After yet another weekend of mega meat eating in the park, I headed to Zona G to hit my favorite organic vegetarian restaurant for a little cleansing.  Alas, being Monday (I hope) the place was closed which forced me to plan B.  As Emilia Romagna was on ‘the list’ (a fluid treasure trove of restaurants recommended by friends), and it was just down the block, I wandered on over to check it out. 
A din of alarm bells sounded in the pit of my belly as bread arrived with a dipping ramekin of olive oil – sans balsamic, sans fresh herbs, sans sharp Pamigiano Reggiano – simply olive oil.  The bottle of Montes was delicious though and the menu enticing so the bells were temporarily silenced. 
Buon Appetito?   We decided on two classic Italian appetizers – Tomato Basil Soup and Ensalada Caprese.  The Caprese looked interesting as it was served with cherry tomatoes but it was excessively salty.  And though I do not claim to be a soup connoisseur like my soup loving amigo, when a soup can support a spoon vertically in its center, I believe it to be slightly too thick.  The tomato basil soup would have been quite nice perhaps as a sauce for fresh spinach tagliatelli, but it did not work solo in a bowl.  A cacophony of bells resumed.
Primero.  I was feeling pretty confident that our pasta would once again silence the bells as it takes a rare talent to ruin pasta, or so I thought.  Carbonara should be a perfectly balanced combination of cream, bacon and garlic.  Emilia’s version resembled a greasy mishmash of noodles with Walmart bac-o-bits.  I was correct though on my assessment of the ‘soup.’  My compañero had the rare treat of seeing it revived and re-served as the sauce on his overdone ravioli.
Emilia’s wine list is its saving grace.  I suggest you pop in for a delicious bottle of Montes and then leave to dine elsewhere.  The best thing about my unlikely to be repeated  trip to Emilia’s was the wine, conversation, and long walk home with my soup loving amigo.

Subbmited by The Gringa

Review this restaurant - Contact Us.