wellington table
Delicious, Authentic Food At Newly Expanded Romeo’s Italian Cuisine Story by Chris Felker • Photos by Abner Pedraza
Romeo’s Italian Cuisine in the Wellington Marketplace will soon be offering its taste-tempting delights in a much larger space. Owner Tony Manglaviti is expanding Romeo’s into two adjacent bays, tripling his space. He expects the additional space to open sometime this month. Manglaviti opened the restaurant in a cozy corner of the shopping plaza back when he was 28. Now 36, Manglaviti and his staff of about two dozen have obviously been doing it right over the years, because Romeo’s is the top-ranked Wellington eatery on TripAdvisor.com. The extensive offerings on the diverse menu feature Italian names used for the groupings and individual dishes with descriptions in English below. Diners will find a wide variety of not only what are commonly thought of as “classic Italian” dishes such as lasagna and ziti, but also exotic pasta and vegetable combinations with chicken, seafood and certified Angus beef. There are nearly a dozen items on the antipasti (hors d’oeuvres) list, another half-dozen insalate e zuppe (salads and soups) and two full pages of pollo e vitello (chicken and veal), pesce (fish), bistecca (steak), contorni (vegetables and salads) and pasta dishes to choose from. And that doesn’t include the many mouth-watering combinations of New Yorkstyle pizza on the menu. A full lunch menu includes
Funghi Ripieni di Granchio
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stromboli, calzone, specialty paninis and more. There’s also a good selection of beer and wine. We started with a few appetizers. Funghi Ripieni di Granchio — jumbo lump crab-stuffed mushrooms with a baked herb crust and roasted garlic sauce drizzle — was simply delicious, with a light sauce perfect to complement the steaming hot hors d’oeuvre. Tonno a Torre featured fresh ahi-grade tuna, drenched in soy sauce with fresh ginger, avocado and green onion, tickling the taste buds with its wonderful texture and tangy taste. Finally, Carpaccio Di Carne — cured Angus beef, thinly sliced, served with field greens, capers, mustard aioli sauce and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese — was out of this world, melting in the mouth and setting the stage for the main courses. Head waiter Roberto Olivieri appeared bearing two enticing entrees. The Sea Bass Oreganata featured a thick cut of Chilean sea bass topped with homemade oreganata panko, in a light lemon sauce, served with sautéed Brussels sprouts and pancetta. This dish featured fabulously flaky sea bass, which was absolutely scrumptious with the crunchy Brussels sprouts, bacon and vegetables. “Our Sea Bass Oreganata, many people say, is the best ever in Florida,” Olivieri said before also offering up Romeo’s Linguini Allo Scoglio, which features pasta with mussels, clams, shrimp, cala-
Sea Bass Oreganata