CURSED!

“Clowns, just as cooks, are always in the spotlights, and have to be the best… no matter what is behind the mask.” Anthony Genovese

Besides these magical words, I’m afraid Il Pagliaccio (meaning the clown) failed to satisfy my expectations. Being the only two-starred Michelin restaurant in Rome, I was expecting to be much more pleased with the degustation experience.

Executive Chef Anthony Genovese opened the restaurant in 2003. He named his restaurant after the opera Pagliacci.

Ambiance  

Decoration is simple and classy. There are not many details that can take your attention except the ceiling. The black-white tiles of the ceiling were catching my eye all the time. I also couldn’t relate the name of the restaurant (once again il pagliaccio means clown) with the ambiance and theme. I associate clowns with lots of color and entertainment. I was expecting to see a colorful decoration or the dance of the colors in the presentation of the dishes. Regretfully, none of them existed. Restrooms were clean.

Taste 

Unfortunately, I was not satisfied with the taste of the courses nor the choice of the menu. As an Italian restaurant, I expected to see much more Italian cuisine on the menu. I do not prefer eating a seafood-based menu at an Italian restaurant. I would love to see different kinds of delicious pasta, such as the squid black in spaghetti with sea urchin and sea snails we have eaten. The dishes were just mediocre, without any harmony.

Il Pagliaccio offers a water menu where you can choose among different kinds of still and sparkling water with different degrees of hardness. It is a distinguishing fact for the restaurant.

Creativity 

None of the courses were successful in amazing me with the presentation of the dishes. There could have been so many creative ideas in such a wisely named restaurant. The name of the restaurant promises you a different kind of experience. From the dishware to the ingredients there should have been much more color and entertainment.

Service 

Staff was polite and friendly. All the courses arrived just on time. I made the reservation through the website. However, I have to say that the website isn’t convenient at all. It could have been simpler.

instagram: ristoranteilpagliaccio

Value 

I expected to see more innovation, taste, harmony and a strong selection of Italian cuisine with respect to its price. On the other hand, the sommelier was good and well informed. We drank a 2009 Marchesi di Barolo and a 2013 Cervaro della Sala with the recommendation of the sommelier. Both of them were good pairings with the dishes. Restaurant has a broad wine cellar with sommelier Matteo Zappile being in charge.

Price of the 10-course degustation menu “Un circo di sapori” was EUR 155. Price per dish was approximately EUR 15.