Joe Rombi's Restaurant -La Mia Cucina
208 17th, Pacific Grove, CA. Phone: 831-373-2416
Email: JRombi@aol.com
Had we not known where the restaurant was, we would probably have walked past it. Joe Rombi's is located in a small building on what is essentially a side street in Pacific Grove. While a well traveled street, and near the center of town the restaurant was unknown to our host at the Inn where we stayed that night. That was a bit disconcerting as the restaurant was within walking distance from the Inn.
Be that as it may, we easily found the restaurant, and were greeted by Mr. Rombi himself. He is a genial host and one who maintains his enthusiasm for his restaurant throughout the evening. He opens doors for all who leave after dining, and is very involved in all of the restaurant activities.
The decor of Joe
Rombi's is very nice.
The tables are placed to provide easy seating, are set perfectly and allow one
to hear the buzz of the restaurant without being annoyed. 
The menu is simple, authentic in many ways, and yet curiously California
Italian, or American Italian in others. For some reason the menu is written in a sort of pidgin Italian
where English and Italian are mixed in the same item, such as Soup de
Giorno. At times the Italian is incorrectly spelled or parsed.
These were minor points however, and as we prepared to dine were immediately forgotten by the bruschetta brought to the table. It was a simple preparation of this classic bread appetizer, and was made with a little olive oil on the bread, chopped tomatoes and a bit of basil. Immediately after this, our waitress brought a plate of focaccia. This was hot and once dipped in olive oil was edible. The focaccia was probably the low point of the meal as the focaccia was basically an American version of this Italian specialty. The bread was too cake like, had no structure, and little taste.
We each ordered the "Soup de Giorno". This evening's soup was a Cream of Zucchini soup to which a few miniature farfalle (bow ties) pasta had been added. The taste was a bit bland, but a dash of salt remedied that. The consistency was good, and it was served at proper eating temperature.
Following that we tried the Insalata Caprese, sliced tomatoes and fresh mozzarella cheese arranged alternatively on the plate. This was excellent, thanks to the wonderful red beefsteak, and yellow tomatoes, as well as the fresh mozzarella used in the dish. We commented to the waitress that these tomatoes were like those found in August or September at the height of tomato season, and wondered if the restaurant had them grown to their specifications. We were informed that they were a product found at a small local market.
The Tossed Green Salad on the menu featured Joe Rombi's house dressing. It appeared to be a creamy garlic dressing, but the wait staff could not verify the ingredients for us. While a creamy garlic dressing is not authentic from the Italian perspective, it was very good. The salad itself demonstrated that Mr. Rombi pays attention to detail. In addition to the usual lettuces, radicchio, corn kernels, pine nuts, and tomatoes were used. All of these flavors worked well.
The choices of entrees at the restaurant included a variety of Pastas and Ravioli. The latter included Pasta Rombi, Pasta Putanesca , Portobello Mushroom Ravioli, Spinach and Meat Ravioli, and a Ricotta Cheese Ravioli.
Additionally, Vitello (Veal), Basil Steak, Chicken Marsala and A Seafood Special were offered as Secondi. We each chose the latter, as it was one of our favorite fish dishes: Baked Halibut with a butter, caper and olive oil dressing. This arrived on a fairly large dish accompanied by 3 spears of asparagus, cold baby beets, and orzo pasta with a pesto dressing. Each of the vegetables was perfectly cooked as was the halibut. It was crisp on the exterior, but moist inside. The caper sauce was perfect, and was minimally applied so as not to distract from the fish.
The wine list at the restaurant was good if not overly extensive. We chose a Honig Reserve Sauvignon Blanc. Very nice and reasonably priced ($28.00/bottle)
The service was very good, and our host, Mr. Rombi could not have been more gracious. He was unaware that we were reviewing his restaurant for The Artisan web site until the meal was finished.
The total cost of the meal including wine was $89.00 including tax and tip. Given the ambiance of the restaurant, the service and the overall quality of the food, we consider the total cost of the meal at Joe Rombi's very reasonable, especially in today's market.
Last updated on:05/12/01 12:35:44 AM