by “The Food Guy” – Food Blogger / Restaurant Critic for Vero Vine and Vero Beach Foodie
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I decided it was time to head back to The Original Mama Mia’s Kitchen to help celebrate their one year anniversary and share this experience with a few guests as part of my Restaurant Review Dining Experience! I’m really happy to see this place still here, especially with the quick exit of the VB American Bar & Grill that previously occupied the space. Italian food is one of my Top 3 favorite cuisines, so I was looking forward to trying a few new dishes!
Located on 14th Avenue in the corner between Main Street Jewelers and Baci Trattoria is where Mama Mia’s is located. Not much has changed in the dining room since my last visit, but it’s the simplicity of Italian touches throughout that make it feel comfortable and inviting. Booth seating makes up the majority of the dining room with a few tables mixed in. The tables are adorned with white table cloths and glass tops. They do have a full bar, so if your just looking to have a drink and a light bite to eat, check out their Happy Hour specials. The patio is also a wonderful space to enjoy dinner if you want to dine al fresco!
Now let’s dive right in and see what this place has to offer and what we had to eat!
Eggplant Italiano
Eggplant is thinly sliced, lightly breaded and fried, then topped with sun-dried tomato pesto, basil pesto, and finished with goat cheese. I’ll admit, I’m not usually a fan of eggplant, but these are really good! Crunchy on the edges and the bold flavors of the sun-dried tomato and goat cheese really make this a great dish!
The escargot were placed in the phyllo cups, topped with a garlic butter sauce, then baked until golden brown. The escargot were very tender and almost disintegrated with the flakiness of the phyllo cup when I took a bite. The garlic butter sauce was just enough to coat and not overwhelm the dish.
Romaine lettuce is tossed with spinach and topped with sliced tomatoes, olives, and Gorgonzola cheese. The lettuce was fresh and the tomatoes were nice and sweet. The olives added a little saltiness and the Gorgonzola cheese was creamy with a nice bite!
Lasagna is a classic Italian dish that is one of my favorites and this one is exceptional! The portion size is quite large, so plan to have leftovers for lunch the next day! The lasagna is layered in a ramekin dish and then is topped with Mozzarella cheese and is placed in the oven until it’s achieved that golden brown crust that makes it so delicious!
Chicken Marsala has recently become one of my new favorite Italian dishes so I could not wait to dig into this one. The chicken had been marinated, then sauteed with mushrooms and served over spaghetti. Of all the other versions I’ve tasted around town, this was the sweetest one yet and I really enjoyed it. The chicken was very tender and full of flavor, and the mushrooms were perfectly cooked and delicious!
Mama Mia’s owner Kristy makes the cheesecake and the cannoli filling in-house each day. The cheesecake has a smoother texture than I was expected for being made with ricotta cheese. It has this beautiful brown crust on top which adds another layer of flavor to the dessert. The cannoli shells are filled with a chocolate chip filling that has just the perfect amount of sweetness.
In Conclusion
I think Vero’s nickname at times should be “Little Italy” due to all of the great Italian restaurants we have here. I’ve only been in Vero for the last 4+ years, so I never had a chance to try the Original Original Mama Mia’s Kitchen that was located in Sebastian, but I know there are a lot of people with fond memories of that place are very happy to see them open in Vero once again. From your classic Italian dishes to a few surprises, if you love Italian food as much as I do, then head over and rediscover everything that Mama Mia’s has to offer, because I know you won’t be disappointed!
1920 14th Ave, Vero Beach, FL 32960
Hours of Operation: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday 4:30 pm till 8:30 pm, Friday and Saturday, 4:30 pm till 9:30 pm
This experience was part of our new “Restaurant Review Dining Experience” where you have an opportunity to join me, “The Food Guy” on an actual restaurant review and go behind the lens to see how I work and taste all of the amazing food you have seen in my articles! Be sure to follow us on Facebook, subscribe to our email newsletter and text alerts so you know when tickets go on sale for our upcoming events!
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