Yeah, I saw the segment about this legendary late-night bakery on Andrew Zimmern's Rome episode…read more And yeah, I was further intrigued by the famous sign with the provocative slang connotation that greets visitors as they carefully head down the somewhat treacherously steep staircase into this unique and somehow exciting basement space.
What I wasn't prepared for was the very personal and intimate encounter with the founder/owner/chief cook/probably not bottle-washer who is Antonio Lambiase. We arrived "early" (about 23:00 on a Friday night in July) to find the maestro hard at work crafting his famous pastries for the crowds of nocturnal visitors that were sure to follow. Although he spoke almost no English, we were able to communicate through my very limited Italian and the help of a couple of his immigrant assistants who had also had limited abilities in the two languages. My wife and I found him to be perfectly charming, playful as well as typically Italian. He didn't hesitate to ask me how old I thought he was and to flex his biceps to demonstrate his fitness and machismo. When we showed interest in several of the items already completed he came around from behind his work station with a piping bag full of whipped cream which he proceeded to squirt on the backs of our hands for tasting and made romantic suggestions by drawing hearts with the cream.
Needless to say, this was not an experience that we will soon forget. We made a fairly large purchase of an assortment of his sweet concoctions and took them to go to enjoy back at our hotel. I'd like to report that they were as memorable, but actually they were just ok. During our two weeks in Italy we certainly enjoyed much better pastry, but on a late night after reveling with friends I could easily see myself returning to this super cool spot!
