Rome: Part 4 - Lunch at Hotel Columbus

Hotel Columbus is famous, and sometimes infamous, for the long history attributed to it - where it is located at the Palazzo della Rovere, who had lived there, and the stories the walls could tell about the goings on through out the last several hundreds of years. Among the stories told were the bishops and cardinals who used to dine here and became popes.
As we were coming from St. Peter's Square, Hotel Columbus would be on the right side of the street, at Via della Conciliazione, 33.

After about a 10 minute walk, we got here. There is a door on the left of this entry way that is used as the entrance to a small lobby for the hotel guests, with signs leading to the restaurants. We were looking for La Veranda.

The hotel rates are very reasonable. There is a selection of rooms of different sizes for hosting special events, meetings, cocktails, conferences etc.The dining experience is fantastic!

As we entered the restaurant venue, this is what we were treated to - trompe l'Oeil - frescoes on the walls...

and on the vaults.

This is the venue for my advance-birthday celebration. Mama mia! We are ready for an Italian feast! Buon appetito...

We started with a big spread of primi piatto (appetizers): "Tuscan Ham" with grilled tomato, cheese, red wine sauce; "Carciofo" (artichokes) served with burrata cheese and thyme warm salad with olives and almond oil; "Traditional Aubergines Caponata" (eggplant) with buffalo mozzarella, dried fruit and basil; "Smoked Buffala Mozzarella" and anchovies in carrozza...followed by secondo piatto (main courses)...

"Spaghettoni alla Carbonara" pasta with sauce made up of eggs, ewe's cheese, pepper and bacon

Tempura style mixed seafood, broccoli, and smoked buffalo mozzarella bites

"Entrecote" with rosemary, served with a baked potato and battelmatt cheese baked in foil, broccoli and cauliflower

"Cream of Savory Cabbage and Potato Soup" with scallops flambè and Mushrooms"

And, my birthday cake was specially created for me! It was so good and healthier than most choices offered in the dessert menu.


After deconstructing it with one bite, I will make this with the following ingredients:
1. Place 1 elephant ear (palmier or hojaldres) over a desert plate
2. Slather vanilla flavored creme filling over the elephant ear
3. Add a variety of berries to top over the filling
4. Finish by dusting some powdered sugar


Sounds simple, doesn't it? This will be a festive addition to my holiday feast.


Everything tasted so good. The food presentation was attractive and enticing, making it palatable even before the first bite. I give this dining experience 3 Michelin stars!



And then, the most unusual thing began to happen. It was snowing in Rome! So much for our plans to walk, to burn some calories. We had to cab it back to the hotel.