Taste of Rome

When I was growing up, I really did not enjoy tomatoes. Neither did my sister. We would eat ketchup, of course. But my parents couldn’t understand why we didn’t want to eat tomatoes. Then one day it switched for me. My sister is still picky with when she eats tomatoes, but I really enjoy them. That’s about the time I started to really enjoy bruschetta.

A simple snack that is often an appetizer is perfect for sharing between two people.

It consists of toasted bread slices, fresh chopped tomatoes and olive oil. I prefer to add a drizzle of balsamic vinaigrette. One calm weeknight I went to dinner with my roommate Brandon. It was just us two. And I ordered the bruschetta as an appetizer. I had ordered it at other places beforehand so I wasn’t expecting anything special.

When it arrived I knew it was going to be great. The bread was perfectly toasted with a slight crunch followed by a soft finish. The tomatoes were evenly chopped and placed in precise quantity on top of the bread. I could see the glaze of olive oil was just right where the bread wasn’t soaking in it. It was all on top of a bed of basil and arugula. It tasted like heaven. With my drizzle of balsamic on top, it crunched in my mouth with a clean and fresh taste. The tomatoes were juicy and the olive oil provided a solid base flavor. The balsamic gave it a nice zing.

Honestly, that bruschetta was one of the top handful of things I ate this entire trip.