A Roma in Houston
There are few cuisines as universally loved as Italian. It comes in a multitude of variations based around a few simple ingredients, and appeals to carnivores and vegetarians alike. As in any country, there are regional variations that have a distinguish style. The new Roma Italian Trattoria focuses on the northern Italian region, a departure from the owners former successful restaurant in the same location, Sud Italia, a southern Italian experience.
Owner Shanon Scott wanted to change the menu, and name, to reflect the tastes and traditions of Rome, Milan, and the Tuscany region. “I wanted to create a casual Italian dining experience for Houstonians,” says Shanon, “and the natural inspiration for that was Rome’s wonderful trattorias.” The name of the restaurant was inspired from the the capital city of Rome, which is pronounced as “ROH-mah” in Italian.
LCAHouston was invited to sample the new menu and see the newly renovated bungalow in Rice Village, inspired by Shanon and his wife Wende’s travels to Italy, especially their fond memories of dining in Rome’s renowned trattorias. The restaurant serves a new menu featuring the trinity of iconic Roman pastas: carbonara, cacio e pepe (prepared tableside), and amatriciana. Other Roman classics like saltimbocca and griddle-fired are complemented by pan-Italian favorites, like cotoletta alla milanese, osso buco, and pasta alla norma. Roman-style deep-dish pizza, with rotating traditional and creative toppings is also available making the menu more approachable for diverse Houstonians.
“I wanted to create a casual Italian dining experience for Houstonians,” says Shanon, “and the natural inspiration for that was Rome’s wonderful trattorias.”
“We’ve created a menu centered around the Roman classics like the spaghetti trinity — carbonara, amatricana, and cacio e pepe — and deep-dish pizza, which most people think comes from Sicily but actually comes from the Eternal City.”
Our favorite dish by far was the octopus. We’ve sampled this delicacy around the world, but the sous-vide technique employed by Roma makes this the absolute best we’ve ever had. The slow immersive cooking allows for the infusion of flavor without making the octopus tough. Another wonderful dish we tried was the ravioli infused with truffle. Very aromatic and delicious. The portion sizes will definitely appeal to Texans who demand more bang for their buck. We had our eye on the Milanese osso buco and the Venetian seafood risottos, but it was hard enough to finish what we had ordered. A good reason to visit Roma again, and soon!
Photos By Sandeep Khandelwal
