Saturday night, 8 p.m., our first night in Rome -- our first time in Italy. We noticed the…read morerestaurant listed on the board in our hotel lobby. When we rolled up, we thought it was closed: the dining room was empty, and the door seemed locked. As we stood there debating what to do, the door was opened by a stranger who expressed amused surprise at our apparent inability to open a door and walk in.
Meet Sabatino, our new best friend.
We sat down at a two-top in the cozy, charming restaurant, and I wondered if it would be awkward being the only customers. I never found out. Within 15 minutes, two parties of eight showed up, and very soon every other table was full as well. Sabatino expertly handled the entire room with effortless grace. He has a gift for making every table feel special and welcome, taking his time with everyone in at least three fluent languages. We saw his generosity, kindness, passion for the food, and sly humor in every interaction and felt lucky to be there.
And the food. Oh, the food. Sabatino pretty much told us what we would eat, and we were happy to obey. That first night we started with, what else, the cheese, jam, and cured meats platter. Delicious! Then came my husband's sheep specialty, a house favorite, and for me, delicate, puffy pillows of ravioli with a cream sauce and lots of pepper. Heaven.
The second night, we had the pleasure of meeting the queen of the kitchen, Giulia. Compared to Sabatino, anyone would seem shy, but within minutes we were sharing photos of our pets and laughing about what fools we are for them. We also happened to be seated next to a fun couple from New Zealand we'd run into earlier that day outside the Vatican, so the serendipity continued.
We happily dove into the charcuterie platter again, followed by lasagna, penne, and panna cotta with sour cherries -- silky, decadent, and the perfect ending to our last meal in Rome.
Thank you, Sabatino and Giulia. We can't wait to return, and when we do, Osti Matti will be both our first meal and our last! xo