Everyone brags that his or her mama’s the best cook around. After a trip to Mama’s Pasta and Brew, I tend to agree. While a little off the beaten path, Mama’s rustles up some of the best, and cheapest, Italian food you’re going to find.
Sure, the place looks like a crack house from the outside. It’s located down an alley between Beekman’s Bagel Deli and, ironically, the Campus Partners headquarters.
At night, the prospect of walking down a dark alley to a windowless restaurant might seem particularly unappealing but I assure you: This place is neither creepy nor dirty. Quite the contrary, Mama’s is very pleasant and clean on the inside.
The interior reminded me of a handicap-accessible hunting lodge, from the rough wood paneling to the moose head hanging off the wall. There’s comfortable seating for about 30 between their booths, tables and bar. While tobacco addicts will be happy to hear the restaurant is smoke-friendly (they even have a cigarette machine), my non-smoking readers will have to either put up with it or order carryout at 299-7724.
Our waitress, Erin, was very quick to bring us menus and take our drink orders. Mama’s carries a wide variety of domestic and import beers as well as Coke products for my younger readers without fake IDs. One beer in particular struck a chord with my co-masticator Josh. “Stay away from that Flying Dog, Hank,” he said. “It’s got cool artwork on the side but it’s the worst beer ever. It’s not that bad while you’re drinking it but it’s got an aftertaste like dirty socks.”
While this left some questions unanswered as to how Josh came to know what dirty socks taste like, I decided to take his word for it.
While reading the menu I couldn’t help but be impressed by how inexpensive everything was. Soft drinks with unlimited refills are 75 cents and most entrees are under five bucks. My cheaper readers will also be happy to know Mama’s has daily food specials and happy hour.
While waiting for our food, I took a trip to the bathroom. I figured that if any place in this restaurant was going to be filthy, it’d be the men’s restroom. To my surprise, my experience there would be best described as literary. While fairly clean throughout, the walls inside were littered with graffiti. After jotting down a few phone numbers, I headed back.
The garlic bread here was good but could use a little more garlic. What you end up with otherwise is toast with a butter and cheese topping. You’d think Mama would’ve known better.
The salads consisted of fresh iceberg lettuce topped with a couple of tomato slices. Evidently, Marzetti’s salad dressing is the best Italian dressing Jarrod’s ever had. While I have my suspicions that he was just really hungry, as he inhaled his greens in less than a minute, leaving only the two lonely and forgotten tomato slices as evidence of his carnage. Despite the simple ingredients, the salads were fine.
Jarrod also had Mama’s French onion soup. He had these choice words to say about it: “This soup’s just as good as you’ll get it anywhere else. There’s plenty of provolone cheese and crouton, but without a strong onion smell.”
At this point Terry Fahy, the owner/operator of Mama’s Pasta and Brew came out of answer some of my questions. The culinary pride and joy of Mama’s has to be their special tomato sauce. He told me that it’s homemade and left to slow cook for about five to six hours before serving.
When I tried to pry the particulars out of him, he said, “Well, it’s made with whole tomatoes, tomato paste, onions, basil, oregano and other spices. It’s been passed down through generations.”
That’s manager-speak for “I’m sure as hell not telling you the recipe, Mr. Food Critic.”
Terry told me this is his 18th year at Mama’s, which opened in 1977. “Mama’s has a very loyal base of regular customers,” he said. “We like to plan social events here like dart night, golf outings, and rafting trips. It helps make Mama’s more than just a place to eat but a social atmosphere too.”
One of the pictures on the wall shows two men on a research trip to Antarctica. One of them is holding a road sign which reads, “Mama’s Pasta and Brew: 15,000 miles.”
Mama’s also caters private parties. According to Terry, sorority girls tend to really like Natty Lite beer. I urge my greek readers to write in and tell me this isn’t true.
My spaghetti with meatballs was fantastic. The dish comes with delicious tomato sauce over well-prepared meatballs and al dente noodles. It could’ve used a little Parmesan cheese but all in all, it was the best $5 plate of spaghetti I’ve ever had.
Josh had this to say about his lasagna, “The lasagna noodles were perfect, not like a rock and not smooshy either. The sauce is excellent. The only problem is that there wasn’t enough. If you drown in the sauce someday, you’ll die a happy death.”
Jarrod also tried the lasagna and had this to add: “It was very thick – no searching for the cheese and other goodies in between the layers. I ate it so quick I began to miss it as it was going. I almost cried when it was gone. The sauce was so good I just wanted to a bucket of it and a ladle.”
While I did not experience a post-masticating depression like my friend, my Paxil-popping readers will want to be sure to load up just in case.
In closing, Mama’s Pasta and Brew is a must-try for anyone living in the campus area. The food, service and atmosphere are all very enjoyable, and the prices are unbelievably. So to all my readers, the next time you’re down with the campus food blues, don’t hesitate to head back to Mama’s.
Hank Mylander is a junior in management information systems from Westerville. He presently holds cooking degrees from many prestigious culinary art schools. Actually that’s a lie. Thanks for reading the bio line anyway. The masticator can be reached at [email protected].
