Each week, the Shreveport-Bossier Journal’s always hungry reporter visits a different restaurant and tells you about the experience.
By ANON E. MUSS, Journal Services
Back in the day — way back in the day — Shreveport-Bossier was home to two iconic Italian restaurants: Brocato’s and Sansone’s. To give you an idea of how Italian they were, Sansone’s manager was Vito Cefalu, and Joe Brocato was from Sicily.
Frankly, no longer do we have what I would call true Italian restaurants. But on a recent Wednesday night, a friend and I had a taste for Italian food. So it seemed fitting we give a restaurant with the word “Italian” in its name — Roma Italian Bistro (8905 Mansfield Road, Shreveport) — a try.
Before we get inside the restaurant, I need to tell you about getting to the restaurant, as the address is only so much help. Off Mansfield Road, you have to turn where you see the restaurant’s banner. If you’re heading south on Mansfield Road, that means you will need to make a U-Turn after you pass Roma. Then, you have to follow the “road” which takes you behind another building. Eventually, you will get to Roma’s parking lot.
We walked in at 6:50, and made the short walk down a hallway to where a gentleman was waiting to seat us. He asked if we preferred a table or a booth. We did not have a preference, and he took us to a booth in one of the restaurant’s two dining rooms.
This particular room had a bar and three televisions — two big screens hanging over either side of the bar, and one smaller TV hanging in the middle of the bar.
If you’re expecting to feel like you’re in Italy, Roma isn’t your place. The walls are gray (paint had come off part of the wall which we were sitting against), the floor is black and white checkerboard, and the recorded music was anything but Italian.
When you think Italian, don’t you think red, like red and white checkered table cloths? I didn’t see anything red.
The closest we felt to being in Italy was when our waiter spoke. Roberto isn’t from Italy, but from Albania. He referred to the southeast European country as being “next door” to Italy. Hey, that’s close enough for me. There was a slight communication barrier, but Roberto was extremely friendly, knowledgeable of what was on the menu, and treated us right throughout our meal.
Not long after we sat down, Roberto brought us a basket with three big rolls. He also brought a saucer with olive oil, garlic, basil, and parmesan cheese mixed together. The rolls were barely warm, but tasted good when dipped in the mix.
Upon opening the menu, we discovered we would have a hard time choosing what to eat. There were 13 “House Specialty Pastas”, 12 “Chicken Entrees”, and seven “Veal Entrees”. There are eight pizza choices (sizes from 12 to 18 inches), and several other entrees which don’t fall into a particular category. But know this — even if you get something like a chicken or crawfish dish, it will be prepared Italian-style.
From nine appetizer choices, we chose Stuffed Mushrooms ($11.99). This was my least favorite thing we ate. There were five or six small mushrooms, and the stuffing fit the mushroom’s size. They were served on a plate covered in a pink/red sauce, which is not my favorite. There was something else on the plate — small cubes of we didn’t know what. They tasted like cheese. I asked Roberto, and he said he thought it was some kind of seafood.
If I’m going to an Italian-themed restaurant, I am going to eat something Italian. All these years later, I still remember Brocato’s Veal Parmesan. I can close my eyes and see the thick, deep red sauce covering the veal and the pasta. How would Roma’s Veal Parmigiana ($16.99) compare? I was about to find out.
No matter what my friend’s taste buds want, she hardly passes up an opportunity to have Salmon. Remember I said most everything at Roma is cooked Italian-style? The menu described Roma’s Grilled Salmon ($20.99) as being cooked in mushrooms, zucchini, Broccoli, mixed bell peppers, and Red Onion, and sauteed in extra virgin olive oil and fresh garlic.
It didn’t take too long for us to get our meal, but long enough that we felt each dish would be cooked correctly. We were right. While my Veal Parmigiana didn’t quite look and taste like Brocato’s version, it was good. The veal (there was one-and-a-half pieces) was warm, nicely breaded, and topped with melted mozzarella cheese.
The spaghetti (not as warm as the veal) wasn’t a large portion, but it was enough. I asked that the marinera sauce be served on the side, and it was. The sauce was on the thin as opposed to thick, but had good taste.
My friend’s salmon presentation was excellent. A big piece of fish sat on top of a bed of all of the above-promised vegetables. She said while the salmon was good, it tasted “a little fishy”. She raved about the vegetables — and was still talking about them two days later.
After our meal, when Roberto asked if we would like dessert, we thought about it and decided “Yes”. Again, we had choices to make, as the offering swere three types of cheesecake, a lemon cake, Tiramisu, a Cannoli, and a Chocolate Mousse Cake.
My friend, who is way smarter than me, had the foresight to ask Roberto if everything was made in-house. He said the only dessert made at the restaurant was the Cannoli.
I remember going to New Orleans as a child and getting a Cannoli from Angelo Brocato in the French Quarter. That crunchy, tube-shaped fried pastry dough, the half vanilla, half chocolate filling, powdered sugar on top. (My waist just grew an inch while writing.)
Surely a Cannoli ($6.99) from Roma Italian Bistro in Shreveport could not come close to the Cannoli’s I remember.
I was wrong.
Thinking Roma’s Cannoli’s would not be very big, my friend and ordered one each. Turns out, we could have split one. And when I say they looked outstanding, I am serious. Each Cannoli had plenty of filling, was topped with chocolate drizzle, and of course, powered sugar.
And the Cannoli’s tasted every bit as good as they looked. They are worth a visit to Roma, even if that’s the only thing you order.
The cost of our meal before taxes and tip was $61.95, which seemed reasonable for the food and service we received. I am giving Roma Italian Bistro Three Forks. I would return, but not go out of my way. But that could change, if the restaurant received an uplifting, Italian-looking makeover (starting with the music).
If you’re looking for Italian food like we had in the old days, Roma isn’t your place. But if you’re looking for a casual, middle-of-the-road Italian taste, there’s nothing wrong with a visit to Roma. It’s a lot cheaper than going to Rome.
Is there a restaurant you would like the Journal to visit?
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1 Fork: Would rather eat a box of dirt
2 Forks: Will return, but only if someone else is buying
3 Forks: Will return and look forward to it
4 Forks: Will return and go out of my way to do so
