Who is the “Roberto” of Roberto’s Real American Tavern? His face is all over the branding of the new East Windsor restaurant, with dark hair in a gel-spiked hairstyle, a slight goatee and a stud earring in his left ear.
The menu describes him as an “international man of mystery.” “Is he Italian? Is he Spanish? Of South American descent, Asian or Northern European origins, perhaps? Raised by wolves maybe?”
In reality, the visage is that of co-owner Robert D’Eliseo, a first-generation Italian-American, who opened the restaurant in December with business partner and longtime friend Wil Quijano. The “Roberto” character best represents “the melting pot of America,” D’Eliseo says, with a wide variety of foods: classic red-sauce Italian, pizza, tacos, Asian-inspired dishes, burgers and pastas.
D’Eliseo, who also owns the Log Cabin restaurant in the eastern Connecticut town of Lebanon, and Quijano, a former Hartford Restaurant Group partner and beverage director, had been working on their joint concept for a while and looking for the ideal space in which to execute it. When they learned in May that the iconic Jonathan Pasco’s would be closing after 26 years in business, they went to look at the historic 1784 building.
“It was an easy sell when we came in the building. It already had a template,” Quijano says. “It just had to be aesthetically fixed a little bit, to give it the rustic but modern kind of look.”
By the early December opening, the partners had modernized the space with bright paint, industrial steel and sleek furniture, and introduced more of the “Roberto” brand throughout the restaurant, with mural-style paintings along the brick walls.
They chose the title Real American Tavern to best exemplify the large, eclectic menu with global influence. Appetizers and sharing plates ($7.95 to $10.95) include deviled eggs topped with bacon or buffalo chicken, potato and cheese pierogies, deep-fried cauliflower bites with a spicy Thai sauce, a quesadilla made with a sweet potato tortilla, queso fundido, Thai chicken skewers and street tacos with fried cod, grilled chicken, pulled pork or carnitas.
Pizza done Greek-style (perfectly round, pan-baked pies with a thicker crust) “has gone over really well,” the partners said, with a bevy of preparations: a cheeseburger pie topped with lettuce, pickles and tomatoes; a “MexiCali” with sausage, pulled pork, poblano peppers and avocado; the best-selling Norma the Greek (feta, spinach and artichokes); and the loaded Roberto Grande, with onions, peppers, mushrooms, pepperoni, sausage and extra cheese. Pizzas are available in personal and sharing sizes, priced at $10.95 to $18.50.
Among the top sandwiches ($8.95 to $10.95) are the Roberto’s Havana, a take on a traditional Cuban that adds pickled onion; and an albacore tuna melt with Swiss cheese. The popular IPA beer burger gets an infusion of hoppy beer as it cooks on the griddle; another creative burger features mozzarella, pepperoni, peppers, pizza sauce and sauteed onions on rustic ciabatta. A tortilla-crusted black bean burger topped with guacamole offers a vegetarian option.
The pastas and classic Italian dishes (chicken and eggplant Parmesan, penne alla rosa with tomato cream sauce) honor some of D’Eliseo’s family recipes, and diners have gravitated to “house specialties” like sirloin skewers marinated in cola and bourbon and flat iron steak with Gorgonzola sauce. Blackboard specials feature additional starters, entrees and desserts, which often showcase fresh fish and seafood. Recent specials include pan-seared salmon with avocado salsa and littleneck clams with white wine, garlic and marinara. Entrees are $9.95 to $26.95.
Housemade desserts ($5.95 to $6.95) include a mascarpone cheesecake with a chocolate cookie crust and seasonal berries, a key lime torte and churros with Nutella sauce and whipped cream. Bar manager Justin DeGioia, another Hartford Restaurant Group alum, handles the beverage program, with a focus on craft beers and more than a dozen specialty cocktails.
Weekly events include Taco and Margarita Wednesday, offering $14.95 all-you-can-eat tacos with beans and rice, $5 margaritas and sangria, and $3 select beers. The “X-Static” happy hour runs from 3 to 6 p.m. on weekdays, with eight $5 appetizers and specials on beer, wine and weekly cocktail features. The restaurant introduced weekend brunch in February, served Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. with plates like coffee-rubbed steak and eggs, mascarpone-stuffed French toast and a breakfast burrito. Brunch also features specials on bloody marys, mimosas and bellinis.
The partners say they’ve gotten a lot of positive feedback in the first few months. Quijano says some of the early customers — “Pasco’s diehards” — may have initially found the new concept too trendy, but they’ve embraced it and keep returning. And while they’ve naturally captured East Windsor residents as regulars, he said the Roberto’s clientele visits from as far south as Manchester to as far north as West Springfield.
D’Eliseo, who’s already enjoyed restaurant success in an even smaller and more rural town, says he prefers to be part of a tight-knit community.
“I like small towns,” he says. “You get to know the people, the high schools … you can build a great business. I like that better.”
Roberto’s Real American Tavern, 31 S. Main St., East Windsor, is open Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 a.m. to last call at 12:30 a.m. and Friday and Saturday, 11:30 a.m. until last call at 1:30 a.m. 860-370-9888, robertosct.com.
