Meatballs on a roll in Port Richmond
"We're trying to bring a little South Philly up here," says Paul Reitenouer, who owns the shop with his wife, Paula.
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You'd better be darn sure of yourself if you're opening a restaurant serving only one or two dishes — as Paul Reitenouer and his wife, Paula Romano Reitenouer, have done with the new Romano's Meatballs & Co., in a former flower shop at 3136 Richmond St. (215-845-5117).
Their specialties: all-beef meatballs and chicken cutlets, served on seeded Liscio's rolls.
The second twist is that they're set up in Port Richmond, traditionally a Polish American enclave.
"We're trying to bring a little South Philly up here," says Paul, who adds that Paula (yes, ha-ha, it's Paul and Paula) does the cooking from family recipes, offering cannoli and pizzelles for dessert. (She melds a cannoli and a pizzelle to make a pizzoli.)
Seating is at few patio-style tables gussied up with flower-filled tomato-sauce cans. The Parm comes with five meatballs, topped with mozzarella, drizzled with gravy, and sprinkled with Pecorino-Romano for a delicious, solid deal at $9.