Rome - Cooking Classes and Restaurant Recs

All,

Will be in Rome for 2 weeks and am looking for recs for the following;

-cooking class/market tours
-reasonable restaurants (where do the locals eat) suitable for a family with a 4 year old on a budget.

Thanks!!

Here's a Chowhound post from our recent visit to Rome recommending Orso 80, which serves a classic antipasto spread for their midday meal on Sunday at about 15 euro/head. Be sure to reserve:

"There we ordered -- along with everyone else who knew anything about the place -- the antipasto misto, an extravagant display of antipasti that certainly requires neither primo nor secondo. Not something you'd want to do every day (some of the piatti were hit or miss, but with such abundance who cares?), but certainly a classic Roman experience."

Do you want to dine near any place in particular? Where are you staying? There are lots of markets in Rome, but the Campo is fun in the early morning. www.Slowtrav.com is pretty helpful.

Let's see, from my last couple trips, a few modest ideas for eating...

Near Piazza Barberini:
Ristorante Gioia Mia in Via degli Avignonesi 34 (this is the first place I ate in Rome, almost 30 years ago: I visit each time I'm there and it's still good)

Testaccio:
Pizzeria Remo in Piazza Santa Maria Liberatrice 44. W of Via Marmorata
Felice in Via Mastro Giorgio, 29

Trastevere:
Augusto in Piazza dei Renzi 15. S off Ponte Sisto
Dar Poeta Rome. Vicolo del Bologna, 45. SW of Sisto, N of S. Egidio
Antica Pesa in Via Garibaldi, 18

Colosseo:
Pizzeria li Rioni a Santiquattro Via SS. Quattro, 24. SE of Colosseum.
Ristorante La Piazzetta in Vicolo dei Buon Consiglio 23A. 1 block south of Via Cavour.
Trattoria Luzzi in Via dei San Giovanni in Laterano. E of C on SG in L at Celimontana, before San Clemente

Ghetto:
Giggetto in Via Portico d'Ottavia, 21/A-22. NW of Teatro Marcello
Sora Margherita in Piazza delle Cinque Scole, 30

Piazza Navona:
Da Baffetto in Via del Governo Vecchio, 114. Due west from South end of Navona.
Da Francesco in the Piazza del Fico, 29. West of N on Via di Tor Millina past Caffe delle Pace.
Ditirambo in Piazza della Cancelleria, 74. N and E of Campo dei Fiori.
La Fiaschetta in Via dei Cappellari 64. NE of Campo dei Fiori.
Ristorante Fiammetta in Piazza Fiammetta, 10. NW corner of Navona to Via Zenardelli. Next to Hotel Genio.
Der Pallaro in Largo del Pallaro 15. Just E of Campo dei Fiori.
Ristorante Sant’ Eustachio in Piazza Sant’ Eustachio.
Steel in Via delle Coppelle, 41.

Salustiano:
Pizzeria Il Regno di Napoli in Via Romagna, 22.

Great List Choey! I second the recommendation of the SlowTalk bulletin board, which is a real treasure trove of information.

This may skirt the edge of self-promotion (or even plunge over the cliff into the valley of commercial posting) but the travel agency I work for, Select Italy, can arrange cooking classes with a cooking school in the Prati district. You can start off the class with a walking tour of Campo De' Fiori market and then go cook the fruits of your expedition. You can see the description and set up the tour at the following link:

Rome Cooking Class with Market Walk