Ordering dinner like Rick Steves?

How's your Italian? I rarely visit big cities so I have often had to try in Italian. I don't say bring it on, but I do sometimes ask "Che cosa consiglia?"

valadelphia, I've done the same in Italy and France, and have never been disappointed. Well, once: after I had ordered a particular dish in Padua, I was surprised at the wine the owner recommended, and asked for a different one. I should have gone with his recommendation!

I have never been disappointed when ordering “chef’s choice”. My husband, on the other hand, does not eat veal or lamb (baby animals) and was served veal when he ordered this way at a restaurant in Milan (we don’t speak Italian). My husband was quite embarrassed to have been served such a wonderfully prepared meal he ethically could not eat. So as long as you are up for eating anything that is served to you — including what may be out of your usual food comfort zone — then go for it!

This approach also works in small gelato shops!!!

When I did 7 Days in Rome our first night’s dinner was at a “you eat what you were given”restaurant”. Amazing variety of food! However I don’t eat beef and the meat course was a veal roast - so filled up on some of the best proscuitto ever and pasta and our guide taught me to say “I do not eat beef” in Italian!

On a different trip, I enjoyed the Smeraldo, there is a nice deli just up the street, ideal for picking up goodies for lunch or dinner. Easy walking distance to Pantheon, Victor Emmanuel monument, and other sites. I would stay there again.

Remember that he often has local "friend and fellow tour guide" with him.

My brother and I stayed at Hotel Smeralda and the location was spectacular. We would meet each morning across the street after getting up and enjoy our morning cappuccino together before starting our day. You’ll be close to the Trastevere neighborhood across the river and I highly recommend venturing there for food and window shopping; it’s very bohemian like.
When I go to Rome, I do what Rick does and eat what the chef recommends when I can’t decide. My brother had a not so pleasant meal when shrimp was served with its eyes still in tacked so he refused to eat it.

I often do ask the chef (often also owner) to recommend. Make sure you know the ingredients in case you are allergic to something.
But more importantly you should choose a restaurant that is not a tourist trap, as there are many of those near the main tourist sights. Inquire before you choose a restaurant.

Locals give the best advice. In the old days during my youth I relied a lot on construction workers for restaurant advice. That is a good strategy in rural areas, but in big cities like Rome nowadays 100% of them are Romanian or certainly non Italians, so I target different groups for advice:
1. College/high school Italian students. There are plenty congregating in front of schools and universities especially around 1:30pm when school day ends. Youngsters often eat in the city center so they know restaurants downtown. They are also likely to speak English.
2. Taxi drivers. They are definitely locals (citizenship is a requirement to have a taxi license and it is so hard to get one that those who have them transmit them from generation to generation and they are likely to be from the city itself). They are a good source of info. But make sure you don’t ask them at meal time. They will try to take you to a far away restaurant to collect some taxi fare from you.
3. Businessmen/women (bankers, lawyers, etc.) they frequently have work lunches at local downtown restaurants. Look for people dressed in a business suit and a business case.
4. Police officers, especially from the Municipal Police. They are definitely local and they know the restaurants downtown. They are the best source of information for bakeries where they make donuts. Police officers are the same all over the world. They love donuts. Once, when I was a teenager, I was chased at night by the Carabinieri on a hot pursuit on my motorcycle, not because I had done anything wrong as I thought, but because they saw me with my friends eating donuts and they wanted to know where we bought them.

Once you are in a reputable restaurant go ahead and seek advice from the chef. The only caveat is that some restaurants favored by locals may not have staff who speaks fluent English. That would definitely be a good sign.

Thanks everyone for the informative and amusing replies. While neither me or my wife speak Italian, I did study Latin for many years way back when, and while it is a "dead" language, I have found it quite helpful understanding the romance languages. We both consider ourselves "foodies", so it will be interesting to see if we are served something not to our liking. we can hardly wait for the adventure to begin!

As a funny side note, once I saw the Smeraldo in the RS guidebook, I knew it was the place for us, as fait would have it, my wife's maiden name is Smeraldo!

Have a wonderful trip! Your hotel choice is great, it's an easy walk to the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Piazza Navona, etc.

As mentioned, Rick makes it look easy, but he has connections to guide him in the right direction. Avoid restaurants with outside menu boards in English. I'm sure the staff at Hotel Smeraldo can point you in the right direction. Also, trust your instincts. You'll be able to determine the ones that will suit you.

If you have not been to Rome before, I highly recommend Walks of Italy tours. There's one that would be a great introduction for the day you arrive. It's the Twilight City Stroll. You start at the nearby Piazza Navonna and spend the evening wandering to the sites I mentioned above. We had a lovely meal sitting outside overlooking the Piazza Navona before the tour started. When we travel, we tend to push through the day. For us this really helps minimize jet lag. If you do the tour on the day of arrival, you'll be nice and sleepy and will acclimate fast.

https://www.walksofitaly.com/rome-tours/welcome-rome-walking-tours/

First thing: avoid the Tourist Menu. The menu del giorno (daily recommendations) can be 'iffy' too. I tried this once in Rome and have become a regular visitor: with my poor Italian I made it clear that this was my first time at this restaurant and was happy to see how busy it is with Italian customers. I asked the waiter to help me order to make sure I was going to really enjoy the food. "Felici mi fai" with the menu in hand works! She (the waiter was a woman) pointed to her favorite dishes. OMG! What an amazing meal I had that night! And it was noticed by the hostess who came by with a complimentary after dinner drink.

