The month of May is a busy time for me. It’s not just Mother’s day but my mother’s birthday, my sister’s birthday, my brother in law’s birthday (well, April, but we squish his into May) and my sister and brother in law’s anniversary. Whew!
We decided to have a family dinner at Villa Roma, located in Laguna Hills. The GPS led me to a 7-Eleven parking lot, and it wasn’t incorrect. The restaurant is behind the 7-Eleven, yes attached to the back side. What a hidden gem!
Lucky for us, my sister made an early reservation. Apparently 2 big parties was also on the books, and one took up the majority of the restaurant. We got the last table inside the restaurant, and good thing as it was windy and cold outside.
We started off with a calamari appetizer. My brother in law said the portions were large, so he suggested we split the Parrillada Para Dos (For Two) which was a platter consisting of 2 Grilled short ribs, 2 Argentine sausages, sweet bred, skirt steak, 1 blood sausage and flap meat. The dish came with a side, and we were told the garlic fries were a must try.
Since we were splitting a platter, I added the Stracciatella, a Homemade chicken broth with fresh spinach and egg whites as my starter, thinking the platter wasn’t going to be enough. My mother was going vegetarian and chose the Melanzane Alla Parmigiana, a sautéed eggplant baked with ricotta cheese, fresh herbs and onion; topped with mozzarella.
My brother in law was right. The soup was generous, but even moreso the platter! It was more than enough for 2, and lucky Stephen, my dad and I split it. We even had some left over.
The service was decent, and very attentive, even with the big party. At the end of the meal, our server really wanted us to try their dessert, and we declined. She seemed disappointed, but we didn’t tell her we had birthday cake waiting at the house. Overall a good meal, and I’d go back, especially on a Tuesday when they have empanadas for 99cents. As we were leaving, they were starting the live music. Perhaps next time!
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