Romeo Romeo

Ratings Guide:
Half handshake, half chest-bump hug – 5 stars
Chest bump – 4 stars
Fist bump – 3 stars
High five – 2 stars
Handshake – 1 star
Fone and fone – 0 stars
Manly ass slap – ½ star



Restaurant: Romeo Romeo
Location: 1415 N. Milwaukee


Romeo Romeo is the Sammy Sosa of restaurants. More specifically, the 1998 Sammy Sosa. See, in ’98 Sammy Sosa struck out 171 times. Now, if you told me, or any baseball fan, that a player struck out 171 times, you’d dismiss the player as no good and would pray he wasn’t on your team. But, if that same player also hit 66 dongs, batted in 158 runs, batted just north of .300, had an OPS of 1.024, lead his team to the playoffs, AND won the MVP award, well, then you’d probably change your tune a little bit. Suddenly you’d be praying he was playing right field and batting 4th every day.

And that’s Romeo Romeo. With every at bat, they try to hit it out of the park. They’re swinging big. While you’re going to find the traditional Italian dishes you’re used to, you’re going to find them with a little twist. Sometimes that twist is a steroid or corked bat driven 600 foot home run that bangs off the scoreboard in center field, and other times it’s a big cut that tweaks your back and keeps you out of the lineup for a couple of weeks.

But you know what, at the end of the day I’m glad I got that guy on my team, swinging away. At least they don’t strike out looking.

I started out with a lobster bisque soup, the soup de jour, if you will. But we weren’t in a French restaurant, so I guess it was more the soup del giorno. The twist was that it was topped off with a little bit of foam, kind of like a cappuccino. Strike out.

Next, we got the caprese, or the inflated caprese, or something like that. It was buffalo mozzarella with a tomato, some olive oil, and a little bit of seasoned love. Onto Waveland, with a big Sammy-hop on the way to first base. In fact, this didn’t just clear the True-Link fence, this hit the apartment building across the street, almost killing a street juggler with candy in his pocket performing for a group of kids waiting to catch a home run. My wife said that next time we go, this is what she’d order for dinner. People at the table were fighting for it like Sammy’s 62nd.

For dinner, my wife ordered the chicken parmesan. Fouled a couple off, then eventually squeaked a Texas leaguer into right field. It’s a single in the books, but not the most exciting way to get on base.

Now me, I asked for the waitress’ recommendation, and she said she’d go with the lasagna, which was made with smoked chicken. And not only that, it was served with two sauces. One side of the plate was a marinara sauce, and the other side was an alfredo sauce. It might be, it could be, it is! A home run! Sammy Sosa almost hit the cameraman in center field! Wow, he really got a hold of that ball! This dish was amazing. If you go there and you’re in the mood for pasta, please, please, please consider this one.

Another friend of ours ordered the salmon. Another K. The pesto mashed potatoes allowed the dish to foul a couple off, but in the end, Sammy couldn’t lay off the off-speed pitch low and away. But, with a little nod and a small complaint to the waitress, the chef made his way out, apologized, and cooked up a little sea bass as an apology (which was nicely seasoned and a decent dish if you’re in the mood for fish).

In the end, Romeo Romeo was 3-5, with two home runs and two strikeouts. Not to mention the server was extremely patient, the chef made a special trip to the table, and the place had that great feel of a neighborhood joint that you could pop into anytime. Entrees go from $17-$25, and I think, with drinks, it ended up being about $40 a person (and I’m not sure why I said “I think”, because I know how much it was).

Romeo Romeo been very, very good to me. Fist bump with a manly ass slap.