East side and west side - which don't talk to each other (2 of 2)…read more
I happened to be in this area on the east side (far, far east) and found this Italian restaurant - Mama Roberto's - that was open for lunch. I saw that the reviews were mostly good, but something on the menu was staring at me in the face:
AGLIO Y OLIO
I'll get to that part later.
Between checking the menu prior to arriving and walking in to be seated, I got a feel for the lay of the land and how this might play out. They brought out a basket of bread, which was a larger knotted roll of garlic bread. You wouldn't see this in Italy. The bread would be far more understated. The salad was very good and substantial, with tomatoes and cheese as well as your choice of a few dressings. I then looked over the main dishes they had for lunch. A few seemed okay and they had the veal and chicken parmigiana and marsala. I was tempted to get the latter, but, with only one chicken breast, I ordered the lasagna, which was only found on the dinner menu. I should not have done so. As soon as it arrived, I noticed its presentation. It was a big slab of lasagna sitting in a sea of tomato sauce. This sort of presentation is Italian-American. It's not the more delicate presentation with less obtrusive pasta sheets that you'd see in Italy or in more upscale Italian restaurants on this side of the pond. I finished it off and it sort of bogs you down, such that you can skip dinner.
The service was excellent. There is a "can do" spirit in the service. Since they aren't featuring Coke Zero, which I like because it tastes more like original Coke, they mixed up some regular and diet Coke for me.
Let me talk about its decidedly Italian-American leanings.
The word "mama" is something I noticed. New York had a long running Italian restaurant near the theaters named Mama Leone's, except that the literature and memorabilia also shows it as Mamma Leone's. Mamma is the bona fide Italian spelling. However, I'm sure that Italian-Americans might say, "I hope your mama is doing better" or "Your mama is a good cook." (Note that it is definitely not "yo mama.") America seems to have defaulted to this Jersey Shore Italian-American spelling.
Now, let me get to "AGLIO Y OLIO." Do you put together a menu and not check your spelling with "real deal" Italian people? The "y" means "and" in Spanish! The correct Italian spelling would be "AGLIO E OLIO," which means "garlic and oil." What's also happening that many Hispanic cooks have cut their teeth at Italian restaurants that lean Italian-American and, if that's the case, then the food reflects that.
Summing it up, Mama Roberto's gives you a lot of food, the prices are very fair, the service is customer focused, and the restaurant is pleasant and clean. On the other hand, the food runs on the heavy side, it is way more Italian-American, and they have the credit card use upcharge which is becoming more common as businesses shift this normal cost of doing business to their customers.
It could have been that one of their meat, chicken, or veal dishes would have been a more manageable portion and been more to my liking. Perhaps one of the white sauce pasta dishes might have also been more up my alley. However, they should revisit their lasagna recipe and use another benchmark for both its looks and taste.
I hated writing this review because Mama Roberto's is a mix of positives and negatives. If you are fine with Italian-American food, and lots of it, this might work for you. For me, Mama Roberto's is but a 3-star restaurant.
