NYCReview
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Steven Sondheim once wrote, “you gotta get a gimmick/if you wanna get ahead.” If you didn’t know that he was talking about burlesque dancers of the post-Vaudeville era, the lyric could easily be about restaurants in New York City.
Bad Roman is the latest entry into Manhattan’s oversaturated red sauce scene from Quality Branded (Don Angie, Zou Zou's, Quality Italian). They seem to have taken Sondheim’s advice to heart. Bad Roman, located in the Deutsche Bank Center (formerly the Time Warner Center) is an over-the-top, gimmicky restaurant where the food is hit or miss, but entertainment is guaranteed.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
The space feels like the love child of a Rainforest Cafe and an old-school Italian spot, a cacophony of garish colors, bright lights, and statues of animals wearing neon collars. The restroom has a full-on fountain, though sometimes it gushes and other times there’s barely a trickle. This is a good metaphor for the food, which ranges from delightfully chaotic to mediocre catering fare.
In a rare plot twist, the best dishes at Bad Roman are the ones that lean into the “phones eat first” ethos. A platter of crisp, oversized roni cups served with a sidecar of ranch dressing that tastes like it was squeezed out of a plastic bottle is both photogenic and enjoyable. The filet mignon topped with a giant raviolo filled with liquid cacio e pepe was definitely intended to be split open on camera, but also tastes pretty good.
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
photo credit: Kate Previte
Dessert is the most exciting section of the menu, and we genuinely love everything we’ve tried, from the tiramisu ice cream cake (what’s not to love?) to their cheeky take on cheesecake served inside of hollow chocolate lemons. Their spicy Caesar and antipasto-topped wedge salad are also great. Things start to go wrong when you get into the pastas, seafood dishes, and larger cuts of meat. The kitchen is wildly inconsistent with the cook on these items, and they’re just not especially exciting.
Our perfect meal here would consist entirely of cocktails, roni cups, salad, and as many desserts as we can handle. Is that an unhinged way to order dinner? Maybe, but so is this restaurant. So, when in Rome…
Food Rundown
photo credit: Kate Previte
Roni Cups & Ranch
photo credit: Kate Previte
Whipped Ricotta
photo credit: Kate Previte
Spicy Gem Caesar
photo credit: Kate Previte
Bad Roman Wedge Salad
photo credit: Kate Previte
Lobster with Calabrian Pasta
photo credit: Kate Previte
Chicken Scarpariello Rigatoni
photo credit: Kate Previte
Filetto with Cacio e Pepe Raviolo
photo credit: Kate Previte
Tiramisu Ice Cream Cake
photo credit: Kate Previte