Trattoria Etruria 39Rome

Second time at Trattoria Etruria 39 and I have to say, it holds up.

Let's start with the supplì, which here is serious business. Incredibly crispy breading, the kind of crispness that makes a sound when you bite into it. Excellent filling, you can taste the pepper the way it should be. But fair warning: the amatriciana is made properly, so don't expect a runny sauce. My wife wanted it greasier but well, that's just how they make it.

Carbonara and gricia, the portions are over the top. I mean, really generous. Except the guanciale... here's where things fall apart. They cut it into big chunks and don't make it crispy. Zero crispness. It's good quality, flavorful, but it comes out sometimes soft, sometimes tough when you hit just the lean part. In short, hit or miss.

The carbonara had a decent creamy coating, you could taste the pepper which is always a point in its favor. But with all that mushy guanciale, let's say I'm stopping at a 6.5. Too much non-crispy stuff.

My wife really appreciated the gricia though. It was creamy thanks to the guanciale fat and pecorino, no weird tricks with cream or anything like that. Homemade fettuccine nice and rough, holding the sauce well. Same problem here with the guanciale not being crispy, but overall very good.

Twenty-one euros per person with supplì and a generous first course, it's fair. The guanciale is the only sour note—if they made it crispy it would be another world.

Go back? Already did.