Casa Romero
May's Connoisseurs Out On The Town outing started on the corner of
From the outside, Casa Romero is quite unassuming. Actually, if you are not looking for the restaurant, you may not even know it is there, as its entrance is in Public Alley 431, and is not really visible from
After all nine of us were seated, we ordered our beverages and had a chance to absorb the environment. The walls were adorned with Mexican Talavera tiles, accenting the traditional colonial Mexican décor. There were several eating areas, spanning from public to semi-private, and a tequila bar that serves antojitos, similar to Spanish tapas. It felt cozy and authentic.
Our drinks came to the table first, and we had ordered a wide variety.
The restaurant boasts a fine selection of Mexican beers, as well as a full tequila menu and a range of mixed drinks, of which we tried a few different margaritas, sangria, and a piña colada.
Though the margaritas were small and expensive, they were made right with real ingredients, and tasted very good.
Jenny loved her piña colada,
and Liz thought the sangria was passable.
Appetizers and soups came out next. The table had ordered Grilled Squid with Mushrooms and Chipotle, Pork Tamale with Chipotle-Tomato Sauce, and Pozole, which is pulled pork and hominy in chile broth.
Tom and Jen really enjoyed the squid, commenting on the subtleties of the sauce and the springy texture. Javier also enjoyed this appetizer, but would have liked to see the sauce stand out a bit more to encourage you to finish the dish.
Everyone who got the Pozole was pleased, and it was served in a unique way. The soup came with a plate of lettuce, oregano, lemon, and onions, so you could have the soup seasoned as you like. Tom chose to dump the whole plate in, while others were a bit more reserved.
Javier had the tamale, and though he did share, I think his description sums it up best. He described the tamale as “plump and hearty, full of flavorful shredded pork, whole olives and stewed vegetables. It was mildly spicy and the cornmeal exterior was firm and springy, not soggy at all.” Well put, sir. The table was also served warm tortilla chips and homemade salsa. These were addictive and fresh, and held us over until the rest of the food arrived.
Next out were the entrees. We ordered the house special of pork tenderloin in an orange and chipotle sauce, as well as cactus and cheese stuffed chicken breast, chicken enchiladas with mole poblano sauce, grilled fillet mignon with chipotles and tomatillos, and a dish of beef tips and potatoes.
I had the enchiladas, as did Javier, and we both enjoyed them, though I thought the portion was a bit small for the price. Javier described the mole as slightly sweet and peppery, with hints of chocolate. I would have to agree. It tasted very homemade to me, which was good, but I was hoping for better.
Jenny and John had the beef tips, and really didn’t care for the dish, saying that the beef was dry and there wasn’t much there but standard meat and potatoes, not what you’d expect from a staple of the
The signature dish of orange-chipotle pork tenderloin was tasty. The presentation wasn’t appetizing, but the flavors were all there. It was tangy, sweet, spicy, and all who tried it liked it. A stack of tortillas for the table would have been a nice touch to sop up the excess sauce, though.
Aaron enjoyed his cactus and cheese stuffed chicken medallions, cleaning his plate in short order. The cactus kept the chicken nice and moist, and made this a recommended dish.
Finally, there was the fillet mignon, which Liz ordered. It was cooked to specifications, and tasted great. It was served with melted cheese on a corn tortilla with sauces on the side, and was a very fine dish. However, Liz asked if it was gluten-free, and was assured that it was. Unfortunately, the dish made her sick, denoting gluten contamination. Either the chef did not know, did not care, or did not have a clean preparation area. Either way, we expect more from a restaurant touting themselves as an upscale eatery.
One more thing to note is that all of the entrees came with sides of rice and beans. I was excited about this until I tasted the rice and beans. The rice was way overcooked and had starchy peas incorporated that added nothing to the flavor. The beans were also subpar, lacking flavor and texture. The only truly mentionable element of the side dishes were uniquely seasoned, pickled carrot slices, which were a pleasant surprise.
At the end of the meal, several of us ordered desserts. There was a flan, a tres leches cake, and a cheesecake. These may have been the highlight of the meal.
The flan was made perfectly, with caramel flavors and rich custard.
The cheesecake was shaped like a flan, and was a surprise hit. We thought the kitchen had just brought out two flans, but the flavors in the cheesecake were out of this world. I would go to Casa Romero and just order the cheesecake. It is a destination dessert.
Finally, there was the tres leches cake. It came in a large ramekin, and its size was impressive. I think it is served this way to cheat a little at the tres leches idea. The cake was so moist that, were it inverted from its cup, it would not hold together. The flavors were nice and light, but the dessert cheated a bit in the traditional sense.
When we were done we got our check, and it was the hardest pill to swallow that night. I understand that items on the menu have to be priced at a certain level to maintain the idea or an upscale restaurant, but the prices here were just too high for the quality of food. I’m not saying that the food was bad. It was good. It was pleasant. It was not amazing, outstanding, or incredible enough to justify the prices that were charged.
All told, Casa Romero was an enjoyable night out with the Connoisseurs. We ate well, drank well, and shared some good times. There were bright points and not so bright points throughout the experience, but the final verdict it that Casa Romero is good, not great. We felt that we were paying for the location, and getting some decent food on the side. Food must be the focus in a Connoisseur-worthy restaurant. For great Mexican food, we still recommend Tu Y Yo Mexican Fonda in Somerville.