The Humble Gourmand

Romero Restaurant
Amman, Jordan 11181

Tel: 011 962 6 4644228/7

Website

Cuisine: Italian

Appetizers JD4.50-12.50 (US$6-18), entrees 4.95-12.50 ($7-18), desserts 3.25-4.00 ($4-6)

Wine, beer, and alcohol: Wide range of prices and selections

While it may not be the first city that pops to most people’s minds for culinary expertise, Amman has some of the most beautiful and delicious restaurants I’ve found in all of my travels. The Jordanians know what they’re doing with food.

Romero Restaurant, one such spot, was established by Flavia Romero, the daughter of a prominent Italian doctor who settled in Amman in 1921 and founded a hospital near the ancient Roman amphitheater. Romero started the restaurant in 1979 and ran it until 1988, when it was purchased by a Jordanian restaurateur. Today, with its romantically lit interior, gracious staff, and amazing Italian food, Romero is widely acknowledged to be one of the premier (and most expensive) restaurants in Amman.

On my most recent visit, my party appropriately began the meal with wine. One of my companions was a bona fide connoisseur (complete with a custom wine cellar in his Tennessee home), so we let him pick. We were more than a bit surprised when a bottle of Kendall-Jackson arrived at the table. Yes, that Kendall Jackson. It was a 2004 Vintner’s Reserve Pinot Noir, and our expert explained that it was a great wine that paired well with pretty much every dish, from appetizer to entrée to dessert.

I’m no expert, but I will say this: he was spot on. The wine complemented every dish I tasted in a slightly different way, and was also tasty on its own. Kendall-Jackson also somehow seems more exotic when you realize it was imported through two countries to make it from California to Amman.

For appetizers, I recommend the Melanzane Alla Guliana (grilled eggplant, mozzarella, and Parmesan served with a pomodoro basil sauce). The eggplant was delicious but the sauce was by far the most impressive element. It somehow managed to be incredibly rich and full of salt flavor without being salty. I’m not sure how they did it, but everyone at the table agreed that it made the dish. The Antipasto Sostanzioso Speciale was fresh and light, with carpaccio, proscuttio, and salmon wrapped around fresh greens and a sample of Insalata Caprese (fresh tomatoes, basil, and mozzarella).

Don’t bother ordering the Insalata Romana (Caesar salad), A colleague described it as “okay,” and it didn’t look much better than the one I get at the office cafeteria.

Our second course consisted of some pretty rich dishes, but once again Romero managed to make them just rich enough to make the eater crave a sip of wine, but not a sip of water. I loved the Cannelloni ai Spinaci & Formaggio (cannelloni crepes stuffed with spinach, meat, and ricotta and topped with cheese) as a classic cheesy Italian dish; it was bubbly, creamy, and the spinach in the cannelloni gave a hint of tartness to balance the rest of the dish.

Romero offers six specialty risottos from its “Risottoria,” and the Risotto ai Funghi Mista (risotto with black and shitake mushrooms) is fantastic. As with the Cannelloni, creaminess dominated without overpowering the taste. Of course, the wine helped.

The two men in our group ordered meat: the Filetto Al Balsamico (slices of grilled tenderloin on a bed of rocca, topped with shaved parmesan, black mushrooms and drizzled with balsamic sauce) and the Scalloppine al Limone (veal cooked in lemon sauce). Both were delicious and well worth the relatively expensive price tags. The part-Italian gentleman eating the Scalloppine commented that the dish is very difficult to cook properly, and Romero had hit the proverbial nail on the head. It was thinly sliced and tender, and the lemon sauce was delicious.

Clearly a lemon fan, the same gentleman ended up ordering two servings of Dolce Mista (lemon sorbet) — two servings because the first was so deliciously tart he ordered another to share with us. If you can imagine the taste of pure lemon, that was this sorbet – tart, icy, lemony goodness. Another colleague got the Hazelnut Gelato, which was served in a crispy waffle cookie and also quite tasty.

My Misti Sorbetti (trio of desserts) included tiramisu, vanilla ice cream, and a wedge of chocolate mousse in a chocolate shell. My favorite was the chocolate mousse, but then chocolate is usually my favorite. I was surprised to enjoy the tiramisu, but Romero’s version was light and fluffy instead of soggy and bland.

All in all, Romero is a total find. We were the first table to be seated and the second to last to leave. The restaurant kept us there that long with a good bottle of wine, spectacular food, and immaculate and warm service.

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