Restaurant Review: Trattoria Roma in Columbus, Ohio

Trattoria Roma on chic Grandview Avenue in Columbus, Ohio is one of the most underrated Italian restaurants in the city. Although Trattoria Roma is a very small place with cramped outside dining tables, if you can get over your claustrophobia, you'll be rewarded with one of the best meals and wine selections available in town, as well as excellent service from professionals who know their wines and understand how to guide customers through some of the more unique dishes on the menu. I have been to Trattoria Roma on Grandview Avenue in Columbus, Ohio more than twice a month in any given month, and it is almost always consistent and, with the exception of one night of undercooked pasta and overcooked chicken (both on the same night, mind you) I always know going to Trattoria Roma in Columbus, Ohio is going to be a treat.

The owners of Trattoria Roma in Columbus, Ohio are generally always available and you usually feel right at home, despite the fact that it is not necessarily a casual restaurant. While you don't really want to wear jeans and a tee-shirt, this is one of those places it's fun to look nice to go to and where you won't feel like you're being treated badly if you don't. In the summer and spring when the tables are out front is when I suggest first going to Trattoria Roma, since it's great to watch Grandview Avenue, even if you are at the tail end of where all the action is. The decor of Trattoria Roma is unlike many other Italian restaurants in Columbus, Ohio and has a distinguished maroon and black theme with local touches and pictures of the owners and old Italian families from the area. Despite the fact that it's small, the decorators of Trattoria Roma took a risk by making it ark inside, which I think makes it appear a little smaller than it actually is. Nonetheless, it is a very warm feeling and this coloring makes it nice to sit inside and sip wine on a winter night. This also leads me to recall that I have never, unlike at some other Columbus, Ohio restaurants, felt rushed or as though they needed my table turned over-a rarity in a place so small with so few tables and so many who wish to sit, especially on the weekends.

When I'm at Trattoria Roma on Grandview Avenue in Columbus, Ohio, I always want to make myself try something new, but I can't help getting the same dishes over and over because I enjoy them so much. A typical dinner for my wife and I is the following. We start with an appetizer of the Torta di Granchio, which are the tastiest crab cakes I've had anywhere, topping even those I've had on the East Coast. They are served with a light mustard sauce that looks awful and isn't delicious on its own, but which simply highlights this appetizer at Trattoria Roma. For dinner, perhaps my favorite dish in all of Columbus, Ohio, in fact, I get the Rotolo di Pasta, which does not sound like much, but I swear, the parmesan and cream sauce is to die for. I am also a spinach lover and this dish at Trattoria Roma, which is, by the way, probably one of the best vegetarian dishes available in town, makes me happy. It's as simple as that. When I get it, it never looks like it's going to be enough but it is very filling, especially with a glass of Riesling, which probably shouldn't go with it, but I crave it with this dish.

Although we tend to eat rather late, Trattoria Roma in Columbus, Ohio gets a great deal of business between 4 and 6 p.m. when they have their special 2 for $20. In short, you get two of their entrees for $20, which is a great deal, especially considering how much these meals are after these hours. It can be difficult to get a table and reservations might not be a bad idea if it's a Friday or Saturday night. We have, luckily, never had to make them but instead, put our names in and walk down to Caribou Coffee for an espresso before dinner-always a nice idea. If wine is not your thing, ending your meal with a desert is never difficult but it seems like all the desserts at Trattoria Roma are far too rich, especially after a rich meal. We have ordered dessert before but can never finish and instead, generally end with a bottle of wine. The servers at Trattoria Roma are great at suggesting new wines you haven't tried and if you're interested, Trattoria Roma has wine tasting events periodically but you'll need to call or check online for when these are held. This is a gem in Grandview and one of the best restaurants in Columbus, Ohio as far as I'm concerned.