|
|
The sweet smell of garlic wafted onto the sidewalk outside Mamma Zu restaurant one recent Wednesday evening.
A line of about 10 hungry patrons was waiting there, a half-hour before the restaurant opened its doors.
Mamma Zu is that tucked-away secret eatery that always has at least a 20-minute wait.
The secret is out in the Richmond area, and it's one worth driving an hour to discover.
Mamma Zu is just east of Virginia Commonwealth University in the city's historic Oregon Hill neighborhood.
The Italian menu offers something for both vegetarians and carnivores; those with experimental tastes and those who go for the old standbys; and those with cash and those on a budget.
Wear jeans or put on your zoot suit--at Mamma Zu, no one will care.
It's all about the food.
And it's good food.
We started with roasted red peppers and the asparagus. (Appetizers at Mamma Zu range in price from $4 to $20.)
Several thick slabs of oil-drenched peppers were served, surrounded by large chunks of goat cheese. In this case, extra garlic didn't add much to the dish. And it looked a lot better than it tasted.
Too much oil left the peppers with a rather bland taste, and the cheese didn't do much to enhance it.
The asparagus was much better. Served piping hot, the thick, well-seasoned asparagus was enough to serve as one--or even two--diner's main meal.
The dark-green delicacies were drenched in butter and olive oil and were coated with a creamy parmesan sauce that gave them an extra kick--it was like eating dessert first.
We opted against beer or wine (both are $3 per glass, bottles of wine range from $12 to $60). Instead, we sipped Cokes from cute, old-fashioned bottles.
For an entrée, I ordered the shrimp with pasta. Main dishes are priced from about $8 to $17, and mine was at the top end.
I was a little disappointed to see only four shrimp with the dish. But the first bite of the pasta, soaked in warm butter and garlic chunks, made me feel like a king.
The large, fresh shrimp exploded with flavor and proved a hit with other diners at my table.
Just as good was the eggplant parmesan.
When I was little, I used to eat the cheese and the sauce off the eggplant and send the vegetable away from the table.
This time was different.
The thin, crispy eggplant exploded with Italian spices, and the souped-up marinara sauce was a perfect compliment.
My wife and I, neither lovers of eggplant, battled over leftovers the next day.
After huge appetizers and filling dinners, we couldn't imagine eating dessert. But Mamma Zu offers two, and we ordered them both.
I've tried tiramisu ($5) about 10 different times and have never cared much for it.
This one was great.
It was sweet and smooth with only the faintest hint of alcohol.
We also ordered a cannoli ($3). The whipped cream-custard filling served in a delicate pastry shell made us forget how full we were.
We finished both desserts.
Mamma Zu is not flawless, however.
It has no printed menus, for instance. Instead, patrons must get up from their tables and choose their selections from a chalkboard behind the bar.
Also, Mamma Zu is notorious for its brash service, and it is a reputation well-earned.
On our visit, the host seemed poised to ask us to leave after our party took more than two seconds to take seats.
And this might be the only restaurant left that takes American Express, but not Visa or MasterCard. (It also takes cash and local checks.)
The policy ended our otherwise pleasant dinner on an awkward and needlessly sour note.
Despite these blips, Mamma Zu keeps Richmonders coming back night after night.
Find out why.
Brian Baer, a news producer for Fredericksburg.com, normally doesn't return to places with nasty service. But for Mamma Zu, he'll make an exception.