When Doug Bailey added me to his 'Ghost crew' for a shampoo commercial being shot in Rome in January 1991, Jan took a week off work and we stayed in the Hotel Carriage, one street away from the Spanish Steps and a few doors up from what became quickly known as Al's. It was a winter town without tourists, Al's was (and still is) obviously a place for locals. After a few days experimenting, we ate there by preference. I stopped (three times?) at the thin charcoal grilled lamb chops with oil, lemon and rosemary, a taste that I've never been able to duplicate. 
This year, with only one night in Rome, we went back, stepping out of a summer shower of rain, into pretty much the same place. In a nod to the summer tourists there were tables outside, and the menu now has English explanations of the dishes and a very bad 3D computer logo. On a Friday night, those locals were eating fish, but my pork chop was as good as the meals I remembered.

Al's - Hostaria al 31  ( Via Carrozza)

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