May 13, 2008
Restaurant review: Cocina Roma Roma
By Stan Dyer
Although this restaurant has been at its present location for over a year, I just now took the opportunity to try it out. It used to be known as "Mikey's" located over on 38 th near the old Elitch Gardens. The chef and owner, Alaya Ouerfelli, also used to work the kitchen at "Alaya's" over on Colfax. All of that past has come together at "Cocina Roma Roma" in the Ralston Plaza at 64 th on the northeast corner of 64 th and Ward Road and given the city a nice, traditional style, Italian restaurant. It is a cute, comfortable and reasonably priced family restaurant.
Tucked away behind other restaurants, and hidden in the middle of a strip mall, it is easy to pass by. I only noticed it because of the huge banner outside advertising the specials. Once I went inside, I was immediately pleased with what I found.
The décor reminded me of "Bellisimo" in Pueblo. It is a warm, inviting and interesting interior. There are photographs of celebrities, various paintings and interesting art decorating the walls. In the center of the room, there is even a small replica of a plane similar to the one the Wright brothers flew at Kitty Hawk. I am not sure exactly what that has to do with Italy or Italian cuisine, but it sure catches your eye. I also enjoyed the low lights, and the variety of music playing softly in the background.
The waitress made immediate points with me by being energetic, enthusiastic and helpful. I also appreciated that she took the time to inform us right away that the wine menu was being revamped and that not all of the listed offerings would be available. Fortunately, the one we chose was still in stock.
We came at dinner and were the first to arrive. Dinner entrees at the Cucina are priced from $10.25 to $13.25, with most at $11.25. Dinner entrees come with both soup and salad, albeit in small portions. We shared the Stuffed Rigatoni, which was on special, and the Eggplant Parmagiano. We both felt that our entrees were nice, tasty and worth the price. I do not like to decide too much after just one visit, but this restaurant was certainly good on the initial visit and worth remembering for a second try. I was especially attracted by the specials.
At lunch, the Cucina has a $5.95 soup and salad bar, or, for $6.95, a buffet. Lunch portion pastas are priced from $7.25 to $8.25, and all lunches include either coffee or iced tea. Sundays and Mondays are Pasta Nights featuring $6.95 pasta and kids eat free. Sundays through Wednesdays, Prime Rib is $10.95, and Thursdays are Italian Margarita Nights. For people who like variety, this restaurant offers Whole Wheat pasta, Corn pasta, and big, Homemade pasta. It is certainly a restaurant worth trying and giving a good look.
I rate the restaurant an "A" on first visit. The prices were reasonable, the value was good, and the place was comfortable. I was especially impressed with our server. She was knowledgeable and attentive without being annoying. We left a nice tip. There were two problems with the Health Inspection Report for food temperatures and concentrations of cleaning chemicals, but that only represents a snapshot of that particular day. I will keep my eyes open to see how they do on the follow up.