Wednesday, December 30, 2009

An Ode to Trattoria Roma in Grandview

Words cannot begin to describe how much I love Trattoria Roma in Grandview, Ohio.

If I had to use one word: Delicious. But that only describes their food. Their service is also impeccable, both on the restaurant side and at the bar. Their servers are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. The management is amenable and responsive, and their kitchen is always ready to offer inventive specials to complement their already expansive menu. (The owners are Shawn Mason and Keith Dunn, and their Chef is Matthew Prokopchek.) In short, this restaurant rocks! Please try it.

I know it's such a standard dish, but I can't stop singing the praises of their lasagna. In my humble opinion, it is the best lasagna in Columbus. (And no, I haven't tried the lasagna in every other restaurant; I simply can't imagine a lasagna being prepared any better.)

The menu description gives little hint of the joy this dish will bring to your taste buds:
Meat, three-cheese, spinach lasagne served with a slow cooked marinara sauce.
I guess if there's one thing they need to work on, it's their menu descriptions.

Anyway, their pasta is fresh and made in house (of course.) Their marinara is a tomato-lovers delight, not too sweet or salty, and not too spicy. It's just warm tomato goodness. They include a layer of spinach in their lasagna, which adds a surprising texture of leafy substantialness—and I think it might help the dish hold together, which makes a wonderful presentation. The three cheeses blend together in a melodious, creamy symphony of melted delight, and the meat (a mixture of beef and pork, I believe) is in just the right proportion to neither dominate the dish but also not get lost in the other flavors.

The portion size is more than enough to share with a friend. The picture below actually shows a half portion, and I was stuffed by the time I sopped up the last bit of marinara with their garlic toast (which, for what it's worth, is the one thing I think could be improved upon).




So. Good. 

If you're in the Grandview area, I strongly suggest you try Trattoria Roma on Grandview Avenue. All of their menu items are superb, they offer a wide selection of reasonably prices wines, and their service is friendly and warm. 

And no, I'm receiving no money for my resounding endorsement of this gem of an Italian restaurant. :-o

Ciao!

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