Restaurant Review

Remomo’s Café Italia

Remomo’s Café Italia features a host of signature dishes from wood-fired oven roasted specialties to grilled pesce, traditional pastas, sautés and desserts. Loosely translated, Remomo means king of the carnival. Conveniently located in Arundel Mills, its café style layout and atmosphere easily revives weary shoppers or provides a welcome setting for a night out. And Remomo is also one of the best-kept secrets for weekday lunches. Menu selections by Chef Randy Stahl are diverse and easily satisfy both the famished and those with lighter appetites.

Begin at the beginning with unique antipasti the Italian way. Balsamic tossed strawberries, marinated, fire-roasted vegetables, or other little tastes are a great way to start your meal. With its open kitchen setup, Remomo’s patrons can sit at an antipasti bar and watch chefs at work. Appetizers include hot and cold seafood selections with Italian influence. The hot seafood dip with scallops, crayfish and crabmeat baked in red pepper aioli with spinach and mushrooms disappeared quickly once it arrived at our table. The baked eggplant was stuffed with seasoned ricotta cheese and topped with a thick, chunky marinara.

Soup and salad selections are offered, as is pizza. The basil-crusted catfish and the antipasti on a roll from the sandwich list will catch your attention. Each sandwich choice offers unique toppings.

A fish selection and eight different pasta entrees beckoned our senses. Our server was asked to recommend either the lamb-osso-bucco or Long Island duck from the wood-fired, oven-roasted specialties. Without hesitation she said, “The duck.” It was an excellent choice roasted with oranges and served with rice and roasted pistachios. For this Long Island native, the entree rivaled the best duck I ever eaten. We also tried the Remomo’s signature grilled pork porterhouse. Cooked to order, two very large, thick chops arrived and were served with marinated vinegar peppers.

But wait, there’s more. Although it was hard to choose among tiramisu, cannoli and other dessert treats, we finished our meal with raspberry cheesecake, mile-high chocolate cake and a signature coffee with Godiva liqueur.

Remomo is a sister restaurant of Kings Contrivance, the Brass Elephant, City Lights Seafood and the Milton Inn. Expansion plans for Remomo include an outdoor patio. Remomo’s interior design follows simple geometric lines, and the architecture is considered contemporary European, similar to what you might see in Milan. Blond teakwood tables are arranged café style for intimate seating in plenty of open space. There is a large, round table in the center of the restaurant with a row of tile path on either side leading to it, reflective of roads leading to the market in Italy.

Remomo can accommodate pre-arranged corporate breakfasts or parties, and offers a children’s menu as well as a theater menu. The latter provides a glass of wine, a Caesar salad, an entrée, a dessert and a movie ticket. Valet parking is available for $4, which includes a $2 credit in Momo-lire at the bar.

Remomo’s Café Italia
Arundel Mills, Space R3
Hanover, MD 21076
410-579-MOMO (6666)
www.remomo.com

Monday –Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 10:00 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Sunday 11:30 a.m. – 9 p.m.
The bar is usually open until midnight

Reservations available