Mama Rao's — Restaurant in New York

Well ... it took me a while, but I am finally writing this review. I would like to start out by saying if there was a 10 🌟 system I would without hesitation give this Fine dining restaurant all 10 stars ( my only regret in doing so is that it will be more difficult to get a table whenever I return ) where do I begin ... Although I have lived in Brooklyn my entire life - 56 years - I first dined here in mid April - although there was initially some mix up about the reservation that had been made, that was quickly remedied when a table was set up for us by the bar ( a party in the party room was just finishing ) we thought we might be forgotten, but it couldn't have been further from the truth - in fact my friends ( whose 30 th wedding anniversary we were celebrating ) said it was one of the best experiences they had of the numerous times they had dined here ( all of which were fabulous ) We started with the baked clams, arugala salad with mozzarella & prosciutto ... For entrees we had The pork chop with asparagus, & freshly made on the premises linguine with pine nuts The 2nd time I was here ( was unfortunately for a dinner break when attending the wake for my friend's brother ) we were a group of about 10 & called to make sure they could accommodate us - when we arrived 15 minutes later the table was set up & several servers were there to take our drink & entree orders as we were on a pretty limited time of about an hour. From the time our drinks arrived, not a step was missed ( it was like a symphony Orchestra was being conducted ) the wonderful rolls arrived perfectly warm from the oven - & stayed warm while buttering ! All of our entrees arrived almost in unisen & were PERFECT !! The entrees were linguine with clams, rigatoni with eggplant, stuffed fillet seafood special with spinach & even eggplant & chicken parm - which weren't on the menu, but were happy to accommodate { all pasta is freshly made on the premises } Although we didn't have room, or time for dessert & coffee, we enjoyed the delectable cookies that were brought to the table - my favorite cookies ! ( we were out by the time we needed to return to the wake ) AND the 3 rd time I returned was for my belated birthday dinner - we were greeted warmly, the entree I chose was a special - wide ribbon pasta with ribeye steak cubes in a cream sauce - EXCELLENT !! Always attention to details - never miss a beat - whether it is topping off a glass of sparkling water, or a glass of wine when ordering a bottle ! The family owners are genuinely warm & the servers are also ( & are perfectly trained in how to be Outstanding !! ) THIS IS THE WAY A FINE RESTAURANT SHOULD BE RUN !! Never disappoints !! Oh ... & the atmosphere is beautiful - I felt like I was transported to a quaint Italian village ! ...

NEVER AGAIN. Went there the other day. I ordered a pappardelle dish and asked for them to leave the tomato sauce out bc the menu said it was a white wine sauce topped with a little marinara. They served me pieces of cut up lasagna (Guess they don't think people actually know what pappardelle look like ) floating in a disgusting opaque water. It looked liked someone's leftover soup. On top of that it had some sort of dairy in it after I told the waiter I was allergic. Anyway, this soupy mess was completely inedible so the server asked to change it. WELL, THE OWNER/MANAGER told him not to change it claiming it didn't have any dairy and that he was sure because he had made it himself. REALLY? He was walking in and out of the restaurant the entire time. Unless he's a magician with terrible cooking skills there is no way. So the plate sat uneaten on the table and when the bill came he made sure to charge us $20 for the disgusting concoction. We then told him to take the pasta back and take it off the check. This apparently really ticked him off. (Guess losing $20 off a $200 bill was just too much for him to bare) so he had the AUDACITY to come to the table very aggressively and tell me that I completely changed the dish and I can't expect anything. Umm, telling the kitchen to leave out the tiny amount of tomato sauce shouldn't leave me with a soupy mess. I've never seen a MANAGER/OWNER with such little class and tact, but then again the restaurant is located in a dumpy area of Bensonhurst so I guess his personality mirrors the dumpsters across from the restaurant. Oh and MAKE SURE if you like eating floating pasta dishes in dirty water you BRING YOUR OWN WINE because every bottle they have tastes like a mix of vinegar and grape juice. The owner obviously knows nothing about HOSPITALITY,...

I want to say a huge thank you to the staff at Mama Rao's for making my small 50th birthday dinner so wonderful and filled with amazing memories.

The service was impeccable. Absolutely top-notch, and so warm and welcoming to me and my guests.

And the FOOD! I have always said that Mama Rao's rivals the so called top Italian restaurants in Manhattan. The menu choices and specials are so innovative...and you have MANY dishes to choose from.

For starters, we had calamari, which melted in your mouth, a huge FRESH antipasto platter and the special which was a plate of delicious, slightly sweet pumpkin risotto balls drizzled with a creamy sauce. And those were just the appetizers.

For my main, I had the funghi and Italian sausage fettuccini in a creamy sauce. I cannot say enough wonderful things about this dish. The pasta was perfect. And the sausage just lightly seasoned. My friend also had the same thing. We both cleaned our plates.

My other friends all had pasta dishes and raved. One said, "When I looked at the menu, I knew immediately that this place was on another level in Italian cuisine."

For dessert, they brought out these lemon cookies that were absolutely divine. I hate to repeat myself, but again, melted in the mouth.

I also want to say that the restaurant was so accommodating and allowed me to order my birthday cake from Tasty Pastry, a nearby bakery that's well known in the neighborhood. They brought it out with a huge sparkler candle that diffused on its own.

Two days later, and we're all still talking about my very special day. We were a small party, but the staff and chefs really went above and beyond.

Thank you again, Mama Rao's, for making this milestone birthday...