Restaurant offers a variety of dining selections at an affordable price
By Chris Fish
cfish@hometownnewsol.com
MELBOURNE - Your destiny arrives in the form of fried frog legs, dipped delicately in a homemade sauce. A true rarity for most, this exotic dish leaves you pleasantly surprised, easily becoming the best frog legs you'll ever eat.
For the non-believers of enjoying such an exotic meal, or those unfamiliar with the texture and taste of the amphibious dish, the painstakingly fresh and homemade execution of the plate makes a diner feel as if they are merely eating fried chicken. Even more surprising, after eating the meal, you immediately want more.
This example of exotic consumption barely scratches the unique and personable dining experience at Roman Restaurant, located in Melbourne at 2955 W. New Haven Ave.
Mrs. Zeppieri, manager of the unique eatery, prides herself on creating a dining experience dictated strictly on satisfying the customer. Unlike other eateries, if a customer doesn't see anything they like on the extensive menu Roman Restaurant offers, Mrs. Zeppieri and her staff will whip up whatever it is they're looking for.
"If my customers can't find it on the menu, I will make it for them," she said while sitting in her cozy, family-oriented restaurant. "Customers give me ideas. We are pretty flexible."
For nearly 14 years, Mrs. Zeppieri's family-owned business serves faithful and new customers with a sense of dignity and respect, making guests want to return to the quaint establishment the moment they leave.
If unusual dishes, such as frog legs and alligator tail, threaten your comfort zone, Mrs. Zeppieri's large menu of American favorites and Italian regulars may cure your ailment at an affordable cost.
"In the morning, we start breakfast at $1.99. I also have a special called the country skillet which has potatoes, biscuits, sausage patties, scrambled eggs, cheese and sausage gravy on top," she said. "I guarantee you won't go home hungry when you eat one of those, that's for sure."
Roman Restaurant's lunch menu starts at $4.99, with specialty pizzas and a plethora of cheeseburgers, offering a menu that is friendly for children, as well as lovers of more traditional food.
"For lunch, we have sandwiches. Our hamburgers are 100 percent beef. I have 14 or 15 different kinds of them," Mrs. Zeppieri said. "Our pizza is definitely popular. It has a little bit of everything on top."
For dinner, customers can choose dishes starting as inexpensive as $6.99.
"For dinner, our pot roast is No. 1," Mrs. Zeppieri said. "We also have a combination that we call the Roman Combo. It has pasta, lasagna, manicotti, salad, and you get garlic bread with it."
Also, for seafood lovers, Roman Restaurant offers a weekly Friday Fish Fry, which comes with french fries, hushpuppies and coleslaw.
Despite everything the eatery offers, if a customer still can't find his or her perfect dish, Mrs. Zeppieri offers homemade soup and grilled cheese sandwiches, a sure way to rekindle childhood memories and pleasant feelings for most.
"You just can't go wrong with a grilled cheese and soup," she said. "My husband makes all of the soup. Everything is made from scratch here. We very rarely buy anything that has already been made."
Once you're done with your meal, make sure to leave room for a fresh, homemade baked good.
"We have a friendly atmosphere. My waitresses are attentive. They get to know you," she said. "Even if this is your first time here, they are cordial and ask questions. We have customers that come in here two to three times a day, and, if we don't see them, we worry."
Roman Restaurant opens seven days a week, Monday-through Thursdays, from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Fridays from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; Saturdays from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 6:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.
For more information or take-out orders, call (321) 727-1220.