Dining Review

Kathy Mader

Good news! There’s yet another little gem of a restaurant off the beaten

path in Costa Mesa where it is worth stopping by and sharing the love.

Mama Rose, owned and operated by Elaine and Richard Lombardi at Wilson

Avenue and Newport Boulevard, is a cucina Italiana that lives and cooks

by the saying “to love good food is to love life.”

Nothing goes into this restaurant that doesn’t hold a special place in

Elaine Lombardi’s heart.

It is all about the love, styled not after cities or restaurants in Italy

but after warm living rooms and sitting rooms of Italian homes. The Rose

Room is named after not only Richard’s mother, Rose Lombardi, but the

many bouquets of dried roses that hang from the ceiling and the rose

wallpaper.

The New York room is perhaps the most glamorous, with red walls, gold

wainscoting and red and white striped wall paper below. Above, in the

center of the ceiling is the very Italian painting of blue sky dotted

with white clouds, plus angels watching over you. The candelabra that

hang on the walls make this room truly romantic.

Then there is the beautiful little ladies-who-lunch-style room, the

Piazza de Gertrude. It’s named after Elaine’s Polish mother, who gamely

understood that the Italian restaurant needed to be named after an

Italian mother.

And finally, there is the wedding gallery, where family wedding

photos--dating back two and three generations--adorn the wall. It is here

you can meet Mama Rose Lombardi herself and pictures of the entire family

she helped to create.

There is one seemingly random couple on the wall, who are not part of the

Lombardi family but were engaged there and hold a special place in

Elaine’s heart.

One of the coolest, most up-to-date things about dining here is the sign

out front that reads: “No cell phones.” Kind of sad that it even has to

be said; but in true New York style, it is said here, and boldly.

I have said before that the bread served prior to dinner can define in a

moment the caliber of a restaurant. Mama Rose and her family must have

known that because the melt-in-the-mouth, fresh-out-of-the-oven slices of

bread, drizzled in fresh olive oil and herbs, ensure that this place will

be a treat.

And then you are actually served a treat: a traditional palette cleanser

from the region of Bari, Italy: a slice of orange, sprinkled with that

same fresh olive oil and herbs. An unusual taste and quite delicious. We

added to that by ordering roasted peppers ($8), fire-roasted with grapes,

pine nuts and caramelized garlic.

Know in advance that there is no shortage of roasted garlic at Mama Rose.

Just be prepared.

I ordered the night’s special, large prawns in a creamy crab sauce over

bow tie pasta. This rich dish could have been shared by all four of us

and we would have all been satisfied. Instead, I tried to do the honors

myself. Remember, it is all about the love.

Salmon piccata was another nightly special that I hope will be again.

Husband Brian ordered the delicious chicken Gorgonzola ($14), lightly

breaded chicken, golden-fried and smothered in creamy Gorgonzola sauce,

all served with tortellini. He is still at the gym.

My father ordered that Italian restaurant staple, chicken Parmesan ($13),

served with a generous side of rigatoni and marinara. Thankfully, he had

enough to share. The only disappointment was the slightly soggy tomato

basil risotto ($16) with chicken.

Several trips will have to be made to sample this family’s recipes, from

the escarole and beans with sweet sausage to the pork tenderloin and

rib-eye steak. For those of you just in from the Jersey shore, sausage

and peppers is served every night to take back your taste buds.

And to answer the burning food lover’s questions, yes, there is wine. A

solid list of rich and hearty Chiantis, cabernets and merlots.

Even the desserts are rich with family history. Their best seller,

pistachio pie, was a favorite that Elaine Lombardi made with her daughter

as a child and has been popular with the family--and customers--ever

since. Traditional New York cheesecakes are also offered.

The Lombardi family must be applauded for doing what it seems not many

new restaurants do any more: a family owned and loved restaurant, with

family secret recipes. Workers take great pride in their own family and

really nice care of their extended family--the diners.

MAMA ROSE

2346 Newport Blvd., B-2, Costa Mesa

Open from 5 p.m. Tuesdays through Saturdays

Moderately expensive

Information: (949) 650-1949