About a month after a bad experience at another italian restaurant, my wife and I decided to go out and try to find a good local italian restaurant, again. We settled on Mama Mia Too, located in Downtown Huntersville. Honestly, I had no desire to go there -- the name reminded me of the Abba play which I truly despise. Despite this initial reservation, I'm quite happy we went.
We entered the house (yes, the restaurant is in an old home), and we were promptly seated in a room that appeared to be the outside patio at one time. The room was decorated in an older style, reminiscent of something a grandmother would do. It should be noted however, the several other dining rooms (and there are many) in the home had a nicer and more elegant feel.
After scanning the menu, I ordered the Veal Parmesan -- one of my favorite italian dishes. The salad, which was included in the price of the entree, consisted of fresh romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and some shredded carrots. Though the salad appeared small in a large bowl, there was plenty to eat. In addition, they have a large array of dressings to choose from, and I chose the Parmesan Pepper Cream. This was an excellent choice.
The bread which came to our table was fresh, warm, and quite tasty. And the Veal Parmesean entree was huge. The veal, which was pounded flat, breaded, and topped with a health portion of cheese and sauce, was accompanied with a side of potatoes au gratin, and a small bowl of thin spaghetti noodles topped with tomato sauce that appeared to be homemade. This meal was so large, it could have easily been two.
In addition, the service was great. If our waiter was taking care of another table, the other staff at the restaurant dealt with our needs quickly. One incident, in particular, stands out in my mind. My wife and I both like large portions of parmesean on our entrees. While the waiter was sprinkling parmesean on the meals, he noticed this, and after he had finished he returned to the table with a bowl of parmesean for us to use at our discretion! This man quickly became my favorite waiter in the area!
After our meals, we made some extra room in our stomachs for dessert. The New York Style Cheesecake was good -- but not great. However, the flavorful (and somewhat strong) decaf coffee was a nice surprise. If it weren't for the fact that I was yawning during the drive back home, I would've thought it was regular coffee.
Score:
Atmosphere: 3/5
Food: 4/5
Service: 5/5
Total: 12/15
Price: $$ (Most entrees between $10-$20)
Conclusion: The meal was quite good, and it's the best italian food that I've had yet in the area. In addition, the service was fantastic. To quote Abba, "Mama Mia... how can I resist you?"
Restaurant Info:
Mama Mia Too
101 Maxwell Ave.
Huntersville, NC 28078
(704) 875-0575
http://mamamiatoo.com/
Sorry, but you must have caught them on an off night. Went there as they had a promotion. Did not say that the portions or food would be less than one might expect. Food was barely average. Additional charge to replace small basket of bread for four people? Place looks run down big time and not what I would call appealing.
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