If you know me, you know how much I love Italian food. I’ve been to Italy five times in recent years, and I just love the food. Will I be able to get that kind of food here? Probably not. But I’m always looking for Italian restaurants to satisfy my hunger when I’m home. Enter RPM.
Much like panang and Thai food, I use carbonara as a barometer for judging Italian restaurants. As far as the dish at RPM was concerned, it was just ok. Keep in mind, I got back from Italy just 3 weeks ago and my standards are high. Their pasta entrees are a bit small. That means it needs to be full of flavor. Unfortunately, the dish didn’t have the creamy egg flavor that carbonara typically has. When you eat carbonara, you’re expecting it to be creamy and rich. It was neither creamy nor rich. And the paltry amount of pancetta used contributed to the lack of richness. The pancetta (some places use guanciale) was salty which would have further brought out the flavor.
The desserts, however, were amazing and reason alone to return. The toasted pistachio gelato was first rate. The intensity of the pistachio flavor coming through was incredible. It may be one of the best desserts I’ve ever had. I also got the chocolate budino which was similarly excellent. The richness of the chocolate with the lightness of the cream and bitterness of the cocoa nibs were a divine combination.
Overall, I liked my experience at RPM. Daniel, our waiter, was so good at his job and clearly loves serving people. I plan to go back for dessert, and I definitely want to try their chicken parmesan or cacio e pepe.
