Mama’s Place Italian Restaurant

I was excited enough by the Unilocal reviews that I took the long road to Essex to try some of Mama’s food. On that Friday night, the place was almost totally empty, which was concerning, but times are tough, and maybe Essexians eat earlier or later. We ordered pasta, salad, and salmon, and both felt like it was an «Eh, ok…» experience. The pasta was dressed in this kind of Italian dressing. Not quite up to Maisano’s level, I think. The tiramisu was fine, but not approaching the perfection of Antonio’s (the standard around here). Mama herself came out, gave a free dessert to the table next to us, and then bragged to us how she was nominated for Chef of the year. I don’t know if she’d get our vote, but it’s a cute enough place if you’re walking around the downtown Essex area in need of a bite. Service was efficient, but not super warm.

What a great place to eat if you’re looking for really good authentic Italian food. Let me tell you, my mother’s side of the family is straight from Italy and I have an Italian Grandma that is an excellent cook. In fact I never usually go to Italian restaurants because to me no one cooks better Italian food than my Grandma. Well that’s still the case as far as I’m concerned (hey it’s La mia famiglia) but boy oh boy does Mama’s food come close.
Everything seems to be made with care and love and that’s what I like to see in any restaurant but I consider myself especially harsh on Italian ones considering all the amazing food I’ve been exposed to growing up. The sauce she makes is very good, the meatballs taste like grandma’s, the portions are good, the soups are great and I could go on and on. Everything is homemade and that’s really what it’s all about when you go out to eat.
The atmosphere of the restaurant is quaint and there isn’t a lot of room but it just adds to that something special. You can tell the business is run with care and quality and it was a place I was anxious to bring my grandparents to (and they loved it as well).
Congratulations Mama’s Place on a really great Italian experience.