Tinker-tude
<font color=red>Proud Redhead!<br><font color=peac
- Joined
- Dec 13, 2006
- Messages
- 948
I just wrote this on another thread and thought I'd share it here.
On Sunday January 11, we went to Mama Della's at Portofino Bay Hotel and had the best meal of our whole vacation. Possibly the best meal of any of our vacations, ever. And we've eaten at the best resort restaurants around, including Tchoup Chop and Mythos. Everyone at Mama Della's was so genuinely warm and welcoming. We felt like we were meeting old friends. The service was impeccable without feeling overly formal. It was prompt without anyone seeming hurried. It felt exactly like eating at a relative's house who happens to be a superb chef, who has very organized, loving family members helping with the perfect family dinner. We met the sweet little Italian lady who runs the kitchen, and her daughter (who also runs the kitchen) was our funny, warm, personable server.
The food was absolutely fabulous. While we looked at the menu, we had several types of bread in a basket, with whole roasted cloves of garlic in olive oil. The garlic cloves and olive oil were in a little round dish in the center of a plate. On the plate, there were triangle pats of butter arranged in a circle around the garlic dish so it looked like a little sun. Delicious breads, perfect garlic spread, and lovely to look at.
For starters, we had fried calamari. That's always been a favorite of ours, and we weren't disappointed. We wanted to eat it all, but we really wanted to leave room for the main courses. They had a wide variety of dishes available, and it was really hard for me to decide what to eat. Brent had a creamy sea food and vegetable pasta dish, and I had the pine nut crusted Mahi-Mahi. It was melt-in-your-mouth good, the flavors were very original versions of traditional Italian with the most perfect blends of herbs and spices. The flavors woke up every part of your mouth, and the presentation was beautiful. After our wonderful meal, we had chocolate gilatto for dessert that was downright divine. Jared had chocolate chip cookies and milk that tasted so rich and delicious.
Mama Della's will be a "must do" on our list from now on. We were also serenaded by the opera singers and guitar player who had just finished a mini-concert outside on the balcony. They sang a beautiful love song in Italian for us, and posed for a picture. Everyone was great with the kids, even though Jonathan had just awakened from a nap and was NOT happy about it. It was just a perfect experience in every way. We felt right at home, and spoiled to boot. I wanna go back NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was expensive, but well worth every penny and more. We left a pretty big tip because it wasn't just a meal - it was a great dining experience that left us wanting more and more.
On Sunday January 11, we went to Mama Della's at Portofino Bay Hotel and had the best meal of our whole vacation. Possibly the best meal of any of our vacations, ever. And we've eaten at the best resort restaurants around, including Tchoup Chop and Mythos. Everyone at Mama Della's was so genuinely warm and welcoming. We felt like we were meeting old friends. The service was impeccable without feeling overly formal. It was prompt without anyone seeming hurried. It felt exactly like eating at a relative's house who happens to be a superb chef, who has very organized, loving family members helping with the perfect family dinner. We met the sweet little Italian lady who runs the kitchen, and her daughter (who also runs the kitchen) was our funny, warm, personable server.
The food was absolutely fabulous. While we looked at the menu, we had several types of bread in a basket, with whole roasted cloves of garlic in olive oil. The garlic cloves and olive oil were in a little round dish in the center of a plate. On the plate, there were triangle pats of butter arranged in a circle around the garlic dish so it looked like a little sun. Delicious breads, perfect garlic spread, and lovely to look at.
For starters, we had fried calamari. That's always been a favorite of ours, and we weren't disappointed. We wanted to eat it all, but we really wanted to leave room for the main courses. They had a wide variety of dishes available, and it was really hard for me to decide what to eat. Brent had a creamy sea food and vegetable pasta dish, and I had the pine nut crusted Mahi-Mahi. It was melt-in-your-mouth good, the flavors were very original versions of traditional Italian with the most perfect blends of herbs and spices. The flavors woke up every part of your mouth, and the presentation was beautiful. After our wonderful meal, we had chocolate gilatto for dessert that was downright divine. Jared had chocolate chip cookies and milk that tasted so rich and delicious.
Mama Della's will be a "must do" on our list from now on. We were also serenaded by the opera singers and guitar player who had just finished a mini-concert outside on the balcony. They sang a beautiful love song in Italian for us, and posed for a picture. Everyone was great with the kids, even though Jonathan had just awakened from a nap and was NOT happy about it. It was just a perfect experience in every way. We felt right at home, and spoiled to boot. I wanna go back NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was expensive, but well worth every penny and more. We left a pretty big tip because it wasn't just a meal - it was a great dining experience that left us wanting more and more.
Now I have my third restaurant picked!!!
