Steadfast Italian, Familiy Operated
Rocco’s Capriccio
866 Fawn Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-6852710
We wanted to finish Restaurant Week Baltimore up in Little Italy so we
chose to return to Rocco’s because they offer such a wide variety of choices
for the limited menu. If you are wondering why we didn’t stop at your favorite
restaurant in Little Italy it is because many of the restaurants there offer a very
limited selection, the same old, same old or as in the case of one our
favorites, La Scala, they don’t participate.
Roccos’ is at one of the busiest corners in Little Italy and
shares the space with Germanio's, Sabbatino’s and Chipparelli’s. Parking for those
wanting to be swift about it in an area with very few street parking spaces
will use the efficient valet parking operated by an outfit that seems to have
valet parking for all of Little Italy sewn up. It adds $10.00 to the expense of
the meal.
We started with their fresh, crusty Italian bread and ample
dipping olive oil with fresh herbs and garlic. Our server Victor was punctual
throughout the night and started by carefully explaining the items on the
special menu which are actually some of the most popular on the regular menu.
We had the calamari appetizer which was about what is expected everywhere
except the portion is huge and the fresh marinara sauce special. Rocco pays a
lot of attention to his sauces and the simplest tomato based sauces are
extraordinary here.
My choice was the Stuffed Veal, tenderloin of veal wrapped with prosciutto
ham, asiago and gorgonzola cheeses, crusted with bread crumbs and topped in a
wild mushroom sauce that is rosy in color and very delicate. It’s a large
portion, tightly wound and quite flavorful. Almost a tad too flavorful as I
thought the strongly flavored gorgonzola cheese was a strong a counter to the
delicate sauce. This dish is however the most popular item on the regular menu
at Rocco’s.
Debbie chose the Veal Romana, veal medallions in white wine
topped with prosciutto and mozzarella cheese. It was simply devine. Had Debbie
not eaten so much of the bread & calamari she might have been able to
finish it off. It now awaits me in the land of left overs in the refrigerator.
Desserts consisted of a very large serving of Tira Misu buried in a
whipped cream topping and the house cannoli which appeared to have a chocolate
coating before it disappeared entirely.
I have a fondness for all Italian wines,
both red and whites, although I am certainly no connoisseur of the many wines
from the multiple wine districts in Italy. Of the five reds that were available
from Southern Italy, I asked Victor for his suggestion for a full bodied one.
He quickly recommended a very reasonably priced, recent bottling of a red blend
from Puglia, the Tormaresca Neprica. His selection was spot on as it was both
fruity and bold; dark red in color. Wine is also available by the glass but the selection is very limited.
No one at Rocco’s tried to push us off the Restaurant Week Menu;
in fact we were encouraged to use it as were other diners around us. The decor
is very simple, particularly when compared to some of the nearby Italian
Palaces. They just do Italian food well there and it certainly is worth the
short drive down the JFX to Little Italy.
Well, that is the end of our Restaurant Week Extravaganza
for this summer but I have one more place up my sleeve. This joint is a bit out of the ordinary, out of the
way, and so popular I couldn’t get a reservation there in normal dining
hours during Restaurant Week. Stay tuned…
No comments:
Post a Comment