Cucina a Presto!

Cantina del Vecchio has two daily shifts. One begins around 10:00 a.m and ends at 3:30 (the restaurant closes -- shut up tight at that time). The second shift begins around 5:00 p.m. I arrive in the morning at 10:30, leave at 3:30. I arrive in the evening at 7:00 p.m. and leave around 11:30 or so at night. That is my schedule every day. 

Sunday I took the morning shift off because I wanted to go to the flea market. I ended up not going because everyone said it was a haven for pickpockets and the prices weren't so hot. No big deal. I wandered around many of the sights -- the usual. 

My wanderings included walking up (and down) the Via del Corso, a crowded road that connects many of Rome's famous sites (more about this later). 

I've been eating every meal at Cantina (usually a few bites at a time -- I've got to taste everything!). Today, since I wasn't working during the day, I decided to have some Italian fast food. When I travel, I always eat local fast food, just to see how it's treated (and mistreated). 

The menu is extensive. I always laugh when I see the options at fast food joints  -- they always strike me as funny I ordered a #2  for 6.5 Euros (about $8) -- a special of the day. Pizza with salad or dessert. I chose salad (agugula, radicchio, cherry tomatoes, corn and tiny croutons). Other combos offered pizza with French fries or more "food" -- see the link on the left.

The pizza I ordered was topped with tuna, olives and capers and included a mixed side salad and a Diet Coke. The pizza was served on a pizza-shaped plate. It was what we consider thin crust (the crust was a bit chewy), topped with tomato sauce, cheese (not sure the type), light (not white) tuna packed in olive oil, capers and whole black olives (not sure what variety). It was quite tasty and the slice, large. 

I sat down at a table. I eat pizza with a fork and knife, but around me, teens were folding the pizza in half (to make a smaller triangle -- crust out). Even though I wasn't very hungry (I had my daily gelato just an hour before), I ate the entire slice. The salad came with a side of dressing -- not some gloppy American concoction, but Fillipo Berio olive oil and white wine vinegar. 

All in all, I really enjoyed it. The company motto: Molto Fast. Very good. (snicker.)

And the people watching was amazing. 

When I went back to Cantina del Vecchio, Chef Paolo was not impressed. He said that you can find a Spizzico on almost any highway in Italy.