From Etta to Rome. TO Trastevere it is not easy to find parts of the neighborhood that escape the wild nightlife, but this is not true in the case of the charming, quiet and romantic square in Piscinulawhich rises in front of theTiber Island. Here is Da Etta, a refuge ready to welcome its customers at any time of the day. Behind theopening of the premises, which occurred inApril 2023there is a group of members with successful activities behind them (La Buvette, Dillà, Santovino, Vanda). Da Etta represents a synthesis and evolution of the various projects, where whoever enters must feel at home, pampered from breakfast to after dinner.
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A family and friendly place
The name “Etta”a typical Roman diminutive, evokes thefamily and friendly atmosphere that you can breathe within these walls, where you can also spend a day smart working. “This part of Trastevere is still frequented by Romans and businesses run by old Roman families persist. We found the right location in this place to give a 360° offer”, they explain to us. “It follows a more friendly line compared to that of Piazza di Spagna (with the Buvette, ed.), because in any case we are in a more popular district”.
“The name Etta – they continue – it contains many things. In addition to the Roman diminutive, because here everything ends in ‘-etta’, from fraschetta to bruschetta, it is a tribute to jazz singer Etta James. Last but not least, it has to do with the fact that he is linked to someone close to our family.” The rationale that led to the opening of the store is clear and defined: “This is a place where people can come from morning to night, stay with familybeing treated a bit with white gloves, without detachment, but with accuracy”. Return to origins and tradition, with an eye to modernityare concepts that resonate in the words of the members.
From Etta to Rome: the environment
Da Etta’s is a spacious environment, strong in its own right 400 meters paintings that understand well five shop windows on the street, from number 42 to 47, for a hundreds of indoor and outdoor seats, with a broad dehors on the square, which is a strong point, especially during the summer. The venue has several entrances, but the spaces remain in communication with each other. Starting from the left, there is the one dedicated to the bar, with a large counter and tables where you can have breakfast, a brunch, a quick lunch or an aperitif.
In the bar area there is also a pastry workshop of 40 square meters with indigo doors (in the photo at the beginning of the paragraph), kingdom of pastry chef Selene Coppotelli. Followed by the restaurant rooms, managed by restaurant manager Massimo Giovinazzo, carefully furnished with wooden tables of various sizes and all around the numerous bottles of wine that functionally enrich the walls of the room. Gem of the restaurant, the table near a large pantry with exposed porcelain and glassesdesigned to recreate the atmosphere of Sunday lunch, today highly appreciated by customers.
The all day long proposal
Da Etta is open from 8 am to midnight. A working method already put into practice in places like the Buvette and pursued to meet the needs of everyone, not just tourists. Not a choice dictated by the current trend of venues staying open all day. “We have been doing this for 25 years, since we started our activities, we have always been open all day. It’s part of the entrepreneurial risk of a company that wants provide customer service and retain customer loyalty at all times“, the partners underline.
Bar, bistro, tea room, cocktail bar, restaurant And gastronomy for those who return home and need to buy some dishes or ingredients: the store has many souls. Thanks to the dessert laboratory, theself-production of leavened products and pastry products in the morning, all made from sourdough. “When you taste our croissant, you can taste the difference. Then there are the espresso desserts. A simple pastrywhich does not overturn tradition. We don’t want to surprise, but to guarantee everyday life“they add.
What do you eat at Etta’s
“Simplicity on the plate”. The entrepreneurs behind Etta have very clear ideas when they talk to us about the culinary proposal. “What is convoluted is not part of our proposal. We can do experiments, variations, but what matters is that the customer comes here to find those dishes that, even if eaten every week, never get boring”. A dive into the Seventies and Eighties, when we went out for lunch to share a meal in a convivial way. The person who puts this philosophy into practice concretely is the young person chef Flavio Amilcari which, together with sous chef Giorgio Vitalibrings to the table what he himself would eat and cook for his family.
On the menu, which changes four times a year, following seasonalityamong the starters there is the Jewish artichoke on pecorino fondue, beetroot and anchovy sauce, with basil pesto (12). For pasta, in addition to traditional Roman first courses: carbonara, cacio e pepe, gricia and amatriciana (all 14), there are this month the fettuccine with broad beans, bacon and pecorino (16) or the variant with vignarola (18). For the seconds, breaded and fried lamb chops with hunter’s mayo (24) or cod cooked at low temperature with puffed skin, olives and pepper soup (24). If you want to end on a sweet note, there’s it almond and vanilla tarte tatin (8) or a profiteroles eggnog and coffee (9).
Da Etta’s cellar
There The venue’s beverage offering is impressive and counts over 2,200 labelsselected from sommelier Gaetano Di Maria. The wine list could scare the customer due to its size, being an encyclopedic volume where there is a bit of everything, from the prestigious Barbaresco DOCG from Gajaan intense garnet red with orange reflections, al Barolo by Tomaso Gianolio, ruby tending towards garnet, to name a few. At least 18 i wines served Between bubbles, whites, reds, internationalpart of which is available for an aperitif.
“Our goal is to provide a journey aimed at learning about the world of wine. There is a study for each region, some attract the public more such as Piedmont, Tuscany or Veneto. But we also have it on the menu little-known vines and cellars. When we went to visit them we realized that they guarantee the same quality as the big ones. They are the ones in which you talk face to face with the producer.” THE natural wines are there, but they are not the central part of the proposal: “We like to explain more the vastness of a vine, which can also arise in neighboring areas and change based on where it is produced, as today in the case of Etna, where there is an explosion of varieties of wineries and not all they are equal”.
From Etta. Piazza in Piscinula 42-47, Rome. Tel. 06 581 6249. Website. Instagram.
