I've been meaning to try out Testaccio since it opened last year and I read about it in this New York Times article: In New York Restaurants, the Rise of Rome. I hadn't gotten around to it though because when I looked at the menu prices, their pastas and second courses were all around $15-25. I just can't bring myself to pay those prices when I'm looking for a casual bite in my neighborhood. I have a mental barrier that, for $20+, it should be for a nice meal in Manhattan. However, I had a friend come visit me in LIC for lunch one day. I was craving Thai food at Tuk Tuk, but he wanted Italian, especially after I told him that the restaurant had been written up in the NYT. Testaccio it was!
When we walked into the restaurant, I was absolutely blown away by how gorgeous the interior was! They have a gorgeous wine wall/display that separates the main dining area from the seating on the second floor, and really nice chandeliers as well. You would definitely not expect to walk into a restaurant like this off of Vernon Blvd in Long Island City. It would seem more suited for Soho or Meatpacking.
The food also did not disappoint. The prices at brunch were a lot more reasonable than their prices at dinner. The bread basket alone made me happy - breadsticks, focaccia and regular rolls. The focaccia was warm and fresh (I hate when restaurants give cold bread baskets!) and I had to stop myself from filling up on that before our food came. I ordered the bucatini all'amatriciana (hollow spaghetti with guanciale, spicy tomato sauce & pecorino, $11), a nostalgic favorite from my study abroad days in Italy. It tasted exactly like I remembered from Florence.
We also got the "Pizza con i funghi" with tomato, mozzarella, cremini, shitake & porcini mushrooms ($12). The crust was very thin and crispy. I'm not a super huge fan of pizzas, but I enjoyed it.
I was already stuffed from the bread, pasta, and pizza, however my friend insisted that I order my favorite dessert, tiramisu...and really, he has the best ideas because this was definitely the star of the meal. When the dessert came out like this, we were extremely confused. The waiter chuckled at our expressions as he explained that it was a "do it yourself" dessert - you take the ladyfingers and dip it in the mascarpone sauce with bitter cocoa & the cup of espresso coffee next to it. I love interactive stuff and playing with food - so my friend and I loved this. Each component was also extremely well made.
I didn't notice it at the time, but the menu actually lists this dessert as "tiramisu fai da te," so it tells you that it is DIY.
The service at Testaccio was also really nice. About halfway through our meal, we were the only table at the restaurant and it was really nice having the restaurant to ourselves! This is a new neighborhood favorite of mine!
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