Like a lot of travelers, we’re also foodies. Part of the joy of traveling is exploring new tastes. So let’s indulge our senses as we set forth on a new blog adventure – Food! – where we share some of our good (and not-so-good) food experiences, so if you’re headed somewhere we’ve been, you can have an idea of where to go … or where to avoid.
We could go way back to some of the great restaurants we’ve been to, but we’ve mentioned several in other blogs and it seems silly to rehash the past, so this begins our hobby as amateur food critics. Like our “Diversions” blogs, we’ll take turns so you’ll get both our viewpoints.
This weekend, we popped up to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, for a nice little getaway. Arriving Friday evening, we stayed in the heart of Gettysburg in a B&B and set out on foot to find a place to grab dinner.
After passing a couple of pubs and similar casual eateries, we came upon Mamma Ventura’s. We are most definitely fans of Italian food (which means we eat it a LOT and know great from good and good from not-so-good). But the menu and the restaurant itself look appetizing so we gave it a try.
One cannot have Italian food without wine, so Greg perused the wine list and quickly chose a bottle of Montepulciano D’Abruzzo, one of our favorites from Italy. The dinner menu featured three “Chef’s Recommendations.” These can sometimes be a risk or reward; it can mean there’s something the chef either makes very well and wants to share, or it can mean there is something the chef is trying to get rid of. Nevertheless, we chose two of these hoping for the former and an appetizer. We must have been hungry…we’re sharers and usually only order an appetizer or two and one entrée, but not this time!
That’s a good thing, because the appetizer of mussels in a white wine and lemon sauce were really disappointing. To be fair, Gettysburg is not a coastal town and the further you are from the coast, the less likely are to get really great seafood. These mussels were huge, which made them a little tough. The sauce was okay, but lacked the punch of flavor you’d expect from a good lemon/wine sauce.
Next it was on to the entrees. The Beef Milanese was offered with your choice of three sauces: Tomato/asparagus, Francese, and White wine. Since we chose the mussels in white wine and lemon, we went with the tomato/asparagus. The beef was a little chewy on the edges, but nicely done in the middle. The sauce was heavy handed on the tomato and a little too spare with the asparagus. And unfortunately, in typical American fashion, the beef was almost floating in the sauce. Sauce should complement, not overpower the meat or pasta. However, once you scraped most of it away, the dish was actually pretty good. The side of pasta was a little overcooked and disappointing. It wasn’t quite mushy, but there was no bite to it at all.
We also ordered the spinach ravioli with chicken and bacon. I have to say, when you add bacon, you almost always do something right and this was no exception. Six gigantic raviolis delivered to the table with (way too much) tomato cream sauce. However, with this dish, one bite told us we’d made an excellent choice. It’s not easy to make good homemade ravioli. Often the pasta is too thick and it’s either over- or under-stuffed. This was perfect!
The wine? It was a young but completely acceptable Montepulciano. We usually characterize these wines as more mature than Chiantis, but not as “old” as Cabs and Sangioveses. This one felt like a 25-year-old…more mature than a teenage Chianti, but still with some “sexiness.”
Of course, the service experience can make or break and eating adventure. Here, Mamma Ventura’s was top notch. Our waitress, a first generation Italian-American who was born and raised in town, was cheerful, informative and absolutely adorable. We chatted a bit at the end of the meal and learned she is the niece of the owner and the family roots are southern Italian. She recommended their Grappa as a digestive along with our espresso. Both were as delightful as she was.
Overall, our experience was positive and enjoyable. I wouldn’t put Mamma Ventura’s in my top Italian restaurants, but I’d certainly go back if I want Italian food in Gettysburg.
Buon appetito!
© The World A to Z, LLC 2015
The World A to Z 