The Rome Restaurant- Posted 1/21/09
In my six years in Columbia, I have grown to enjoy its relative isolation. But, if you are like me, there still exists an individual desire to break through isolation and explore new frontiers. This past Thursday night, my guest and I experienced a unique and cultural journey of Italy, courtesy of The Rome Restaurant on Ninth Street in downtown Columbia. It's no wonder that The Rome Restaurant is just one letter away from being The Home Restaurant. Everything from their food, service and atmosphere instills in you the mental image of a small Italian village and it's tradition of home style cooking.
Pictures of Italian and Italian-American heroes adorn the walls. Perched on the wall along our booth were famed heavyweight boxer Rocky Marciano and Yankee great Joe DiMaggio. Couple that with the numerous Frank Sinatra tunes, and it felt like we were right in the center of Italian culture in America. The menu is littered with fun words to say. Carbonara, Parmigiana, Prosciutto. And our waiter was not shy to help us on our mispronunciations.
By our waiter's suggestion, we started by ordering the Rome's classic homemade meatballs, a recipe passed down since the inception of The Rome's south Boston location in 1965. With just one bite of the homemade meatballs, my processed meat eating days flashed before my very eyes. Everything about these meatballs screamed "homemade." So tender and seasoned to perfection, the meatballs served its role as an appetizer with flying colors. We were certainly ready for more.
For our main course, my guest had the Fettuccine Alfredo. The waiter suggested she try something with the homemade white sauce, because he made the same suggestion to his girlfriend who absolutely loved it. After tasting it myself, it was pretty evident what his girlfriend sees in him. The white sauce was a rich cream of butter, cream and romano cheese – the kind of thing that sounds good with everything. Along with the white sauce, the fettuccine came with fresh tomatoes and broccoli.
I ordered the Veal Ala Roma. A delectable blend of breaded veal cutlets, prosciutto and provolone, topped with mozzarella and mushrooms in a light garlic marsala wine sauce. It came out piping hot. The waiter warned me of the plate's immense heat, and the burns on my left-index finger certainly made me wish I had heeded his advice. As for the taste? Only word could describe it – Benissimo!
We finished off our cultural experience with some homemade cheesecake sprinkled with fresh blueberries. As a cheesecake connoisseur, I know that the more scalene the cheesecake triangle appears, the more likely it truly is homemade. This slice of cheesecake was not perfectly processed; it abounded with so much personality that you knew the slice was uniquely created for you. It was mouth-watering good.
The experience was such a treat, that even after our meal, we remained at our booth to enjoy some drinks and recount our journey of authentic Italian home-style cooking. I found the Rome Restaurant to truly be a desirable escape, so much in fact that as I exited its front doors, I was taken aback to see the familiar streets of downtown Columbia.
When Italians say "good-bye" to each other, they say "Arrivederci!" It means until we see each other again. After a night of experiencing everything the Rome Restaurant had to offer, I felt this was the most appropriate word possible. Arrivederci the Rome Restaurant! I promise I will see you again.
Jeff Donoho
Food Evangelist
foodevangelist@midmodiningguide.com
MidMoDiningGuide.com
From time to time, we are going to spotlight an area restaurant. Let us know who we should spotlight. We'll also take into account which restaurant has the highest overall rating from you, our guest.
