Etabli


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I had read about Etabli, not sure why, but it is a
relatively new wine bar in Rome that opens at breakfast and stays open until
late at night.  Supposedly an excellent weekend brunch.  The food is
seasonal and the menu constantly changes. 

Etabli is like an old country bar.  One on level is a small room where it
appears there is a small bakery where you can items to go. 
The main room is large with couches, tables and a bar in the corner and
a huge flat screen TV hanging on one of the walls.  Although the picture isn't great you can see everyone watcing the game.  Up the backstairs is a small restaurant. 

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We were seated in the restaurant but decided for a few reasons to sit down in
the bar.  There wasn’t any service
on our phones in the back and Josh was getting on a plane and we wanted to know he was about to take off.  We also
wanted to watch the Netherlands vs Uruguay in the semi-finals at the World
Cup. 

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It was the perfect call.  The room got more crowded as time went on and we were
basically the only Americans in the place.  We started with a two small dishes.  The first was a dish of figs that had been peeled ( no skin
) which was interesting.  I had
never seen that before and it it a nice touch.  This was served with chopped pieces of octopus mixed with a balsamic sauce.  Full of flavor and an interesting
combination. 

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The other dish was
marinated sardines that had a serious punch with little bits of spicy red
pepper on the top and pieces of toasted bread on the side. Excellent sardines.

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For the two main courses, we opted for pasta.  Something I rarely ever order and so
having it in Italy is a serious treat. 
One dish was a red sauce with pieces of swordfish over spaghetti.  This was good but nothing special. 

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The other was a huge big square of
lasagna with béchamel and red meat sauce.  I savored each bite although Fred and I shared, I took my
time.  I do love lasagna. 

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The game had not quite ended so we ordered an apple tart.  Not too sweet, well done and perfect with our glass of muscato.

The game ended, our team won.  We wandered back to the hotel through the streets of
Rome.  It couldn’t have been a
better evening.  The bar was the call.