French Food in Rome - Part Trois {La Renardière}

In another life I was an international development worker. I managed projects from an office on a sandy road in the capitol city Niamey. Niger is a vast country on the edge of the Sahel and the Sahara desert. The projects I managed were far flung, in places with names like Zinder, Goure and Diffa on the far western edge almost at the Chadian border. Sometimes I did site visits, which meant days of driving through thousands of kilometers of millet fields and goats and the occasional village. There were only a few places to stop along the way. Places with gas stations, a guest house and somewhere to eat. One prescribed stop involved a rickety stand where we would get plastic cups filled with nescafe and sweetened condensed milk to fuel us for the next leg. Another stop always involved one of my favorite meals; Steak a poivre and haricots verts.  Served under a straw roofed pailote on battered tables and wobbly chairs set in the sand. The food was always fresh and filling. Not haute cuisine, but just good simple home cooking. 

Here in Rome it was all but impossible to find a simple steak au poivre and a glass of red served with bread and pats of silver and yellow foil wrapped President butter. The homey La Renadiere almost next door to Mark's office on the viale Aventino is the answer to this craving.

We visited on a weeknight after a cocktail at The Corner and before going to see some jazz. We ordered a bottle of Bordeaux and since we already knew we were having steak a poivre tried to decide on what to start our meal with. Mark chose onion soup and I had duck foes gras that I decadently slathered onto pieces of an excellent baguette. Our steaks were well cooked and the sauce, creamy and peppery. I had the nostalgic choice for dessert, chocolate mousse.

Everything was much like those meals I had on a dusty sahelian road trip; Hearty and comforting. I am looking forward to a vinegary salad and a slice of quiche when I convince my lunch averse husband away from his desk.


La Renardière
Viale Aventino 31/33
06 87785445

Apologies for the lack of pictures of this meal, my camera simply did not do them justice.