, I got the impression that the American brewer that had made RBC famous had moved on and they were doing their best with an replacement.
Service was friendly and prompt by European standards, and the waitress handled the beer with care. Two other employees were sitting at the counter the entire time I drank, one seemingly a manager type, who ignored me and my empty glass. So, evidently I could only be served by the one waitress. No idea why and I didn't really ask, so again, maybe this is something I didn't understand about the culture/situation. I was very hungry, but didn't feel comfortable ordering nor was I asked if I wanted food, so not even sure what they served, though what others were eating looked good. The manager type said thanks for coming and have a safe night in English on the way out, so that was nice.
An odd thing about the service was the pours. Glasses were clean and rewashed with a spray jet that seems to be standard in Italian beer bars. However, the waitress held the glass at nearly a 90 degree angle with the tap jammed into the side of the glass, tipping it upright at the last moment for a respectable head. Water was poorly drained before pouring on at least two of the beers.
The adventure actually started after I left the bar. When I got off the metro, as a matter of habit, I asked when the last train going the other way left--the answer was I just got off the last train--at 9 pm. Evidently, it was closed for the night for maintenance. However, the nice metro worker explained that I needed to take the MA1 bus back since it took the exact same route back to Termini station as the metro. I figured I might as well get beer out of the trip, drank my four beers and headed to the bus stop about 10:30. I saw MA1 busses heading further out of town, but none my direction. So I asked a random bus to help me, but he put me off around the corner and said to take MA1 from that stop, which never came while bus after bus went by out of service (deposito). By this time it was after midnight and all the regular buses on the board had stopped running. A nice Italian man who spoke no English (and me even less Italian) told me to take the "cinco, cinco" Nightbus to Termini. I only understood this when he wrote 55 in the dust of a dirty parked car in front of us. He also kindly made sure I got off the 55 Nightbus when we reach Termini station. But, I had just missed the last train heading south to our hotel by a few minutes, so I then took a 20 Euro cab and got home just after 1 a.m.
12/27/07
This ended up being one of the hardest pub runs I've every made, as you'll see below, but it ended up with interesting, if mixed results.
This ended up being one of the hardest pub runs I've every made, as you'll see below, but it ended up with interesting, if mixed results.
My wife and I tried to get to Rome Brewing Co twice during the week and it was closed both times. However, that could've been our fault since Italians tend to eat and go out and later than we do. Not sure if RBC closed over the holiday period or hadn't opened yet for the day when we showed during the early evening (5 pm once, nearly 7 pm another time). It's very easy to get to from the metro--just a couple stations past the stop for St. Peter's Basilica, but it feels like it's out of the touristy area. Finally found it open by showing up past 9 pm, though I was the only person in the bar at that time. Again, a bit later, it filled up quickly with Italians, which leads me to suspect it was my fault for being too early during the previous attempts.
Walking in, RBC has the feel of a English dark wood bar with a couple of small tall tables, and the rest was cozy booths that were almost nitches. More room upstairs where the bathroom is. Seems like a friendly place with staff greeting many of the people walking in the door. And, it had a nice atmosphere that quiet for talking with a friend.
First pint was 5.80 Euro, which seemed a bit pricey to me, but it was an American styled pale ale, seemingly with cascade, so maybe that was it. The rest were cheaper, but I moved to half pints. The beer was very hit or miss. My first beer, the pale ale, was clearly the best, followed by the porter, though it had a bit too much diacytal in it. The remaining two were very much under par. The Red Ale seemed flawed, though the Strong Ale simply tasted like several versions of "doppio malto" I had tasted in Italy (cheap, high alcohol, thin beer that’s often passed from person to person between youths walking in a group or by homeless), so it probably failed my expectations more for a Strong Ale than it would Italians. From the menu, I got the impression that the American brewer that had made RBC famous had moved on and they were doing their best with an replacement.
Service was friendly and prompt by European standards, and the waitress handled the beer with care. Two other employees were sitting at the counter the entire time I drank, one seemingly a manager type, who ignored me and my empty glass. So, evidently I could only be served by the one waitress. No idea why and I didn't really ask, so again, maybe this is something I didn't understand about the culture/situation. I was very hungry, but didn't feel comfortable ordering nor was I asked if I wanted food, so not even sure what they served, though what others were eating looked good. The manager type said thanks for coming and have a safe night in English on the way out, so that was nice.
An odd thing about the service was the pours. Glasses were clean and rewashed with a spray jet that seems to be standard in Italian beer bars. However, the waitress held the glass at nearly a 90 degree angle with the tap jammed into the side of the glass, tipping it upright at the last moment for a respectable head. Water was poorly drained before pouring on at least two of the beers.
The adventure actually started after I left the bar. When I got off the metro, as a matter of habit, I asked when the last train going the other way left--the answer was I just got off the last train--at 9 pm. Evidently, it was closed for the night for maintenance. However, the nice metro worker explained that I needed to take the MA1 bus back since it took the exact same route back to Termini station as the metro. I figured I might as well get beer out of the trip, drank my four beers and headed to the bus stop about 10:30. I saw MA1 busses heading further out of town, but none my direction. So I asked a random bus to help me, but he put me off around the corner and said to take MA1 from that stop, which never came while bus after bus went by out of service (deposito). By this time it was after midnight and all the regular buses on the board had stopped running. A nice Italian man who spoke no English (and me even less Italian) told me to take the "cinco, cinco" Nightbus to Termini. I only understood this when he wrote 55 in the dust of a dirty parked car in front of us. He also kindly made sure I got off the 55 Nightbus when we reach Termini station. But, I had just missed the last train heading south to our hotel by a few minutes, so I then took a 20 Euro cab and got home just after 1 a.m.
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