Tag Archives: Review

The Roma Italian Restaurant Experience

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Dining at an Italian restaurant is more than a meal – it’s an all-encompassing experience. It’s the first bite of fresh pasta with house-made sauce. It’s the glow of intimate, ambient lighting. A quiet serenade by Frank Sinatra or Dean Martin in the background. The unintelligible chatter of happy guests with full bellies. The pop of a bottle. A clink of some glasses. This is what dinner at an Italian restaurant means to me. Unfortunately, this is not the experience I received at Roma Italian restaurant.

I visited the Texarkana, Arkansas restaurant on a Saturday night around 7:00pm – this is a prime time for most restaurants. Well, this was not the case for Roma. Aside from myself and the two others in my party, there were only about 10 to 15 diners in the restaurant. I chalked it up to the restaurant’s location. Roma is – I’ll say – locationally challenged. It’s a bit out of the way for most locals (an 18-minute drive from my Texarkana home).

My party was seated immediately and the first thing I heard was, well, nothing. It was nearly silent in the dining area. So, were we supposed to sit around and listen to each other chew? I would’ve given my right hand for some smooth jazz in the background. Okay, maybe not my right hand; marinara sauce and a non-dominant hand is a recipe for disaster. Nevertheless, it was much too quiet in there.

The place was appropriately lit and impeccably clean. It just felt empty. Sure, there were plenty of tables and chairs, but the restaurant lacked energy, warmth, and ambiance (all of which caused major point deductions in my book).

Our server introduced herself in a flash. Within five minutes of being seated, there was cold water and warm bread on the table. It was showtime – alcohol orders. My table and I decided to share a bottle of prosecco (a necessity when dining at an Italian restaurant). We made our drink request and sat on the edges of our seats, awaiting the pop and clink that were sure to kick-start our dining experience.

Out came our prosecco. The moment the bottle was opened, the cork ricocheted at rocket speed against the ceiling, onto an occupied table, and then (probably) to the floor. What should have been a pop turned into a pop, bang, clash, “Is everyone okay???” I don’t actually know where the projectile cork finally landed. I’m just glad nobody lost an eye – or a right hand.

Our wait staff reined in the chaos, checked on everyone, and we all had a good laugh. No one was hurt, the bottle was unscathed, and we did get to hear the anticipated pop (even if it was accompanied by some extra sounds). Plus, we still had a clink in our immediate future.

To our dismay, the waitstaff sat before us three wine glasses – just generic, round wine glasses. My party and I exchanged glances. Maybe we’re just drinkware snobs, but shouldn’t prosecco be served in a flute? No? Just me? We clink-ed anyway and moved on. It was time to place our food orders. 

Our server recommended the alfredo sauce; she said it’s homemade and unbeatable. We were sold. One person in my party ordered the shrimp and scallop alfredo, another had the pasta combo, and I had the lobster ravioli. Where should I begin?

The lobster ravioli was alright. It consisted of ravioli, lobster tail, and a pink sauce. The ravioli was cooked well (there’s not much worse than overcooked pasta). Given that we’re 300 miles from the nearest coast, the lobster tail was alright. It was in sizeable chunks and the texture was as expected for the average nowhere-near-the-ocean lobster. It was chewy but not rubbery. The star of this dish was the pink sauce – a mix of both tomato and cream sauces. It was warm, acidic, creamy, slightly sweet, and slightly spicy. It tasted exactly how a tomato and cream sauce should taste. For $15.99 and a decent one-person portion, this dish is okay.

My party and I had high hopes for the pasta combo. It included lasagna, manicotti, spinach ravioli, tortellini, and ziti, with marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese. We thought this would be a great opportunity to try multiple dishes in one – and it was exactly that. The mix of pastas arrived all together on one big plate, covered by a cohesive layer of cheese and marinara. Did the sauce and pasta taste alright? Yes. Did we dig around in marinara like archaeologists attempting to unearth and identify remains? Also yes. We couldn’t tell where the lasagna ended and the manicotti began. Despite the extra work, it all tasted okay. The marinara was average and tasted like a seasoned tomato – exactly what it is. The pasta combo is $15.99 and does require some mild disassembly.

Now onto the long-awaited alfredo. Our expectations were through the roof. The shrimp and scallop alfredo contained shrimp, scallops, fettuccine pasta, and Roma’s homemade alfredo sauce. The shrimp was fine. The fettuccine pasta was al dente, as I like it. Where this dish began to exponentially decline was the scallops, which nearly gave me nightmares. The only way I can describe how they felt in my mouth was mush. The consistency of the scallop was atrocious, and the taste was almost as bad. It was generically fishy. It tasted as if someone had boarded a commercial fishing boat, scraped some ambiguous lump off the deck, and tossed it into this dish. I couldn’t even enjoy the homemade alfredo, as the piscatorial essence had seeped into it as if through ill-meaning osmosis. So, if you want to avoid having fishy flashbacks and hearing fog horns in your dreams, steer clear of this $17.99 dish.

I decided to end on a good note and order the tiramisu for dessert. It was like most things at Roma – just okay. It was served cold and cut into a perfect square. It tasted like a classic (but a bit dry) tiramisu – chocolate, coffee, and mascarpone. $5.99 feels fair enough for this dish.   

By the time dessert was done, the slim attendance at the restaurant had further lessened. Our bottle was finished, our glasses were empty, and the ambiance was still nonexistent. There were no more pops or clinks (or bangs, ouches, or cracks) to be heard. Our server, who had been attentive and friendly all evening, brought us the check. We tipped her well, of course. After all, I’m sure she wasn’t directly responsible for the mystery mollusks we had been served moments earlier. So, to sum it up: Roma overall is okay. The environment lacks ambiance, the waitstaff is wonderful, and the food is decent. Just avoid ordering seafood lest you fall victim to the sinister shellfish and its questionable composition.

