It's the squash's fault

Maledetta zucca.

It's a good thing I make a mean roast chicken because my legendary (ok, maybe just well-liked) squash soup failed me last night - the night I tried to make dinner for my most gastronomically-educated friends! It looked great but sadly contributed nothing to the flavor of the soup. Maybe my EIS Boston friends can vouch for me??? Usually it's really good???

It's also a good thing that I had eaten really well the night before, at Dar Poeta in Trastevere - i FINALLY got the pizza I'd been craving since my arrival, and it, unlike certain fall veggies, lived up to its hype. The salame piccante was spciy, the mushrooms were al dente and the dough was perfectly thin-yet-sturdy.

The real story was in the dessert however - though the pictures went the way of the squash (bad):

(before) (after)


...the Calzone alla Nutella was heaven in a pizza pocket! Their specialty is this doughy, sweet calzone filled with nutella, sprinkled with powdered sugar and heated just so, making the Nutella, which I usually am no so gagga over like many people, melty and gushy and the perfect sweet finish to a Friday night out with friends.