Da Eros Christmas

 It was the kind of special all-in package that seems inconceivable these days when airlines seem to battle to charge more and offer less rather than the other way round.   The price of this flight included two or three nights in a Rome hotel plus dinner and breakfast – extraordinary. At the time I held out very little hope of anything exciting on the culinary front, expecting a dull and standardised hotel restaurant – but far from it.  We were delighted to find ourselves directed away from our hotel through winding streets to a small local eatery, a place we would never have found as strangers in Rome. 
It was winter and cold – but this tiny family restaurant was decked out warmly with red checked table cloths, the kitchen was noisy and friendly and we were brought a magnificent meal of many courses – antipasti, steaming mussels, pasta with baskets of bread and red wine constantly replenished.
Da Eros in Avondale dresses its tables in similar red checked cloths and offers the same kind of family hospitality as that Roman trattoria – with the family almost always in evidence – graciously embracing old friends and new guests with a warm welcome
It is the season for Christmas and other parties and Da Eros is a popular venue for festive lunch or dinner. I was there for an office Christmas lunch – part of a table of twenty – a lot of people to deal with at once so a real test of service and style. 
We sat in the garden under the tent on a steamy afternoon – busy with office parties, family lunches and regulars.  Friendly touches are the baskets of bread and grissini brought to the table – the good olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and the side dishes of garlic and chillie ready to accompany your meal or for dipping bread while you wait.  We were also served a complimentary salad – not that appetising in itself but a good vehicle for the olive oil!
Sensibly the waiter took orders for starters first, and conveyed these to the kitchen before he came back for the round of main course orders. Starters were varied and I chose an antipasti platter US$7 which would certainly have served two – with artichoke hearts, good salami and thinly sliced Italian style ham. First course was served quite quickly – though we waited quite a long time for jugs of water – nicely full of ice and slices of lemon when they arrived.
The lunch special was calamari stuffed with crab and tilapia served with spaghetti and napoletana sauce. A good deal at US$10, which included ice cream and chocolate sauce for dessert.
Most other mains were around US$14 and many of our party opted for huge steaks or sticky ribs – served with either potatoes, chips or rice. The vegetable accompaniment was a mixture of broccoli and carrots – a bit overcooked and I would have been happy without it.  Portions were huge and many were taking home packed leftovers for the weekend. My choice was calamari rings – nicely cooked – though not as good as the ones I had at Papas a couple of weeks ago.
Desserts chosen were icecream or tasty tiramisiu. Some of us finished with shots of homemade limoncello liqueur which proved quite popular with our party – luckily it was Friday afternoon and work was definitely over.
No idea what was the total bill for twenty – I estimate US$20-25/ per person excluding drinks. And a good time was had by all.
– g.jeke@yahoo.com