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Raised on Italian: Mangia Ristorante

Vitello mare e terra: Veal Medallions sauteed with shrimp, asparagus and cherry tomatoes in a wine sauce. Entrees served with roasted red potatoes and asparagus. Insalata Mangia: Roasted yellow and red peppers, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, olives and red onions with Gorgonzola over mesclun. Chocolate cannoli.
(photo: Rose Mattrey)

Although I’m not aware of any Mediterranean genes in my body, given the option I will always choose a meal featuring Italian dishes.

My Polish aunt, who married an Italian and “learned to cook Italian,” introduced me to many of the dishes I crave—as well as to anchovies—when I was a child. Growing up, many friends were Italian and dinner at their homes was always a special treat. Reinforcing my Italian yearnings were the many, many meals I ate at the old Roseland Restaurant when I first moved to Buffalo in the late 1960s and when its dinner-for-two selections were under $10.

It was with great anticipation, therefore, that we headed to Orchard Park last Wednesday to sample the menu at Mangia Ristorante & Caffé. The restaurant’s name means “eat” in Italian and the three of us—our friend, Kathryn, joined the guest and me—were up to the challenge.

Mangia, which opened last June, is owned by John and Francis Ricotta, who run several pizza/sub shops in the Southtowns, including one that stood previously on Mangia’s parking lot. The general manager, executive chef and mastermind behind Mangia’s menu is Carlo Tonelli, abetted by his sous chef, Andy Marino.

Tonelli previously was chef at Caffe Aroma/Trattoria Aroma in Williamsville and, before spending several years cooking in the Sarasota, Fla., area, owned and operated Cara Mia, the predecessor to San Marco on Kensington Avenue in Snyder. You know Tonelli was born to be a chef when he tells you that, as a child growing up in Italy in the Marche region east of Rome, he lived above his grandmother’s trattoria, where his mother oversaw the kitchen.

Mangia is one restaurant where you will not go wrong if you order the first item on the menu, a spectacular soup called passatelli in brodo ($4 for a bowl). Using a potato ricer, Tonelli makes round noodles from a blend of bread crumbs, Italian cheeses, eggs and a dash of nutmeg that are then cooked in chicken broth. This soup is one of the best I have ever sampled. Likely just as spectacular is a soup called cinque cipolle, also $4 for a bowl, that features a blend of five types of onions—Spanish and red, leeks, shallots and scallions—that have been caramelized and are served in chicken broth served with a Parmigiano crostini.

The three of us, who at the end of our meal agreed we wouldn’t think twice about making the drive from Amherst to eat at Mangia again, shared two very good appetizers. Gamberoni al ferri ($12) featured three jumbo shrimp that were wrapped in prosciutto before grilling. Served with lightly dressed salad greens, they were very good and I plan to make them on the grill this summer. The mussels in white wine sauce—prepared with garlic, saffron and red pepper ($9)—had “bite” and were excellent. We couldn’t resist dunking the Italian bread that arrived at our table with olive oil for dipping into the wonderful broth. The mussels also can be ordered with a plum tomato sauce.

Other openers include several thin-crust pizzas, including a tempting contadino pizza made with chicken, spinach, onion and Gorgonzola cheese, at $7 each; the vegetarian stuzzichino consisting of charcoal-grilled marinated seasonal vegetables served with goat cheese ($8) and involtini di melanzane, roasted slices of eggplant filled with a ricotta cheese mix served in plum tomato sauce and topped with melted fresh mozzarella cheese ($8).

(photo: Rose Mattrey)

We knew the Caesar salad with anchovies would be good ($5 small, $9 large) and so was the insalata Mangia featuring a wonderful combination of roasted yellow and red peppers, artichoke hearts with stems, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, red onions and Gorgonzola cheese over mesclun. I enjoyed the small version at $6; the large at $10 probably would satisfy as a main dish.

Mangia offers many entrees from which to choose. The guest opted for an evening special featuring small pasta “purses” filled with Gorgonzola cheese and walnuts served with a tomato cream sauce ($18). The pasta was excellent; half of the large serving went home as the next day’s lunch. Kathryn loved her selection, an evening special featuring pine-nut-encrusted salmon topped with julienne vegetables and served with couscous and roasted asparagus.

My selection, from the main menu, was vitello saltimbocca ($20), veal medallions topped with prosciutto prepared with fresh sage and served in a white wine sauce. Several slices of tender veal were accompanied by roasted potatoes and roasted asparagus. It was excellent.

Other menu selections include boneless chicken breast sautéed with sun-dried tomatoes, artichokes and asparagus in a Marsala cream sauce ($16), prawns sauteed in a scampi sauce served with mashed roasted garlic Parmigiano potatoes ($22), a half rack of lamb topped with sautéed spinach and onion ($24) and bistecca alla pizzaiola, slices of pan-seared New York strip steak served in a tomato sauce ($21).

Pasta selections include homemade gnocchi in tomato sauce ($13), whole wheat pasta sautéed with spinach, shitake mushrooms and cannellini beans served in a white wine broth with caramelized onions ($15), penne tossed in a vegetarian vodka sauce ($14), tortellini filled with meat or cheese tossed in a light cream sauce with prosciutto, mushrooms and peas ($15) and linguine puttanesca featuring calamata olives, capers, anchovies and red onion in a light tomato sauce ($14).

For dessert, I loved my decadent, chocolate-covered cannoli ($3.50), made with sweetened ricotta cheese, mini chocolate chips and sliced almonds. Kathryn and the guest shared—and raved about—a warm pear tartlet featuring warm puff pastry topped with a thin layer of almond cream, pear slices and apricot icing ($5.50).

While there is seating for 120, reservations are recommended. There are no barriers for those who are physically challenged.

Mangia lives a double life, offering counter service and a wide range of salads, panini, pasta, subs and bombers for eat-in or take-out from 11am to 3pm, Monday through Saturday.