THE PLACE: I was ready to hate Bad Roman and write it off as a not serious restaurant that is all social media hype. It is definitely some of that, but it was better than I expected. This was our best option for a special dinner out before a show at Lincoln Center considering we wanted to try somewhere we hadn’t been before. Bad Roman has been all over social media and gained the ire of many food folks who found their dishes to be all hype. The old Landmarc space has been updated and is quite nice for a shopping mall restaurant. It feels like a cross between an old Italian red sauce palace, a kid-friendly diner, and the latest NYC hot spot.
THE MENU: Some of the menu reads like a typical steakhouse or Italian pasta joint, while other dishes scream gimmick but are almost tempting enough to try. We decided against their infamous ‘Roni Cups and Ranch, which is a plate of crisp pepperoni and a side of the least elevated salad dressing. We also decided not to fork over the $95 for a whole lobster stuffed with spicy pasta just for a photo op. And while I was tempted by the loaf of garlic babka, I was afraid I’d be the only one eating it.
THE DISH: The one gimmicky sounding dish we did order were the Porchetta Ribs. I envisioned some interesting play on ribs with the flavors of a roasted stuffed Italian porchetta, but aside from the fatty pork, I’m not really sure that’s what I got. So not sure why these were billed as “porchetta ribs.” Regardless, these were a solid enough plate of baby back ribs – super tender and meaty – with a sweet-sticky sauce. Flavorwise, these were much closer to sweet-spicy spare ribs from a Chinese restaurant than anything I’d get at an Italian restaurant. Which is fine. While Bad Roman is a bit confusing and gimmicky in their wording, the food is better than you might expect. Price: $19
| BAD ROMAN |
| 10 Columbus Circle (between West 58th and West 59th Street), 3rd Floor, Inside The Shops at Columbus Circle, Columbus Circle (212) 970-2033 |
| badromannyc.com |
