Romeo's Cafe

Romeo's Cafe is known for offering a romantic Italian dinner in a cozy atmosphere. The concept is cute -- there's no menu, and instead Romeo emerges from the kitchen at the beginning of the meal to ask your likes and dislikes and then proceeds to send out 6 courses (for dinner).

cJ's first visit was last night. The restaurant itself is an unassuming little spot on Coral Way, but once you get past the little gate it has a tiny romantic terrace area just outside to begin setting the mood. Inside, it's all wood paneling and marbling, in an intimate setting. The tables may be a little too closely set in order to fit every one in (we listened to the people at the next table a little) but it's generally very pleasant.

When Romeo came out, we told him we eat everything to give him maximum flexibility. We began with a salmon carpaccio and moved into a series of other dishes, mostly seafood. The most unusual dish was a risotto with a prawn and other seafood flavored with coconut milk and a Brazilian spice whose name I didn't catch... had a bit of a kick accompanied by the more subtle undertones of coconut milk. The most pedestrian dish was the filled pasta which while well flavored was not very inspired. The meat course, the duck, tasted good but was a little dry unfortunatley (I love duck). Dessert, fitting the Valentine's Day theme, was a chocolate souffle decorated with a pink heart, which was light and tasty.

With no choices of food however you may find yourself looking enviously at other tables as they get served things you wish you had -- such as the agnolotti with pears and ricotta served at the next table while we had the heart-shaped ravioli. If you go you should definitely provide Romeo guidance if you want to. On our next visit, I would tell him whatever I was and wasn't in the mood for that night.

For those who care about wine, the wine list is short and sweet. We brought our own wine, obtained on our honeymoon to the wine region of South Africa and aged not-so-carefully in our home over the past few years, and paid the $25 corkage.

Overall -- blown away we weren't. But for a romantic, unusual evening out, Romeo's Cafe fits the bill.

Romeo's Cafe, 2257 SW 22nd St (Coral Way), Miami, FL 33145, 305.859.2228