Mercerie High Street Food Converts This Non-Foodie

March 25, 2018 21 Comments Business & Work, Italy

Not a fan of “fine dining” restaurants, I have prided myself on being a “non-foodie,” annoyed by dishes described as if abstract art, the snotty attitudes of wait staff and the absurdly inflated prices for petite portions. But all my negativity dissolved recently in twice experiencing dinner at Mercerie “High Street Food,” a new slick, modern, trendy eatery in Rome, Italy that would, on the surface, imply all I distain.

Yes, it exudes hipness – a glass wall fronts the pedestrian street facing the ruins of ancient temples at Largo di Torre Argentina, (also a renowned cat sanctuary; cats considered messengers of the gods). The interior is sleek, with colorful cone-shaped padded stools and barrel chairs at a couple of cocktail tables near the door. A chest-high semi-circular corregated-steel bar, with a vast collection of fluted glasses suspended above, forms the focal point for stylish young black-suited professionals to lean against as the pleasant barman’s perpetual moves elevate drink-making to performance art.

Flat screens cycle artistic photos of signature “tapa-like” dishes served on elongated tryptic plates in white porcelain, intended as finger food, ergo the “street food” reference; definitely “high street.” Subtle lighting and perfectly modulated classic jazz and folk music by original artists round out the ambiance, which extends into the “intimate” dining room, where more substantiial menu items are served with with stainless and gold-tipped flatware. Even the kitchen’s frosted glass motion-sensor sliding door exemplifies attention to every cohesive modern detail.

It’s a perfect construct for inflated prices and foo-foo food. But here’s the difference: The food combinations and presentations really are imaginative and delicious, prices are reasonable, the ambiance is relaxing, and the wait staff is friendly, unpretentious, enthusiastic, knowledgeable and multi-lingual.

Igles Corelli and Aysha Griffin — Igles Corelli and a new “Foodie” convert

This combination of ostensibly hip and genuinely welcoming and worthwhile is due to the vision, expertise and personality behind Mercerie, chef Igles Corelli. Although I’d been told on my first visit that the chef was “Michelin-starred,” that meant nothing to me until my second visit when a smiling, bespectacled man gracious opened the front door. “Benvenuto! Welcome!” Signore Corelli himself.

To watch this man move about his latest creation, shaking hands with guests and speaking encouragingly to his staff between moments of relaxation over a drink with a friend, is to witness a relaxed, confident and good manager; a businessman and culinary artist enjoying the fruits of his labor.

Corelli lives up to his reputation not only as a top Italian chef, whose other restaurants have garnered awards and high praise, but as a dedicated teacher. Through professional associations and tutelage at his restaurants, his lifetime in the world of Italian cuisine – his parents owned a trattoria where he started working at age 9 – has influenced the success of a generation of chefs and pioneered nouvelle Italian cuisine.

While the little plates of innovative concoctions (starting at 7€) delight the senses, the generous salads of mixed greens with nuts, seeds, and thin slices of fruit and veggies with a subtly tangy house dressing (10€) are the best I’ve found in Rome.

As I began eating my salad, Corelli came to the table and handed me a gold-plated salad pincher, explaining it is a prototype he plans to add to the unique offerings at Mercerie. Imprinted in the round tip is the Buddhist Soka Gakkai chant, “Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.” “It’s for happiness and peace!” effused Corelli’s charming partner, Helga Buscaroli. Apparently, Corelli had a dream about them.

Richard H. Seager, my Buddhist scholar companion who’d written a definitive book on the sect, “Encountering the Dharma: Daisaku Ikeda, Soka Gakkai, and the Globalization of Buddhist Humanism,” would have been happy to explain more about the chant, which means something akin to “Hail to the glorious Dharma.” But either their English was too limited or the simple idea of happiness and peace was sufficient knowledge.

In any case, Corelli is obviously innovating continuously and with the intention of delighting diners with both sensational food and ambiance.

Rome seems the perfect place for conversions, and Mercerie convinced me that “fine dining” may actually be an experience worth pursuing. My foodie friends will be happy to hear I’ve seen the light.

Mercerie High Street Food is located at Via San Nicola De’ Cesarini 4/5, 00186 Roma, Italia. Reservations recommended by phoning +39 340 997 2996, at their Facebook page or @Merceriehighstreetfood. You can read more about Chef Corelli here.

Bicycling in Rome

June 14, 2017 7 Comments Health & Fitness, Italy, Travel

Common sense dictates that – with Italian drivers owning the reputation as the most aggressive in the world, coupled with poorly maintained roads, baffling traffic signals, millions of visitors milling about and no bike lanes or paths – bike riding in Rome is a ridiculous and dangerous undertaking.

This is true. And there is a group of dedicated bicyclists and safe-access advocates who challenge this monthly. At each full moon, hundreds of bicyclists of all ages meet at Piazza del Popolo around 8:30 p.m. and ride through the city together.

bicycle Rome — *Monthly full moon bicycle ride through the streets of Rome.*

You can rent a bike earlier in the day, as I did, and join them for a beautiful way to see Rome at night. It’s free and a remarkable experience of community spirit. It is also an act of civil disobedience.

Some of the veteran riders use their body and bike to block traffic at major intersections for the stream of bicyclers to pass. Car and bus drivers honk angrily as they wait, and aggressive motorcyclists roar ahead at any opening. “It’s dangerous to be a blocker,” explained my friend Giussepe Teano, an avid Roman bicycler, “but important.”