Adequate Beasts: The Crimes of Everyone

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If you’re looking for questions, I’ve got your answer. The second part of the newly hatched Fantastic Beasts series, Fantastic Beats: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018) series opens a lot of new doors and doesn’t close any on its way out. Granted, it does a fine job at following upon the first film and does offer some important plot development, but all in all it’s just far too nonlinear to measure up to the awe of the first. The main issues resonate in the plot.

*SPOILERS*

Compliments of IMDB

Beginning the story, it becomes clear very quickly that there is no central focus to the film. This is because of the number of main characters present. Returning characters are Newt Scamander, Gellert Grindelwald, Jacob Kowalski, Queenie Goldstein, Portpentina Goldstein, and the once dead Credence Barebone (among other side characters). Normally this wouldn’t be a problem. Audiences love familiarity. However, these characters each have their own storylines going on alongside what’s assumed the main plot. Because of this, its hard to tell who the main focus of these movies is. Newt? Grindelwald? Credence?

Recall from the first films the sequence of events. The audience begins by following Newt through New York to capture released beasts. Due to Credence’s magical abilities as an “Obscurial” (something thought of as dangerous to the wizarding world), Newt seeks to capture him in order to prevent magical authorities from harming him. Grindelwald, a wizard seeking power, develops an interest in Credence because of his power. Everything is circular and all stories tie into one. Here, there still is not a central character per se. Newt would be a protagonist, Grindelwald the antagonist ad Credence somewhere between as he has not chosen any side.

Compliments of CNet

The second film, however, rips this premise apart. Credence is on a search for his mom, Newt is trying ultimately to replenish his lost relationship with Porpentina, Grindelwald is trying to coerce credence while also grow a magical regime, Jacob and Queenie are trying to hash out their muggle non-muggle relationship, and somewhere along the line Albus Dumbledore, another main character brought in from the original Harry Potter series, enters the scene to create another story line regarding his relationship with Grindelwald.

In a few side notes we also learn  that Credence is not the son of a Lestrange (a point also brought up in this film, not the first), another characters switched him with a Lestrange on a boat as an infant and is actually a dumbledore, we don’t know where his real mom is, Grindelwald remains interested (presumably because of his lineage but that was never answered), Dumbledore has a pact with Grindelwald which prohibits their fighting, and so on. That’s just a few new tidbits offered in a 2 hour-long movie.

Compliments of threeifbyspace.net

The problem with all of this is that it creates too many stories presenting themselves to the audience at once. It is a lot to remember and a lot to take in. Granted, much of this might be hashed out in future films (the ending set up a continuance), but it doesn’t resolve the fact that all of this information becomes muddled due to the sheer volume of new facts. It might have been better as a season on Netflix or Hulu.

This is definitely a lot to register, but it’s worth seeing. It is very well done in terms of casting, directing, graphics, and much more. It is a beautiful piece. The plot line just muddles things a bit. However, there is no doubt that there will be answers to all of questions presented to us and if you’re a Harry Potter fanatic, the series is worth your time.

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Memoirs of a Geisha

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During the semester, I did not have as much time to read as I would have liked. I reread one of my favorite stories, Memoirs of a Geisha, recently and was reminded of why I enjoy this book.

The story is told from first person point-of-view from an older geisha. She begins the story when is a just a young girl in Japan during the Depression. Chiyo Sakamoto is a poor girl from a fishing village, but captures the attention of a man for her unusual eyes, which are a blue-gray color. She and her sister are taken from their home and Chiyo is sold to an okiya (house where geisha live) in a prominent area of Kyoto. The story is based on background information provided by retired geisha, Mineko Iwasaki, but Chiyo’s character is fictional. Without giving too much away, she becomes a maid before she begins her journey to being a geisha. Chiyo is in awe of the beauty of the geishas and the respect they are given, but the path is very difficult.

I enjoyed the novel because it read at a leisurely pace without being slow. In the beginning of the story, Chiyo is just a child. The narrative highlights her curiosities at that age and her emotions as she is taken from her home. It also reflects her maturity as she gets older and encounters different experiences. Reading the story made me feel like I was following Chiyo through her life. A good book will pull in its readers until they feel every emotion and that was my experience with this one. When there were moments of heartbreak, it hurt me to read of her tears and devastation. The story was very detailed, but well-balanced with dialogue. Many different characters are introduced throughout the story, but it was not confusing because there was a clear distinction between them. Each character had a strong impact on Chiyo and I could feel that through their descriptions.

Prior to reading this book, I had heard of geishas and only knew what they looked like. I did not know what they did, but there was a negative association between geishas and prostitutes. Geishas are traditional Japanese entertainers. They entertain men through song, dance, conversation and serve tea as hostesses. Young girls spent years training and perfecting their skills that would make them successful geishas. They went to schools that taught dance, musical instruments, and other skills. It was important for them to be successful because they were expected to repay their okiyas back for the money spent on their food, lodging, kimono, and other tools needed.

There is a great deal of effort and time that is required for being a geisha and not every woman can do this successfully. It is also important to note that some people would confuse geishas with prostitutes. The difference is that geisha’s wear their sash tied in the back, but the prostitutes tied theirs in the front. There are still some geishas practicing in Japan, but they are mostly in the company of the higher social class.

This book is controversial because Iwasaki sued Arthur Golden after the book’s release. According to her, he was supposed to keep her identity a secret and revealed parts of her life that were supposed to remain personal. She felt that he did not accurately portray her life and shamed the geisha profession. Iwasaki published her own book in 2002 titled, Geisha: A Life, to tell her story in her own words.

Whether the story is completely true or not, it is still a very good story that I can always come back to when I want something to read. This is also an award-winning movie.