We’re in Falmouth wrapping up Memorial Day weekend on Oak Bluffs. We’ve been coming to Falmouth since the days of our 26’ Boston Whaler and nowadays we like wrapping up holiday weekends on the Vineyard with a night at the Falmouth Town Marina.
Falmouth is really blossoming as a food Mecca with many new restaurants opening downtown.
A few weeks ago I was researching new restaurants and discovered Romeo’s. Little did I know that I’d discover a place that served up West Coast Nobu-style cuisine. If you’ve never dined at Nobu, you’re missing an incredible culinary experience.
Chef Matsuhisa opened his first NOBU in 1994 and it’s known for its elegant presentation and the fusion of Asian and Continental flavors. Today, they are all over the world and very popular with celebrities and foodies.
I’ve dined at both the Malibu and Indian Wells restaurants. They were truly a culinary adventure in which every bite was both delicious and unique.
About half way through our second dish, Mrs. Horne looked at me and said “This reminds me of NOBU…”
Romeo’s – Falmouth
Romeo’s is located in a modest building about a 1/2 mile from the harbor on Route 28.
Despite the subdued exterior, the inside a hip and inviting…
I admit that I was initially put off by Romeo’s eclectic menu and something they called “Social Plates.”
I was about to write off Romeo’s as a wine bar until I spotted Steak Frites at the bottom of the menu – that is not a wine bar dish!
The concept of a Social Plate is nothing more than a sharable or Tapas. They are generally appetizer-sized but offer both hors d’ouvre and entree types of dishes.
The website and the server both suggested 2-3 dishes per person – which seemed like a lot. We ordered 4 for the three of us and told the server “We’ll start with this and order more if we’re still hungry.”
We began with the Pita and Humus.
white bean hummus, cherry pepper, roasted garlic
Let’s start with the Pita – warm and homemade in their wood-fired brick oven. The humus was a work of art, created entirely from scratch and distinctly garlic forward.
The first hint of NOBU-style was the incorporation of cherry peppers and cilantro – a flavor profile I’ve never encountered in humus anywhere!
As we were gobbling down our six pita triangles, I spotted a beautiful dish coming out of the kitchen and jumped up to get a closer look.
I asked the chef what it was and said “The Crispy Green Beans.”
I called our server over and added it to our order (bringing our order to a total of five plates).
A few minutes later, our other dishes started to come out as each was cooked. I have a pet peeve about cold food, so I love it when things come straight from the kitchen to our table piping hot.
With the arrival of our Korean Fried Chicken, the cuisine progressed from Middle Eastern to Asian.
gochujang bbq, peanuts, green chile goddess
Mrs. Horne loved the hoisin overtones in the chicken. I definitely tasted hoisin, but it wasn’t listed as an ingredient.
While the chicken dish seemed fairly priced at $20, the green beans felt a tad overpriced at $19, but as soon as we saw the size of the serving, we knew it was a large shareable.
miso mustard, basil, crimson lentil, sesame
Peter and I agreed that the green beans were the best-tasting dish of the evening. Crispy on the outside, moist on the inside, and coated in multiple flavor bombs.
Next up was the Asian steak.
grilled prime bavette, aromatic herbs, crispy shallots
Another flavor bomb. Perhaps a little on the rare side of the medium rare we ordered, but the bavette was likely Prime and still quite chewable and tasty.
One of my favorite dining trends has been the appearance of Fried Rice on the menus of restaurants of all cuisines.
soft egg, everything fresh
Perfect, as expected, with the added bonus of a soft boiled egg inside. Mrs. Horne broke it and mixed it in to add yet another silky flavor bomb.
The five dishes filled us up, but all three of us are light eaters. There were no leftovers, so I think the suggestion of 2-3 is legit if you are hungry or just big eaters.
After dinner, I chatted with the chef and owner Tommy Pontolilo.
Owner and Chef, Romeo’s Falmouth
They opened about a year ago. I told him about how we found his cuisine reminiscent of NOBU (he’d never eaten there) and asked him about his culinary inspiration.
He just kind of shrugged and said “I cook what I like eating.”
Surprisingly, there isn’t a lot of media out about Romeo’s, but I did find this…
Romeo’s features modern American cuisine with a focus on social dining – small shareables is how he describes the concept. It’s intended to be a fun experience, with delicious food, and slightly higher end – not fancy or pretentious – but built to be shared, similar to tapas. He really wanted to stay away from the appetizer/entrée format. Ultimately, he wanted to create a restaurant based on how he likes to eat…try a bunch of things and share them with people you care about.
edible Cape Cod
Tommy explains, “the reason I chose to feature this recipe is because it’s one of my mom’s favorites”, and goes on to say, “I always start with my vegetable dishes. Instead of being an afterthought, l believe they’re my core, and everything works off of them.” His passion for fresh ingredients, bold flavors and shareable plates is sure to make Romeo’s a favorite of many for years to come!
By the way, Tom named the restaurant after his old dog Romeo.
Do yourself a favor and check out Romeo’s before it gets swamped.
You can make a reservation on their website via TOAST.