Mama Ricotta's
Chicken Parmesan Sandwich
If you could bottle up that home-cooked Italian meal that your 4’5” Nonna would make for you for your 3 pm Sunday “dinner” — it would be Mama Ricotta’s.
Homestyle comfort food
This reasonably priced Italian restaurant sits right on the border of Dilworth and Cherry. The menu is expansive — it includes everything from fried calamari to chicken parmesan to spaghetti and meatballs to veal Osso Bucco. I wanted to try everything (shocker!) but had to limit myself. Read on to see how I rated the selections I tried.
Mangia!
Calamari. The calamari is crisp and served with a charred tomato aioli — Rhode Island-Style, tossed in garlic, spicy cherry & pepperoncini peppers. We ordered it the standard way, as Rhode Island-Style can mask the quality sometimes. There wasn’t too much breading, and it was AMAZING… honestly, the most tender calamari I’ve ever eaten. I would 100% order Rhode Island-Style next time – really takes it to the next level of yumminess.
Goat Cheese and Mascarpone Dip. This Mama’s favorite is topped with a warm tomato basil sauce made with Goat Lady Dairy Goat Cheese and served with grilled ciabatta for dipping. I was expecting it to be just OK; however, the dish was perfection. What a lovely surprise! It was the perfect blend of mascarpone and goat cheese – the mascarpone took away some of the bitter nuttiness that goat cheese has, leaving behind a rich and creamy pile of heaven that, when mixed with the tomato sauce – YUM! I also like that the tomato sauce seemed to have lost much of its acidity even before mixing with the cheese.
Chicken Parmesan Sandwich with Fries. This sandwich features a house-breaded chicken Romano breast topped with San Marzano tomato basil red sauce and melty muenster cheese on a crusty baguette. It’s standard but delicious. The chicken is very juicy and tender while offering nice crispiness on the exterior. The bread was good – it has a crisp exterior with a fluffy interior. The sandwich is very light on the sauce; however, they provide a side of sauce in case you prefer a wet sub. I love that they did this so you can choose how much sauce you want as a diner. The fries served with it were also perfection – super crispy, but with a tender interior where you can still taste the potato.
Penne, Broccoli, and Chicken. While simple – it was my favorite dish of the day. Nothing fancy, the roasted chicken breast, broccoli florets and penne pasta tossed in a delicate lemon cream sauce had a FLAWLESS execution. There were no “twists” or surprises to make this their own, but the chicken was tender, and the broccoli was perfectly cooked – soft enough to pierce with a knife, but firm enough where a fork couldn’t cut it alone. There was an exact right amount of sauce to make it creamy without drowning the dish…and just a hint of lemon. Mmmm.
Penne Alla Vodka. This penne pasta tossed with sautéed pancetta in a pepper vodka, spicy tomato cream sauce was my second favorite dish of the day. YUM! The twist on this classic penne vodka – heat. But not too much — there was the perfect level of spiciness, which you do not expect (unless you read the description – which clearly, I did not). It is the signature dish of the restaurant, and a must order.
Organic Spaghetti with Wagyu Meatballs. I had mixed feelings about the Antico Pastificio Umbro organic spaghetti with American wagyu beef and pork meatballs braised in Mama’s tomato basil sauce. The pasta was excellent. The sauce was simple but very flavorful. The meatball, on the other hand, I could have done without. It tasted under-seasoned to me. The beef was the star of this dish, and as a result, tasted a bit too earthy to me. It would have benefited from more Italian seasoning and breadcrumbs. The texture was OK, but I guess I’m simple and just want my family’s classic Italian meatballs.
Pollo Bianco. This scallopini-style chicken is layered with prosciutto and mozzarella in a Chianti wild mushroom sauce. Typically, it’s served with today's vegetable and garlic mashed potatoes. While the menu didn’t state this, it was a dinner-only item. Lucky for us, the restaurant still cooked it for us — with a couple alterations — different sides (the mashed potatoes are only made for dinner.) It was no problem for us, as we wanted the chicken and didn’t really care what the sides were. The chicken was excellent and served in a HUGE portion. Zero complaints here (and the sides of sautéed spinach and broccolini were great as well).
Chianti Braised Short Rib. 12-hour slow braised Short Rib over potato gnocchi, cipollini onions, and local kale. This is the one item that I would absolutely not recommend or order again. I would have sent it back, but there wasn’t really anything left to send back. It was such a small portion that by the time each of us took a bite, it was gone. And it’s a shame because it looked delicious and was the most highly recommended dish to me. The sauce is excellent, and the gnocchi is tender and flavorful from soaking up the sauce. But… the short rib is TERRIBLE. It is supposedly a 12-hour braised short rib — but I know my short ribs, and it tasted like it was braised for three. This thing was TOUGH. I know that when I eat short ribs, I should be able to flake off the meat with my fork. Unfortunately, it was difficult to cut even using a steak knife….let’s not discuss when it came time to chew it.
My verdict?
Overall, I’d rate Mama Ricotta’s 4/5. Some dishes were great, some were OK, and one was bad. It would have been a 4.5 out of 5, but the short rib ruined it (a bit) for me. All in all, it was a very good meal, and I’ll definitely go back. I just won’t order the short rib.
Affordable prices
Appetizers are all around $10. Sandwiches are between $8-$12. Pasta is $7.25-$15 for lunch, $13-18 for dinner, and $20-$30 for family-sized portions. Entrees range from $18-$32 (which is very reasonable, especially after you see how big they are).
When I go back, it will have to be for dinner, as there are certain dishes that are only served then – and I’m thankful for that, as it made our choices of what to order last time easier.
Here is what I still want to try:
Melanzane Fritte. Crispy eggplant fries with charred tomato aioli.
Mussels. Steamed with roasted tomatoes, butter, and white wine. These are only served at dinner, so plan accordingly. I’ve heard nothing but rave reviews of these.
Tonarelli Carbonara. Mama Ricotta’s twist on Rome’s most famous dish. Heritage Farms bacon & organic eggs tossed with tonarelli pasta.
Diver Scallops. Seared and served with lemon caccio e peppe risotto, blistered tomatoes, and a charred lemon for squeezing over top.
Veal Marsala. Veal scaloppini sautéed with mushrooms, onions and Marsala sauce. Served with linguine cacio e pepe.
Pizza. They offer 5 specialty pizzas, from Italian sausage to white pizza, or you can build your own.
