Dining: Romeo's

The revamped Romeo's isn't flashy but it'll woo you

By Dale Rice
American-Statesman Restaurant Critic
Web posted: Nov. 23, 2005

Photos by Amber Novak for AA-S You can enjoy the shrimp Romeo, which has linguine with artichoke hearts, mushrooms and spinach in a tomato cream sauce, year-round on the patio. ROMEO'S 1500 Barton Springs Road (512) 476-1090 Hours: 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays-Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays Credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover Wheelchair access: Yes Wine: 120 by the glass ($5-$10), 80 by the bottle ($20-$92) Rating:

An array of desserts were made in-house, a burden that many restaurants jettison in favor of frozen confections from an outside purveyor.

Broadway show tunes and other popular songs of decades past rolled off the fingers of the pianist, providing a piano-bar atmosphere found only in upscale restaurants, such as Truluck's at the Arboretum.

Could this be the Romeo's of old?

Or was something happening at this Barton Springs Road restaurant, where I had set out to write an "On the Side" review, a category set aside for casual dining?

One of the most important criteria for categorizing eateries is a restaurant's aspiration, what it is trying to be. And, after a meal's worth of observation, Romeo's appeared to be a restaurant that was aiming to be more than a casual eatery.

"You couldn't have said it any better," said Bernard Brozek, one of the restaurant's new co-owners, who purchased Romeo's nearly a year ago. "We're really aspiring to be fine dining."

But that comes with a caveat, Brozek said. The restaurant will never charge as much as the vast majority of fine-dining eateries in Central Texas. "We don't want to get that high in price," he said. "We aspire to be fine dining, yet keeping the pocketbook in mind, where people feel comfortable coming in here and where they can keep coming back."

After taking over last December, Brozek, whose background includes 20 years with Pepsico Foods, and his partner, Tara Riley, who was with McDonald's, moved quickly to address service and ambience issues.

The first addition was the piano.

"When we bought the restaurant, we bought the piano the next day," Brozek said. "We tried it for one night and now it's seven nights a week."

The new owners also added free valet parking Thursdays through Sundays, and opened the patio daily, year-round.

Ultimately, though, it was service that received the most attention. With their backgrounds in the service-oriented, fast-food industry, they instituted an extensive training program, including a three-page test on the food. "It's miserable," Brozek said, chuckling. But, he added, a higher level of service leads to better tips for the staff.

In terms of the food, Brozek said, they made only a few adjustments to recipes. Instead, they concentrated on consistency and the quality of the ingredients.

The result is a moderately priced menu — emphasizing appetizers, pizza, pasta and seafood — that is a perfect example of what a two-star restaurant is. Across the board, the fare is favorable, with not a single complaint about the preparation or the delivery. This is food without a creative bent or an artistic presentation; it is simple and hearty, with traditional dishes prepared as they should be.

The grilled ravioli ($10.99) offered large squares of meat-stuffed pasta that had been lightly grilled and placed around the edge of the plate, with all the marinara sauce in the center. Even with the double cooking, the pasta was delightful al dente.

The shrimp Romeo ($14.99) combined linguine with artichoke hearts, bell peppers, mushrooms, spinach and onions in a tomato cream sauce crowned with tasty Parmesan-grilled shrimp.

An appetizer, the stuffed mushroom caps ($8.99) were covered with mounds of shrimp-cheese stuffing and baked in a tomato-basil cream sauce.

The dinner-plate-size meatball and sausage pizza ($10.99) was delicious. The crust, dark on the bottom and golden on top from the wood-fired oven, was a soft and chewy version full of flavor. It was generously topped with sliced sausage, meatballs, meat sauce and smoked mozzarella cheese.

For dessert, the cannoli ($4.95) featured a crisp pastry shell overflowing with a sweetened cheese filling graced with chocolate chips and fruit, while the triple chocolate cake ($4.95) was a dense, rich slab of chocolate lightened with a side of crème fraiche drizzled with raspberry sauce.

The effort required to make those desserts underscores the attitude at Romeo's. It's aiming high — and succeeding.