Speedy at Your Service

It pays to have friends in high places or with really good connections. On a chilly Saturday evening, my friend Lauren invited our friends Nicole, Ali and myself to a restaurant opening in Brooklyn. Fortunately the trek to Brooklyn was overshadowed by the potential for amazing Italian food (this I knew from Lauren as she had already had a chance to taste the chef's creations and approved.)

Tucked away in Clinton Hill and housed in an old auto parts store, Speedy Romeo, was a mix of rustic and cool. Named after one of the owner's family's racehorses, the night was anything but rushed. The interior was welcoming featuring brick walls, retro furniture and antique treasures with a wood burning oven and open views of the kitchen as the main attraction. 

Since this was the opening, the waitress explained the menu section by section giving recommendations along the way. Pizza was a given (the wood oven tempted us the minute we walked in). To give the other items on the menu a chance, we gazed over the selection and decided on a combination of apps, pizza, entrees and sides to share. We started with the mozzarella salad made of smoked eggplant, mozzarella, chili oil and toast. For pizza, we went classic with a margarita and adventurous with The Kind Brother—wild mushrooms, grilled mozzarella, farm egg and sage. The egg scared me at first but ended up being the best part of the pie.

[Insert picture of Kansas City Strip entree and baked potato side & green beans side]

While I usually try to snap a picture of all the dishes—especially the good ones, the steak with salsa verde and the sides went too fast (who said girls can't eat?!). So use your imagination and take it from me—the steak was juicy and the salsa only made it better. The sides were the perfect complement to an an amazing entree.

With the intentions of trying one thing from each section of the menu for the restaurant opening's sake (that's the excuse we are going with for now), we ordered the chocolate cake.  This cake was no average square shaped chocolate dessert but more along the lines of a upscale s'more. No food coma and tightening of the pants could stop us for devouring the dessert.

As the night winded down, the only thing left to settle was the bill, which I consider the most dreaded part of any dining experience (unless you are Donald Trump). Then having a friend with a good connection paid off again—literally. The owners made every drink, dish and dessert on the house as a 'thank you' to their family and friends for supporting their latest food endeavor.  Well this post is my thank you to them. The food was worth every penny—even if the penny didn't come from our pocket books.

Places of Interest:

Speedy Romeo, 376 Classon Ave. (at Greene Ave.), Brooklyn, 718-230-0061

http://speedyromeo.com/index.php