Steve Mellon, Post-Gazette Domenico Aliberto, displaying cannoli, is chef and owner of Cafe Roma in Bloomfield.

By Elizabeth Downer, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

If such a thing as a cult exists on our restaurant scene, I would have to say that the devotion to Cafe Roma fits the description.

		Cafe Roma 4770 Liberty Ave. Bloomfield 412-621-1534 Hours: Dinner 5-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, noon-9 p.m. Sundays. Basics: A tiny store-front cafe serving authentic Sicilian cuisine prepared by a chef who hails from Messina. Homemade pasta and unusual ragu sauces make this menu a treasure trove of simple, home-style Italian dishes. Prices: Appetizers, $3.95-$6.95; entrees, $15.25-$26.95; desserts, $4.25-$5.95; BYOB, $2.50 per glass charge. Summary: No-smoking, nonaccessible restrooms; major credit cards accepted. Parking on neighborhood streets can be hard to find.

Cafe Roma opened in the fall of 2005 in a simple storefront in Bloomfield. Within weeks I began hearing the buzz about a tiny new restaurant serving fabulous Sicilian home-style cooking. When I went to check it out, I found a small room furnished with a glass deli cabinet, a cold drink refrigerator, six tables set with paper placemats and plastic cutlery and a short menu of pastas printed on a sheet of colored paper.

The owner and chef, Domenico Aliberto, came out of the kitchen in his apron to describe his house-made sauces. His lasagna and tortellini were awesome, and it was easy to see why the word-of-mouth drums were beating for this little husband-and-wife operation. It wasn't long before the throw-away plates and cutlery were replaced with substantial tableware and the paper napkins gave way to linen. Chef Domenico kept the menu simple, and Cafe Roma was open for lunch and dinner. His avid customers were willing to fight for a hard-to-find Bloomfield parking space in order to dine on Cafe Roma's authentic, Old World pasta specialties.

Then suddenly, less than a year after opening, Cafe Roma closed, and my e-mail box was filled with messages from the saddened Roma-groupies.

I have great news for all you Cafe Roma fans. Chef Domenico has returned! The cafe reopened for dinner only on Dec. 28. There is new decor and no more glass deli cases. Tables are clothed in white linen topped with candles in the center of silk floral arrangements. The menu has grown to four pages, divided into stuzzichini (appetizers), soups and salads, pastas, meat, fish and poultry and a changing menu of three daily specials. The pastas, made in the kitchen, are cooked entirely after an order is placed. This is a rare practice in restaurants today because it slows down the service, but it assures that the pasta will be perfectly al dente and never gummy.

Menu prices have climbed from the plastic-plate days, but there is added value, too. Each table is served a complimentary bottle of Acqua Panna Italian mineral water. There are two olive oil dipping sauces and a basket filled with slices of BreadWorks chewy ciabatta, and every entree is served with a mixed green salad.

The most typical Sicilian entry on the appetizer menu is Polenta with Hot Italian Sausage ($6.25). This large portion of homemade polenta is topped with a spicy marinara sauce loaded with sausage, garlic, onions and sauteed mushrooms. I shared this with my dinner partner, but it was more than two of us could finish.

Cafe Roma pastas are my favorite part of the menu. Among the standards is Sicilian Style Meat Lasagna ($16.95), probably the single dish most responsible for turning Cafe Roma into a cult dining destination. This is old-style lasagna with many layers of homemade noodles, creamy ricotta, sweet tomato and meat ragu and several Italian cheeses, then slowly baked to blend the ingredients into an ambrosial casserole. Linguine Puttanesca ($15.50) rises above the average interpretation of this dish by virtue of the fresh, house-made pasta. Chef Domenico's marinara sauce is a rich and flavorful blend of tomatoes, onions and herbs, which is embellished with black olives, capers, anchovies and crushed red pepper.

For the freshly made Gnocchi ($15.95) there is a lighter sauce of tomatoes seasoned with green olives and spicy Italian sausage. An occasional pasta special is Fresh Wild Mushroom Ravioli ($16.95). These large pockets stuffed with sauteed mushrooms are topped with a creamy sauce flavored with ground almonds, something I have never seen in any other Pittsburgh restaurant.

Other specials that set this kitchen apart from its peers are Chingiale alla Casalinga ($22.95) or wild boar cooked the Sicilian way, in herbs and red wine and served with Chef Domenico's delicious gnocchi, as well as Fettuccini with Duck Ragu ($18.95), fresh house-made pasta served with a delicious stew of duck meat and porcini mushrooms. There's also Mint Tagliatelle with Lamb Ragu ($21.95), another handmade pasta flavored with mint and topped with tender stewed lamb that explodes with aromas of blended Mediterranean herbs.

If you are interested in a particular dish, it is best to call the restaurant to inquire when it will be on the menu. And if you want to be certain that it will be available when you arrive, you might want to request that the kitchen put an order aside for you. Frequently the house runs out of the most popular items.

This chef is as talented in pastry as he is in pasta. I long ago gave up ordering tiramisu in restaurants when every version I tasted was bland and frequently from a frozen food distributor. When I saw the Cafe Roma Tiramisu ($5.95) at a neighboring table, I knew it was the real thing and that I would have to forgo my prejudices. Chef Domenico's is as close to the authentic Tuscan version as you might ever get. This tiramisu has never seen a freezer. All of the ingredients are fresh and the result is outstanding. Ask for one serving for two. It is enormous.

Cannoli ($4.25) come as a pair of crispy shells filled with chocolate or vanilla cream and are as delicious as any I have ever tasted. Chambella ($5.25) is similar to Bundt cake and the chef makes it in various flavors. You might find chocolate or lemon-rosemary or some more exotic flavor.

The chef's wife, Michelle, is the hostess/server in the dining room. Her welcome is warm and her desire to accommodate is sincere, but when the dining room is filled, there is simply no way she can devote the time needed to attend to details such as refilling bread baskets or removing dishes before serving dessert. One can also experience delays between courses, which are probably the result of all that last-minute cooking but which can mean that dinner stretches into several hours. Table spacing is tight, and the room can become noisy, especially if there is a large party consuming lots of wine.

This dining room seats only 20, so it is imperative to reserve. For Friday or Saturday, it's advisable to call mid-week. Bring your own alcoholic beverages. Corkage is $2.50 per glass and the glasses are nicer than those in many BYOB restaurants.

Cafe Roma is the most authentic Italian restaurant in Little Italy. No wonder it has become a cult icon. Welcome back to Chef Domenico.