Last week, I was invited to a blogger’s meetup at Tony Roma’s on South Semoran Blvd (thanks to Sunshine Baker (@SunShineSytles) for the invitation). Prior to last week, I had only been to Tony Roma’s once even though I live 10 minutes away from one. My perception of Tony Roma’s was an upscale bar-b-que restaurant serving typical bar-be-que fare such as pulled pork, ribs (their tagline used to be ‘A place for ribs’), etc. A nicer version of Sonny’s BBQ, if you will.
When I received the invite, I was intrigued and excited to try a few new menu items. I assumed they were going to add a couple of new items and maybe change a couple of other items. Well, I was completely wrong. Tony Roma’s is completely changing their branding as well as 90% of their existing menu. They are remodeling the restaurant to give it a more modern, up-to-date look and they are completely revamping the menu to add flair to traditional bar-be-que items as well as adding items you would not think would be associated with a bar-be-que restaurants. In other words, they are moving away from being an ‘old school’ bar-be-que restaurant.
Cranberry Romarita
When we first arrived, we were greeted by the marketing folks and their agency. We were also offered a Samuel Adams Octoberfest beer and their signature margarita called a Cranberry Romarita. Both drinks were delicious, but I especially enjoyed the Romarita.
Next, we were greeted by Executive Chef, Bob Gallager, who explained each menu item in detail. Then, it was time to eat!
Our first course was an appetizer called Screaming Cheese. I’m a fried cheese connoisseur (what’s not to love about cheese that is fried) so I wasn’t sure what to expect with their version. As someone who loves fried cheese, I thought the Screaming Cheese was wonderful. Screaming Cheese is fried cream cheese with a touch of spice for flavoring, plated with marinara sauce.
Screaming Cheese
Next appetizer were Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls with Goat Cheese sauce. Again, another delicious dish from the Tony Roma’s chefs.
Tony Roma’s Buffalo Chicken Egg Rolls
We were then served pulled pork tacos with cole slaw. The pork was tender and flavorful, and the cole slaw was the perfect topper.
Pulled Pork Tacos
After several appetizers, we were ready to move onto Filet Medallions with a wonderful Samuel Adams mushroom sauce. The chef explained to us that they had tried several different beers before settling on Samuel Adams. They had to find a beer that gave the sauce flavor, but was not overpowering. Tony Roma’s is also donating a portion of every filet dish purchased to Americans for the Arts in support of music and arts. If you order this dish, you’ll be eating for a cause!
Filet Medallions with Mushroom Sauce
The next entree served was roasted chicken with rice pilaf. Chicken is not usually something I order in a restaurant because I think it’s something I can make at home. However, I would definitely order this chicken. It was so tender and moist, and came with vegetables as well as a side of rice pilaf. Wonderful.
Roasted Chicken
The final entree was short ribs with mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes. This we probably my favorite entree of the night. The short ribs were perfectly cooked and very tender. I love mashed sweet potatoes and these were amazing because of the cranberry and spices.
Short Ribs with Mashed Potatoes and Mashed Sweet Potatoes
For dessert, we dined on an amazing seasonal cobbler of apples, pears, cranberries, brown sugar, cinnamon crust and vanilla ice cream. Yep, it was as good as it sounds!
Seasonal Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream
It was a wonderful evening and it was refreshing to see an established brand recognize that they need to involve and change in order to continue to attract patrons. All of these changes are taking place in November so I will definitely be going back to try these dishes as well as other and I encourage you to do the same.
As you can see, Tony Roma’s is Raising the Steaks in more than one way.
Great review!! I have been waiting for this menu to finally come out!!