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 PHANTOM APPROVED
Mamma Maria is as homemade as the name implies, but the North End legend is elegant and romantic enough to impress your date.
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Mamma Maria is a unique North End restaurant set in a beautiful 19th century mansion. Enjoy any of five elegant dining rooms, some with the city views through picture windows, or climb the main staircase to the tucked-away bar. Grand flower arrangements and marble frames add to the lovely, tailored atmosphere. |
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Instead of the home-style Italian you’d expect from any “mamma”, the menu is upscale and contemporary, featuring fresh pasta . |
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To start, a jumbo dayboat sea scallop left Phantom wanting another, with its peppery pan-sear and juicy thickness, served with a warm salad of blood orange and sautéed fennel. Creamy lobster carbonara shredded its peasant dish roots, upgrading to fluffy gnocchi and shaved back truffles, though the pancetta was burnt. |
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Entrees included Osso Buco, so butter-knife-tender and hefted over saffron risotto for royal comfort food. The buttery halibut tasted surprisingly rich and flavorful over sweet parsnip puree, surrounded by morel mushrooms and fresh pesto. |
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Desserts disappointed. Instead of the dry chocolate torte with crumbly mint gelato or the espresso panna cotta over-seasoned with cinnamon, find an authentic cannoli down the street. |
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Portions are a good size, and the antipasto platter is so huge, it has a two-person minimum. |
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Smooth, well-spoken servers only enhance the romantic mood in the air. |
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And Mamma Maria keeps a clean house, which is more than Phantom can say about his bachelor pad. |
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Fourteen-dollar appetizers and entrees at $27 to $38 are steep, but a better return than the North End tourist traps. |
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The neighborhood is great for an after-dinner stroll but impossible for parking,. Expect to pay $15 to valet. |
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Review Date:
9/15/2007 |
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