Cafe Roma is at 220 North Ocoee St. in Cleveland
photo by Janet Wilson
It had been more than a year since we last visited Cafe Roma at 220 North Ocoee St. in Cleveland, so we decided to drive there for a Valentine’s Day dinner.
Deciding what you want from the menu is difficult because everything sounds so wonderful. One of our favorite appetizers (Antipasti) is Fritto Misto ($8.99), so we definitely wanted to start with that. If you have never tried this, and like seafood, you are in for a treat; tempura battered calamari, fish and shrimp served with lemon aioli and cocktail dipping sauces. It is crispy, yet light.
Other appetizers include such selections as roasted garlic tomato basil zuppa ($5.49), Roma Divine (grilled shrimp and scallops in a white wine lemon sauce with tomatoes and zucchini - $11.99), and hummus and pita (6.99). Salads are served with fresh baked breads (the servers are constantly walking around with large baskets or plates filled with fresh bread throughout your meal).
Wayne ordered the spinach salad (with gorgonzola, mushrooms, candied pecans and lemon basil vinaigrette - $5.99), and I ordered the arugula (baby arugula with roasted pears, red onion, walnuts, parmiggiano reggiano and raspberry vinaigrette - $6.49). Both salads were delicious, but I wish I had asked for a bit more vinaigrette, because it simply didn’t stand out. The onions were certainly “powerful”.
The entrees all seemed to be calling my name and I was in a quandary as to what I would order. I thought about the ravioli saltimbocca (veal and sage ravioli sautéed with shitake mushrooms, proscuitto and asparagus - $15.99), or maybe cioppino (rustic Italian stew including shrimp, scallops, squid, fish and garbanzo beans in a rich tomato broth - $19.99).
Of course there were several specials of the day including a Kobe steak topped with scallops, but I finally decided on one of the other specials, Lobster Ravioli ($20.99). The raviolis were very large, topped with pieces of tomato and other ingredients. It was so delicious. Wayne decided on the same entree. He thoroughly enjoyed it. I brought about half of mine home and had it for lunch on Monday.
From past experience we knew the desserts would be enticing. In addition to the menu featuring Chocolate Molten Cake, there were a couple of specials of the day. Wayne ordered the homemade ice cream, which was White Chocolate Cherry, while I ordered the Chocolate Creme Brulee. Both desserts were priced at $5 – and delicious!
Cafe Roma is also open for lunch featuring Antipastis such as Bruschetta, Pita Pizza, Caprese and Crab Cakes (priced from $5.50 to $10). They also offer an array of salads – and even a combo with your choice of two items (1/2 sandwich, ½ salad, cup of soup) for only $6.50. There are also plenty of pastas and panini sandwiches served during lunch.
If you haven’t been to Cafe Roma, you are really missing an evening of fine dining. It’s definitely worth the trip to Cleveland. The only problem we had was that the service on this particular night was a bit slow. After our entrees were delivered by someone from the kitchen, we were almost finished before our server came by to see if we needed anything. I felt as though we had become almost invisible.
Hours for Cafe Roma are Monday through Friday for lunch from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. and for dinner from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. They do not open for lunch on Saturday, but open at 5 p.m. for dinner; and, they are open only for lunch on Sunday from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m.
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