Mama Roberto's - Mentor Italian Good Food - Updated

Update - I was out to Mama Robertos last night and had the Linguini with white clam sauce; very nice with al dente linguini smoothered with a ton of chopped clams in a light white wine sauce with garlic and some roasted red peppers. The amazing thing was the size. I couldn't even get through half of the portion served. Truly amazing. Also had the house salad and it is good and crisp and used as a shredded cheese delivery device. The house Italian was nice and a bit sweet. Another good meal and I have the second half of it waiting in the fridge at home. ________________________________________________ A little confession, part of the inspiration for this blog is Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network. I have to say that while it doesn't fit any of those categories, Mama Roberto's in Mentor fits the general theme of the show; big portions of freshly prepared food. Based on recommendations from friends I have been meaning to get to Mentor to try Mama Roberto's. Located at one end of a small commercial strip at 8658 Mentor Avenue this is a nice newer restaurant. Inside the decor feels light with an Italian feel from the green, red and white predominate colors. The kitchen is in one of the back corners and the overall feel is nice, clean and casual. You start out with an outstanding bread basket that Guy would refer to as 'Money'. A couple of large slices of thick cut Italian bread were joined by fresh made garlic rolls. The bread was all perfect; cruchy crust with a soft inside. A great way to start the meal. I ordered the Eggplant Parimgana sandwich with the side of pasta. For around $6 I got two huge slices of garlic bread around thick cut slices of wonderfully baked eggplant topped with a chunky sweet marianara and melted cheese. The eggplant was especially good, since it was not breaded or fried. Fork tender and not at all bitter, this is how eggplant should be cooked. The portion was very large and with a nice bowl of spaghetti topped with the same marinara sauce, more then filling. Lets talk about the sauce for a minute, rather then the usual marinara, Moma Roberto's makes a sauce that is chunks of sweet tomatos with littel extra seasoning or cooking. The flavor is bright and bold, but you are not going to get the usual herbal flavors, so don't expect a lot of seasoning here. Watching the other tables in the restaurant I was amazed at the size of the portions being served. The servings were more then enough to make two meals, and that seems to be the approach of most of the customers as almost every table left with a sizable to go bag. About the only negative comment I could come up with here was the music playing in the background which seemed to be early 50s popular songs, but even that changed to 60s rock during my visit. Mama Roberto's is certainly popular and with good reason. This is a nice casual Italian restaurant serving huge portions of very good freshly made food. The food is not complex, but it is wholesome and flavorful. Give this a try, if for no other reason then to enjoy the bread.

Dibella's Subs

OK I am not one for chains, but I am always looking for a good sub sandwich. Until I find a good local sub shop near by, Dibella's has become my current sub of choice. They are a small regional chain that has opened up 2 stores on the east side of Cleveland. One on Richmond Road across from Tri-C East and the other on Aurora Road in Solon. The shops are a bit bigger then the your average Subway or Quiznos, with a long sub line and plenty of seating. Very good subs here. They bake the bread in the stores and it is good, a bit crusty on the outside, with a nice soft middle and good flavor for both the white and wheat. I especially like the everything bread, topped with onions, poppy seeds and sesame seeds. Now the subs themselves, they are well stuffed with proper layering of quality ingredients. I of course have the Tuna and find it to be good quality with not too much mayo. I love that in addition to the cheese, lettuce, tomato and onions you also have a choice of hot, sweet and banana peppers. A couple of other differences you will notice, the hot subs are made on a real griddle the old fashion way, not run through a conveyor belt oven. Also this is a sub shop, salads are not on the menu. For desert there are chocolate chip cookies which may be expensive, but they are yummy. The cookies are just how you want them, a bit crisp around the edges with the soft, chewy middles. Dibella's has a complete menu of cold and hot subs, so if you need a bite give them a try. You can find there website at http://www.dibellas.com/default.asp