For now, let us start with a relatively new upstart in the State College area – Mamma Mia’s. It’s tucked neatly and unobtrusively between the Darkhorse Tavern and People’s Nation in the block between Allen and Pugh Sts. Downtown. It has seating for roughly 12-16 people at the tables inside and another, perhaps, six or seven at the countertop and a menu that may, at first glance, remind you of the other pizza/pasta joints in town.
Do not be deceived. Yes, they do carry subs (hot and cold) and pizza. Yes, there are a variety of pasta dishes on the menu. And, yes, that is calamari you see in the appetizers section and this may make you grimace. Do not, I urge again, be deceived. You must read between the lines (or, very literally, the lines on the glass window when walking in). All of the bread is homemade. This may seem trivial to some or unimportant to others but when you have an Eggplant Parmesan sub (or any sub, really), heated to perfection in a pizza oven on a homemade roll, you’ll understand the full value of this statement. It’s the sort of bread that, at least when I eat it, I question why, in the handful of times I’ve attempted to make bread, I can’t make it this good. Massimo, the owner and chef, does it well and while I’ve never actually seen him make the bread I only assume he makes it look very easy.
But, believe me, it’s not just the bread that keeps me going back there (although, I suspect, it plays a large part into Laura’s return trips – besides the Eggplant Parmesan itself, the calamari, and the pizza). It’s rare, and delightful, to get sauce in a place around here that does not taste more like the pot it was cooked in than the tomatoes and spices that are in it. Even those with limited culinary knowledge, know about the reactivity of the acidic tomato and the aluminum pot. I have not eaten all of the pasta items on the menu, health concerns from the over-consumption of pasta and carbs (also, have I mentioned the subs and pizza?) prevent me from doing so in the time that I’ve frequented Mamma Mia’s (my number is recognized). But from what I’ve had you can, and I stress this, taste the sauce. The actual sauce! Not aluminum. Anyone who has spent some time with me in an Italian restaurant should know of my distaste for sub-par sauces. I understand that we, as Americans, put much more sauce on our food than Italians do but Massimo does not overdo the sauce. There’s enough on there. And it’s good.
And speaking of sauce? What makes a great dipper for great calzones and Stromboli? But these calzones and Stromboli you don’t necessarily need to dip. I have. I dipped a few times and, believe me, the sauce makes the difference between dipping Massimo’s calzones and Stromboli over some other places in town but they stand well on their own. If you like meat and eat it regularly, you’ll love the Meat Lovers calzone. If you don’t eat meat or prefer veggies, there are options – and good ones! – for you. Ask Laura. She’ll tell you.
I have never been to Massimo’s other fine dining restaurants in Harrisburg and Florida. I’ve seen the reviews online, one comment saying it was “the best Italian food in Orlando.” I don’t know if he does anything differently with the food at Mamma Mia’s than he did there. I could assume so but that, I fear, would do disservice to Mamma Mia’s rather than his Trattoria’s. Besides, I can’t imagine walking into one of his restaurants now, after eating and carrying out from Mamma Mia’s, and not seeing him behind the counters in t-shirts making the best pizza and subs and some of the best pasta in town. I’ve also noticed online a handful of comments suggesting unfriendly staff here but, in the many times I’ve been there, I have not once been treated rudely. In fact, they are pleasant and they remember you (at least if you’re there as much as we are). It’s the kind of place that makes you forget you’re in a town with a high transient population where most of the restaurants don’t recognize you from the thousands of people that come through once a year and are gone, never to be heard from again.
No, at Mamma Mia’s it’s great food and great people. And that’s fine by me.
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