Stacco House by Mammamia — Restaurant in Carmel

Amazing Sfogliatelle

On a whim I decided to try to track down this Italian pastry. My wife and I were watching Andrew Zimmern’s “Delicious Destinations” last night about Naples. We stumbled across a segment that featured rolling out and doubling dough to make a thousand layers. Then they added semolina to ricotta cheese and bits of candied fruit. My wife exclaimed that it looked delicious and wished she could try some. So the next day, I got on the phone to see if I could find a bakery that carried this authentic pastry. I knew I wouldn’t be able to pick some up at my local grocery store. That’s when I spoke to the owner of this place. She was hesitant because she knew how labor intensive the pastry would be. So she let me talk to her pastry chef. I told her the story, and luckily she said she had time to make a few. She also told me they were sometimes called, lobster tails, but here were more like clam shells. Since that’s how they looked on television, it was what I was expecting. I only ordered 4, one for each of my family, and they took my credit card information over the phone which I totally understand. I would hate to have them go through this intense process only to have the pastry go to waste by some inconsiderate customer. So I gladly paid the $5.99 each over the phone! I gave them a time when I would be by to pick them up, but I was a little early. The chef had timed it out that they would come out of the oven just as I arrived. So I had to wait a few minutes while they finished cooking. I took them home immediately and they were still warm.

My wife loved it. She was very surprised I was able to find them and thought they were delicious. Even my youngest son was impressed. My oldest son is saving his for later. My wife was fascinated by my experience and told me I needed to write a review. So, what started out as a whim turned into a delicious destination! I was very impressed by this little shop tucked away between a restaurant and a gas station. The staff were very attentive and accommodating. Their selection of cannoli, cakes, pies, cookies, and tiramisu all looked delicious. And they have gelato. Just that warrants a return visit. I’m so glad I gave them a call and they were able to deliver such a rich and complex pastry. My compliments to the chef!

Review of Stacco House by...

This place is worth a stop, and it's better than it's location (in the same strip mall as a gas station) would seem. The desserts are better than the food. Tried 2 types of cookies, and both were good, if not a bit heavy. The desserts certainly look fantastic, and it's clear that attention goes into the them. We will try more.

On the other hand, we tried 2 food dishes and 2 sandwiches, and all were "meh". One was too salty, another was too wet, and another had too much breadcrumb (meatballs). We thought the food prices were a bit high as well.

Christine (pastry chef) is super nice, very smiley, and very helpful.

Seating is extremely limited, so plan on carrying whatever you buy out the door.

Update Reducing by one star. Tried cookies and some food again. As before the cookies are a solid B (certainly not NYC level) however the lasagna was insanely salty, and the pizza was unlike anything I've ever seen, and I've seen good Sicilian before. I dont think it can honestly be called pizza. I just cannot recommend the food, as much as I want to. Please, please stop with the salt.. Recommend to stick to desserts...

A huge shout-out and thank you to the ladies at Stacco House by MamaMia for supplying the most wonderful & delicious cookies! I was in charge of baking cookies for my son's rugby team game yesterday and when we arrived at the game, I realized I had not baked enough cookies. It was the IUPUI Rugby Alumni / White River Rugby Club which was playing in a field right behind Stacco House. After a quick phone call, I headed over to their pastry shop and they provided a wonderful assortment of cookies that looked amazing. Their willingness to help and generosity touched my heart when I left their shop. Suffice it to say, when the game was over and my son opened my box of homemade cookies and the box provided by Stacco House we could hear the guys say "wow...look at those cookies!" I've got to admit that the Stacco cookies were gone before mine and I am totally fine with that. The ladies definitely helped me out of a bind with the excellent customer service and delectable cookies. Thank you so much and...