You have to descend stairs and into the basement of the newest restaurant in Ridgefield Ct., Romolo Gastro Pizza.   This is not just another pizza restaurant and that is evident as you enter.  It has more the feel of Italian restaurant with the mystery of a speakeasy or some private club.  Signage is minimal with only a small wooden sign announcing that you have arrived at a special eatery.

The dark heavy wooden door opens to a fairly narrow and intimate space of approximately 40 seats.  The room is similar in decor to its sister restaurant upstairs, Village Tavern.  With its low wooden distressed ceiling, brick walls and  dark floor, the space has an air of mystery as it is so unlike any other eatery in town.  There is no mystery however when it comes to the food which I am happy to report was excellent.

After being seated we were treated to warm bread with soft cheese.  . Very tasty and a  sign of good  things to come.   Our party ordered some appetizers which we all shared.  The Burrata Caponata  was a great choice with fresh soft locally sourced burrata cheese with a Roman Style eggplant caponata.

We also enjoyed the Polpette  which are house made Italian meat balls, which have roasted with fresh tomato, basil and topped with fresh ricotta cheese and black pepper.  Poplette can be made in a number of different ways by how you  blend the ingredients and seasonings.  These were tender and full of flavor.  A good choice.

The Langostino was also sampled from the appetizer menu.  Langostino or “little lobster”is a  delicious seafood, though the Langostino is not the same as regular lobster.   The meat was soft and delicious and was  baked and served with a blend of cheeses, herbs and artichokes and a side of crisp bread. Nice dish  for the cheese lover and a good way to start the meal.

The main courses at Romolo  Gastro Pizza are  pasta dishes, salads, meat , and of course their pizzas.   Our table enjoyed one of the pasta dishes as well as ordered from the pizza menu.    The pasta was Lasagna Romano, again a dish in the Roman style.  Thin sheets of house made pasta , parmesan, beef stracotto (Italian slow cooked beef), in a besciamella sauce.   Unlike other lasagna dishes  this does not have marinara sauce but instead is served in a light and tasty cream sauce.  While the portion is not overly large, it was quite filling.

Pizza is the specialty  of the house and the Roman influence again is apparent with the rectangular shaped  pizzas made with a dough that creates an  crispy artisan like crust that performs the culinary feat of being both light yet filling.   There are seven different pizzas on the menu and it comprises the largest part of the menu.  We chose to sample  Nonna Romano, a delicious pizza made with mozzarella, tomato marinara, a touch of garlic, extra virgin olive oil and basil, pecorino cheese, and fior de latte (cheese).  A authentic take on real Roman pizza.

Braccio de Ferro pizza was very pleasing and  prepared with fresh mozzarella, fresh spinach, garlic, evoo, local ricotta, shaved grana (hard Italian cheese)  and aleppo pepper flakes.  A delicious and filling pie and full of Italian flavor.

Our third pizza was the evening special called Daniella Pizza, which was the same delicious crust with soft burrata cheese, fava bean puree, zucchini, tomatoes, and mozzerella.  A great dish for the vegetarian as many of the pizzas do feature meat as a topping.

There is an nice wine list of  Italian wines both white and red and are available by glass or bottle.

Romolo Gastro Pizza  is a fantastic addition to the Ridgefield dining scene . Chef Bruno DiFabio a master pizza maker and six time champion in the World Pizza Games  and Chef Germano Minin (winner of Chopped on the Food Network show)  have brought a winning menu of authentic Roman cuisine to the area.

Da noi si mangia bene!

Romolo Gastro Pizza

378 Main Street Ridgefield Ct  (in the rear of the building, downstairs)

tel. 203.769.6249

web.  http://romolopizza.com

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