“Buona Sera” Roma Italian Restaurant

This is both one of my most exciting reviews, and most dreaded. I love Italy. For a brief time in my history, it was my home away from home, and my standards may create a higher expectation. So I will continue with the review, but please keep my perspective in mind.

Let’s get this out of the way up front – the food was incredible. Now let’s move on and tell the story.

We arrived for the first time and parked on Main Street with the truck facing the restaurant. We weren’t sure if it was even still open. I remembered seeing more signage a month or so ago bicycling past, and now the place looks kind of closed. The front door has zero signage and there is no light slipping through the windows at dusk… “Oh no… it didn’t shut down before we even got to try it?” I exclaimed.

I decided to walk up the the arch and take a photo with the small sign and then I could see the side door, toward the rear of the building had an “OPEN” neon sign. It’s a go.

We walked through the outdoor patio, and even though it was New Year’s weekend and we weren’t expecting to sit outside… it added to the feel that this place may be closing its doors. My anticipation was beginning to wane before I even got inside. I opened the door and gestured my Son and Wife inside.

Inside was like stepping into OZ or New York, New York in Las Vegas… a completely different vibe was waiting on the other side of the entrance door. A complete team of staff was arranged at the entrance.

She was not impressed.

She guided us past multiple full tables of happy patrons and wonderful plates — and the aroma. I was in heaven. The atmosphere inside is high-end. Truth is, I was wondering if we should have made reservations and dressed more appropriately for a nicer meal. The decor here is wonderful. There is a richness in the wall art, the bar, and even on the gimmicky side… the large screen playing the fireplace video.

The table we received was not a great choice for me. It was a triple-set-up with an edge of the table up against the wall. With Haydon and Heidi taking “side” chairs, I was looking directly at a wall three feet in front of me. There were other tables and while I was tempted to ask for a move… I reminded myself that we did not have a reservation and were seated instantly in a restaurant that was obviously doing good business.

This had me wondering… Where are all these people parked?

In just one minute, I went from “Is this place open?” to “This place is amazing!”. It wasn’t just me. Haydon and Heidi were also impressed with the surroundings. The table directly behind me had a family eating and they had a couple of children in tow. This is not a complaint… their kids were great. The little girl with them would say incredibly complimentary things about her food in the most angelic tone.

Within what seemed just a couple of heartbeats, Kevin was at the table welcoming us and asking what drinks he could get. We ordered a drink for Haydon and a bottle of Josh Merlot for the adults. Then we spilled our guts to Kevin. “This is our first visit here… what can you recommend that you personally like?” He responded by naming two of the highest-priced items on the list. Soon he was back at the table opening our wine, and taking our order.

Haydon went with the Chicken Piccata, Heidi the Shrimp fra Diavolo, and I went with the Tour of Italy for Lasagna, Chicken Parmesan, and Fettuccini Alfredo. While we were waiting for the meals, Kevin bounced back with a bread basket of warm rolls.

No Lie… we were having a blast.

The food came pretty quickly and was freshly prepared. I was super-impressed with the food and its presentation. All three plates looked the part. The pasta was not overcooked but delivered piping hot. This is hard to get right in mass-serving environments. My Fettuccini had chunks of fresh minced garlic in it, but was in no way overpowering. The Chicken Parmesan had a crispy coating and was not mushy at all. 80% of the chicken was dang near perfect, then on the thicker end of the chicken… the consistency was off a hair. The flavor was spot on – but it was like grilling a frozen Chicken breast from Sam’s Club and getting that tough spot in the breast. It was not a deal breaker but stood out against what was otherwise a perfect example of Chicken Parmesan.

My only complaint about the Lasagna was the lack of it. I received a very modest piece of lasagna and it was delectable… it had what seemed like homemade pasta, meat sauce and cheese in near-perfect proportion. I was impressed.

Heidi’s fra Diavolo was also delicious. I even got to have a bite of it. Yummy. The shrimp was fully cooked but not gummy. It still had a crispness to it and the pasta, like my fettuccini was prepared to a wonderful consistency. It was cooked just beyond Al dente, but not mushy. The sauce if I were honest, could have been a little more “Diavolo”… but my family prefers more spice than the average Kansas native.