There are 27 associations, foundations and other organizations in Rome that have organized around issues of mobility and safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, according to an interview I read online with Alfredo Giordani, a 53-year-old pubic servant turned activist. When his good friend was killed in 2011 while riding a bike, Giordani devoted himself to this cause of safety and access on the streets of Rome. (#VIVINSTRADA ROMA)

bicycling Rome — *Pedalata di Luna Pierna, taking over the streets of Rome*

In typical Italian bureaucratic style, the city administration requires individuals to participate in proposals for change via associations, organizations and institutions. All of these groups have been bringing attention and advocating to address “serious urban problems” like the conflict of roads and public spaces for bicyclists, pedestrians and those with limited mobility.

Giordani and others have proposed a number of solutions to transform Rome in a bike-friendly city and will propose them again at the next municipal budget of October – November 2017. “We have a program that could significantly transform the life of our city,” he says.

But, really, what are the chances for change now in a city where motor vehicles rule, laws are so convoluted that no one understands them, and national elections and unemployment are more on people’s minds than bicycle safety?

“Nobody can say if this will be a good time to take the human aspect to the streets of the capital. But there has been a great effort by so many, and this leads me to a moderate optimism,” concludes Giordani.

Personally, I am not optimistic and remain amazed that anything functions in Rome, or any major city in the world. Rome, with the friendliest population I’ve found, is a great walking city, supported by good tram and bus service and several metro lines (you can’t dig too deep or in many places, as history is buried everywhere!).

When it comes to bicycling urban streets, Amsterdam and Paris are two cities I’ve enjoyed renting bikes. Rome, not at all.

But if you find yourself in Rome on a full moon night, get yourself a bike and join in the Pedalata di Luna Piena. You may be rewarded with such a breathtaking moment as this:

full oon over the Colosseum, bicycling Rome — *Full moon over the Colosseum, Rome (June 2017)*

The Best Hairstylist in Rome

April 1, 2017 7 Comments Italy, Passion & Joy, Relationships, Travel

Call me shallow, but after two weeks in Rome, my favorite discoveries have been the best hairdresser in the world, the best artichokes, the best gelato store, the best shoe store for my size 10 (Euro 41) shoes, and the best new friends.

Like countless tourists before me, I’ve been to the Vatican Museum, the Borghese Gallery, the Pantheon, Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, piazzas galore, and at least 5 major churches, including the Mother of them all, St. Paul’s Basilica, overcome by the gob-smacking architecture, art and craftsmanship that adorns them.

I’ve loitered at street-side cafes all over the city, peered through the keyhole on Aventine Hill and into the Mouth of Truth on display near Circus Maximus. I’ve strolled through the Jewish ghetto and synagogue, eaten plates of pasta, baskets of bread-based sweets, over-cooked greens, and enjoyed many cups of strong caffé and glasses of pleasant vino rosso. But nothing is more exciting to me than the personal encounters, the stories of the choices and challenges in the lives of amazing people I encounter… and almost all my encounters are with amazing people.

Rome best hair dresser — Stefano and his friend Patrizio on the street leading to “TAZ,” the “Temporary Autonomous Zone” where Stefan works on just a few clients a day – so as to give them his full attention – and plans to soon sell “the most-excellent products for hair and skin.” Note that in Italy, friendships between straight men (as is the case here) are far more physical than in other countries I’ve visited.

“With every action we add or subtract to the goodness in the world.” So says Stefano Sillavi, as he gently brushes my hair, tangled and stiff from too much product in my perennial battle to make my curls look other than they naturally want to.

Have you ever had your head touched for an hour or more in a gentle way, as if the other’s fingers are sensing every centimeter of its shape and the texture and flow of each hair? I hadn’t, and it is a remarkable experience.

In a small shop in Trastevere, with an unassuming sign reading “TAZ,” I sit in front of a large framed oval mirror, crystal chandeliers hanging from the high plastered ceiling, as Stefan explains the nature of my hair and “what it wants to do.” He enthuses about its waves and flows how he will shape it, and why.

OK? Oh yes!

No one has ever taken the time to know my hair in this way, and then spoken about it with such knowledge and insight.

We move to the basin where he washes and conditions, continuing the constant hands-on movement of a skilled practitioner. Back to the mirror, he clips and snips and fluffs and dries, adding only a little oil to the hair itself.

Rome best hairstylist — *Stefan Sillavi shaving his friend Patrizio who stops in for a visit.*

We talk about consciousness and the practice of being present, and his work, to which he is devoted. He speaks with gratitude for a Japanese woman mentor he had in New York, where he studied and worked for seven years. His command of English, and philosophical bent, makes possible the depth of conversation we share.

At the end of two hours of having my head touched with such care, my hair shaped and fluffed, I felt I’d had a long, luxurious massage.

Touching and caressing the head is a sensuous and intimate action, which is perhaps why it is so seemingly rare. And unlike my countless previous haircuts – from a cheapo $8 SuperCuts to a $140 Vidal Sassoon cut in New York City – I’d never before left a salon feeling truly enamored of my hair and renewed, more confident, and more beautiful than ever.

I can say Stefano Sillavi is the best hairstylist in Rome, but he may be the best in the world!

Aysha Griffin with Stefan Cillavi, hair stylist Rome. — *Stefano Sillavi and Yours Truly at TAZ… after a fabulous experience.*

If you are planning a trip to Rome, or are in Rome, you can contact Stefan by phone or WhatsApp at: +39 388.759.7166. I will not quote his fee but it is very reasonable… even for just a haircut, which, as I’ve described, this is much more than simply that. He works his magic on men as well as women.

Have you ever had an extraordinary haircut experience? Please share in comments. I’ll write about my other “best finds” soon.