By Andrew Bucko, Co-T/E-Life Editor

Tiramisu’s cuisine is a great substitute for a Roman holiday. No, seriously. The flavors that this quaint Roman-Jewish fusion restaurant whips up will transport one from Berwyn to the famed Jewish Ghetto in Italy’s capital, no plane ticket, Fiat, or moped needed.

After 10 minutes of digging through the bread basket, it was time for some greens. A glowingly vibrant arugula salad greeted me. Piled high with Roma tomatoes, blueberry feta, and lemon vinaigrette, this was a salad with soul. The salad had a clean flavor profile and all ingredients worked together seamlessly.

If the bread and salad aren’t quite satisfying enough, the gnocchi will stop even the hungriest diner dead in their tracks. Tiramisu’s version of the rich, dumpling-shaped potato pasta comes in an intimidatingly large bowl. The pasta is drowned (in the best way) with parmesan sauce. Flavors of fresh peppercorn, thyme, and basil shine through the sauce. To reemphasize, the gnocchi is FILLING. The gnocchi al pomodoro showcases a tomato blush sauce. If you get this as an entrée, don’t expect much room for dessert.

On to the crown jewel of the menu, the namesake and highly-coveted tiramisu. Layers of ladyfinger cookies doused in espresso are blockaded by whipped mascarpone, eggs, sugar and cocoa. The first bite might start a lifelong addiction, be warned . . .

However, a dinner at Tiramisu will set one back a good deal. The price is fair for the quality of the food, but the ambiance leaves something to be desired. $18 for gnocchi isn’t cheap. My mom and I heard the same Italian song played four times, and we had the pleasure of listening to the Frank Sinatra cover of the same song later in our meal. Perhaps a new Spotify playlist would make the price 100% worth it.

If you’re looking for a swanky dinner but don’t want to hop the train to Center City, Tiramisu has you covered.