The Critique

Here comes the hard part. I feel like the atmosphere, food, and price at Romas Italian Restaurant is so high-level for Hutchinson that they open themselves up to a higher level of criticism. My hope is that these following words are accepted in the spirit they are offered. Romas is so close and has so much potential to be special.

The Arrival… and During

Remember when I said the staff was at the door? It was as if they were assembled at the door to have a staff meeting before the rush… thing is… they stayed there. It was distracting to see a gaggle of staff lined up just inside the entrance staring out over the tables.

A Bar is Not a Bar

There is a bar in the middle of the restaurant, and while it is appointed like a bar… is not a bar. It seems out of place. My gut was that the bar would make a good staging area and huddle space for some of the staff to get them away from the doorway. What we did notice on the bar was a cleaning fluid spray bottle with a dirty rag draped over it. It lived there the whole time were there. Diners want a clean area to eat in, but don’t want to eat with the cleaning supplies.

Table Cloth

I thought the table cloth felt odd when we sat down. It was like a soft vinyl. It wasn’t until the table behind us vacated that it all came together for me. The server cleaned the dishes from the table, then SPRAYED the table and wiped everything onto the floor. Then they reset the table for the next family.

That Poor Floor

When the server cleaned the table just behind us, she wiped the table to the floor. Remember who was at that table? Kids. Now the floor is covered in bread, pasta, cheese, etc and the staff is walking through it to set the table. Then to my and Heidi’s horror… they walked the new patrons (with a reservation) to their assigned table. As they sat the couple at the damp table in a pile of waste food, it became apparent that they were still waiting on the rest of their party.

We looked forward and we couldn’t help but notice pasta and straw wrappers flinging off the server’s feet two tables away. This mess was quickly spreading through the dining area and diminishing the uptown feel.

Out of Butter?!?!

When Kevin brought the warm rolls to the table, he placed the basket down and then apologized “Here is your bread, but I am sorry… we ran out of butter.”

Me: No worries, Kevin. Do you guys have seasoned oil to dip in?

Kevin: What?

Me: Do you have Olive Oil?

Kevin brought us some olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and we created our own seasoned oil dipping sauce to go with the bread. Heidi works at Dillons so she was immediately like “Did he really just say they ran out of butter?”

Truth is we didn’t order bread and weren’t front of mind about it. Romas could have elected to stop bringing the bread. The bread is warm and coated with a seasoning, so they could just drop the bread and not mention the butter. They could invite me back to share a seasoned oil dipping sauce recipe and presentation process for the servers.

Bottle Service

When Kevin brought the wine, he placed the glasses, kind of showed the bottle then went right into opening it… then he plunked it on the table and walked away. I was kind of shocked as I poured my wife’s glass first. Later I watched another table get the same service at another table. We are new here, so maybe that is a Kansas thing? We are going to have to have a date night in Wichita to see how bottle service goes there.

Missing Essential with Dessert

We devoured our dinner and were excited to see what the dessert would hold. “Do they have mascarpone?” “I’m going to get Creme Brulee if they have it”… they don’t. They do have a few indulgences that are still worth your consideration. One is the Lemoncello.

No… not the drink. The cake. It was great. So what is the missing essential… LEMONCELLO. In fact, we went to Egbert Liquor Store directly after leaving the restaurant to scratch that itch.

Summary

We loved it and can’t wait to go back. The overall look, feel, smell, and vibe of the restaurant are great. Kevin was very personable and communicative. The food both presented well and tasted divine.

My heartbreak is that it is so close to being extraordinary:

• Teach the staff a few phrases – Buongiorno, Sto bene oggi, ciao, Buona sera
• Go with cloth on the table, wrap it up, and replace it between guests
• Have staff keep the floor clean without intruding on the patron’s experience
• Teach servers the bottle service process
• Break up the mob of black shirts at the door
• Make the front and outside more welcoming (even on cold days)
• Olive Oil Dipping for bread – so yummy (salt, pepper, herbs)
• Be willing to send someone to the store (out of butter?)

Out of all my reviews so far, this one seems the most harsh or makes more suggestions. Please keep in mind, that this is by far the most expensive restaurant we have visited in town yet. So the expectations are higher, and while I seem nit-picky… improvement on these items would put this establishment in a tier that would be very special for our community.

Kurt