Veal parm is one of the hallmarks in Italian-American cooking, and some restaurant chefs do a fair job of putting it together while others merely go through the motions. At the new Roma (aka Roma Café), chef Anders Tallberg has it down just right. It doesn’t sit in an overflowing pool of marinara or rendered limp plastered with gooey mozzarella.
What you get is a breaded veal cutlet—pan fried until crisp– that remains intact and crunchy by the time it is plated. And the very fine marinara tastes homemade, which it is. That and a judicious sheath of melted mozzarella creates a dish that is thoroughly pleasing; Served with quickly sauteed local spinach and a judicious helping of spaghetti the whole doesn’t leave you stuffed beyond repair.
Beautifully done veal parm with spaghetti and sauteed spinach
That goes for the meatballs and spaghetti, too, which my dinner mate thoroughly enjoyed. The meatballs are gossamer light and beautifully sauced with the kitchen’s rich marinara. Our mistake was to have too many filling first courses.
Classic spaghetti and meatballs
This was the third time that I’ve been to Roma, the last two times were when they first opened. I don’t know why I stayed away so long because Tallberg has found his niche here. When he was the chef and co-owner of Roustabout, which closed unceremoniously last year, his kitchen was slow and plodding, though the food was good.
The meal begins with a complimentary plate of pickled vegetables and the kitchen’s homemade bread with excellent, peppery olive oil.
Ppickled vegetables; clams casino and liver mousse crostini agradolce with vinegar peppers
The chicken liver mousse on crostini is a whopping plateful, one that could have been shared by two people. (I went solo on it because it was so good.) The clams casino should have been served with larger clams on the half shell but were still tasty with its widget of bread crumbs, butter, clams and bacon.
You enter into a nice vestibule with the bar and seque to the dining room; the rear dining room (not shown) is for private parties
The room could be a wonderful space except for some decorative restraint that leaves it drab. I wouldn’t want a do over by the likes of a Carlton Varney, but it needs some brightening. The black drapery on the big bay windows overlooking the street is funereal. The lighting is hard, too. Still these are minor points and doesn’t detract from having a fine dinner here.
The Roma, 767 Congress St., Portland, ME 207-761-1611 www.romaportland.com
Rating: Welll prepared Italian-American classics such as chicken or veal marsala, piccata, milanese shrimp scampi, and classic pasta dishes
Service: Excellent
Tables: Spacious
$$$: Surprisingly moderate
Parking: Behind the building, accommodating about 12 cars
