Leaving Mama Giola's last Sunday, I had a big smile on my face. I'd just been treated to a free meal at the new Bloomfield Ave. Italian restaurant, which was trying out its menu and staff with a "friends and family" night. (Full disclosure: they have taken an ad on Baristanet.)
Of course, anybody offered a free plate of food would probably come out of a restaurant smiling. And the food was both abundant and tasty, especially the fresh ravioli. But what made the meal memorable (and will have me coming back on my own dime) was the warm and friendly atmosphere, which (almost) made up for the fact that my boyfriend and I were double-dating with my boss and her husband.
Owner/Chef Sarah Gazawie and her business partner Patricia Wippich give their all to make sure every guest feels at home at this new Italian haven, which moved into the spot formerly occupied by the Jerk Pit, and which will soon expand into the former home of The Dining Room. Even ironing out first-night wrinkles, Sarah was all smiles, and a frequent, but not too frequent, visitor to our table.
Perhaps Mama Giola's will overcome some of the bad luck that seems to have afflicted former restaurant tenants in these spots; maybe the feng shui consultant brought in to design the space will shake off its uneven history. The space is small but utilized well; the tables are close together, making for an intimate experience.
A house salad proves it worth with the delightful surprise of mozzarella stuffed between roasted beets, and is perked up by wide slivers of parmesan cheese. The Pasta e Fagioli is a textual textural delight, and the prosciutto-wrapped asparagus was consumed by one of my meat-eating companions in record-breaking time. Dinner selections vary from the traditional Italian to more contemporary fare, like the Tonno Con Crosta di Pistacci, tuna with a pistachio crust for non-Italian speakers. Although, as a vegetarian I did not partake, my companions couldn't stop raving. The fresh ravioli with classic marinara sauce is an Italian standard that is anything but ordinary.
The only minor complaint I heard was that the tilapia was a bit squishy, but the accompanying shrimp and mussels and marina sauce apparently compensated.
And if you're wondering who Mama Giola's is, she was a neighbor of owners on St. Thomas Island (Virgin Islands). A big Italian woman with fourteen grandchildren, she is warm, friendly and comforting. When you walk into her house she wants to "feed you and feed you good" says Sarah. But most of all "she is a compilation of all Italian Mamas!"
Mama Giola's, 446 Bloomfield Ave., Montclair, 973.783.MAMA.
Gazawie? Pippich? These do not sound like the surnames of good Italian nonnas. (But I could be wrong.) As for Mama Giola, if she can afford to live in St. Thomas (was that an error of phrasing?), she must be prosperous indeed, given the difficulty of finding the ingredients for traditional Italian cuisine throughout the cuisine and what they must cost if you can find them.
Still, an item so much in praise of an advertiser, even if acknowledged as so....I think it remains unsettling. it's the kind of story you find in a weekly "shopper."(Which the Baristas surely know.)