I tried this in Sicily and was also happy: I read the menu, price first, to get a sense of what I should expect to pay for a full dinner. When the waiter came by (turned out to be the owner's son who was on vacation from college), I said that this was my first visit. "Felici mi fai" and told him the amount I was willing to pay. The hostess kept a close eye on me as each plate was delivered. At the end of the meal I stopped by the kitchen and said 'complimenti'. The chef and his assistant asked about each item I had eaten (guess they were watching too). The waiter then escorted me to his father's table for another after dinner drink and delightful conversation with plenty of recommendations on things to do and see.

Best part? The next year I was recognized. This also happened at several restaurants in Venice and Assisi. Going out to dinner turned into a chance to meet the people who hope you enjoy their offerings. This is also the source of my pain. The pandemic has kept me from returning to dinner with these friends. Ritorno subito!

I know it’s not “live like a local”, but we often put the RS guidebook on the table before the waiter comes. It’s been a good thing for us. In Istanbul for instance, we went to a place listed in the guide. No one spoke English, but the waiter picked up our book, pointed to himself, and made the “chef’s kiss” gesture. We just nodded. And chef’s kiss it was! He kept bringing the dishes, all of them delicious, and it was totally wonderful. Low cost, too. (Thanks, Rick!)

Here's an easy guide to ordering at a restaurant in Italy by an American who moved with her family to Italy for a year (I think they are just finishing up their 2nd stay). https://michelledamiani.com/travel-in-italy/your-definitive-italian-restaurant-manual

I took my 14 year old daughter on a 3 week Italy tour and we spent about 5 nights in Rome at the hotel Smeraldo. I agree with others, great location, right next to the Campo de Fiori a wonderful little square to eat, hang out or enjoy the market. One of the best food tours I have ever been on was short walk from the hotel, it was in the Trastevere and Jewish Ghetto. I still remember the amazing fried artichoke! The tour gives you about 10 samples from some of the best hidden gem restaurants a few we returned to for dinner. But more than that we visited other gems, like Farmacia della Scala a pharmacy run by monks that goes back to the 17th century. It is only open by appointment or tour, as well as private wine cellars and favorite local deli's. I hope you enjoy your trip!

Jill, which food tour did you take? We did one years ago, but yours sounds better.

A variation on eat where you see locals. Years ago, my brother was living in Rome; and his strategy was to look in the window of a restaurant to see if any priests were dining there. That was a sign of good food.
Rick appears to be an omnivore. If you are at all picky, as I am, the strategy of going with the waiter’s recommendation is full of pitfalls. I don’t eat offal. How do you feel about donkey? It appears on the menu in some parts of Italy as a local delicacy. Not a problem for me, but seafood is often cooked and served with heads on. I just cut them off. As some sage once said, “Know thyself.”

Todd w, you mentioned yr past study of Latin, felt the same way with my rudimentary Spanish and church Latin.... I was able to figure out a lot

In a little place in Venice, definitely in the tourist area, I went with catch of the day, and was expecting white fish..... instead it was one shrimp, some fried calamari rings, and a pot of mussels.... I hate mussels and think that calamari is actually just those big rubber bands that hold together a bunch of fresh Broccoli. Sigh. One of my travel companions traded me for her plate of spaghetti marinara which I found generous but boring but I didn't want to waste our one day in Venice and have my second choice of meal arrive after my friends were done eating.

For a less-elegant approach -- cafeteria-style restaurant where you can see and point. We love Self-Service Leonardo in Florence (a Rick recommendation near the Duomo.) At our age and eating capacity "bring it on" would have to be followed by "doggie bags, per favore."

There’s enough Italian similar to Spanish that we generally don’t have any problem. We do try to eat at restaurants away from the primary tourist routes through town. Most often we can find a non-tourist restaurant a block or two off the beaten path. We stayed at Hotel Smeraldo our last time in Rome in 2012. It looks like it has been remodeled and expanded. Its location is great, right at the Campo de’ Fiori.

I have never used the term “bring it on”, but have asked the Chef/Owner to “just feed us” on many occasions. It has worked in Italy, Spain, France, Portugal, the Caribbean and Mexico with great results. We have also used this trick in the U.S.. It helps if you are an omnivore and don’t mind organ meats. There have been some surprises (notably lamb kidneys in San Sebastian), but we have never had a Chef yet that shied away from showing off their stuff. We have been lucky in that someone around generally speaks some English, and we can use our ersatz Spanish/French/Italian to get the point across. Google Translate works wonders. The only time I was taken aback by the resulting bill was right here in Washington State.

Again, I'd like to thank everyone for replying to this topic. I'm sure the tips, tricks and warnings will prove useful. We had dinner last night al fresco at a great Italian restaurant and I told the waiter chef's choice for me. What was I served you ask? Started with a salad of frizze, strawberries, almonds and a local blueberry goat cheese. My entre was a veal chop pounded thin, stuffed with prosciutto and fontina and covered with wild mushrooms in a pan sauce, delicious!

The experience really got me excited for our trip in just over 3 months. I've also started to learn Italian with the Babbel app, in the hopes I can more fully enjoy my Roman experience.

Buon Appativo