More on The Rome

From a September Columbia Business Times article:

Cory Hodapp and Dan Colace said they believe their family-style Italian restaurant called The Rome will fill a gap in the local market. It is modeled after the Colace family's Italian restaurant of the same name near Boston, which has been in business since 1965.

"It was always our dream to eventually end up here and do a project like this," said Hodapp, who befriended Colace when they were on MU's wrestling team in the late 1990s.

And from the Tribune in May:

For the most part, The Rome will feature family-style Italian "comfort" food, Hodapp said, sticking close to the menu at the other Rome, which Colace’s Italian immigrant parents opened in 1965.

Once open, "we will focus on mastering the entrees and sandwiches," he said. "We hope to launch the pizza part of the business sometime in the fall," he added.

For a sneak peek at The Rome, go to www.the-rome.com. Just remember, he said, "the prices are inflated. They won’t be that high in Columbia."

Sounds promising.

The Rome Restaurant

As Marcia Vanderlip reported on the Trib's food forum today, Columbia's only family-style Italian restaurant is slated to open on south 9th Street this Saturday, July 26th. That puts the tally for independent downtown restaurant openings for the next month at four (Rome, Room 38, Bleu and Mississippi Catfish). A good development for us, but who will remain standing in two years? Let the voting begin (at left).