The Gossiping Gourmet: A bouquet for Mama D’s, courtesy of Yelp

Yelp has just come out with its list of 100 best places to eat in the U.S. in 2015, and five of them are here in our area.

“From food trucks to fine dining and even a café located in a laundromat, there are hidden gems galore and something for every taste and budget on the list,” says the business-locating site.

I have eaten and reviewed Istanbul Grill California in Fountain Valley and found it to be delightful and delicious. Others on the list include Sessions West Coast Deli and Mama D’s on Balboa Peninsula, Kech, which is located in a gas station in Fountain Valley, and Subculture Extraordinary Sandwiches in Huntington Beach.

No fine-dining establishments from our area are on this list; Marche Moderne is nowhere to be found. However, all these casual spots serve very tasty food.

Dining at Mama D’s is no small feat since there is always at least an hour wait on the weekends, which is the reason I had never chosen to eat there before. However, I thought it was time to give it a try because of the Yelp list.

My companion and I valet parked because street parking was nonexistent for blocks. We then went to the hostess station, got our name on the long list, were told it would be an hour or more before we could be seated and were offered a piece of very good garlic bread to tide us over.

In the interim, we walked across the street to Malarkey’s Irish Pub for a glass of wine. It was the perfect way to pass the time, and our barmaid told us that the young couple sitting nearby were paying our tab. It was the start of a good evening.

We wandered over to the restaurant and by that time only had to wait 10 more minutes to be seated. As we lounged on a big, soft leather sofa, a waiter came by and offered us tasty little meatballs in marinara sauce.

I noticed on the walls of the hallway where we entered that among the many awards the restaurant had received, the majority were for excellent service. We found this to be true. Even with the very full room and several big parties, we found the servers to be especially nice. Our waiter actually gave us a free dessert because one of our appetizers had come out quite late, just before the entrees arrived.

That starter was the calamari. It had a good amount of crunch but a little aftertaste of oil. A dish of obviously house-made marinara with pieces of tomato accompanied the seafood. My dining companion enjoyed the stuffed mushrooms, which were cooked to a perfect al dente and stuffed with lots of tiny pieces of mushroom, herbs and seasoned bread crumbs.

I had Mama’s specialty dish of Sausage and Chicken Capri Fra Diavolo, which featured al dente pasta with some excellent chunks of spicy sausages along with pieces of sauteed chicken, fresh Roma tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella and basil in a spicy fra diavolo sauce.

Our other entrée was veal piccata: tender veal sautéed with olive oil and salty capers and served in a white wine butter sauce. Pasta marinara and lots of fresh al dente vegetables came on the side.

We finished our meal with the complimentary tiramisu, which was mostly lots of whipped cream and a little bit of cake, all generously drizzled with good dark chocolate sauce. (Only one dessert was offered.)

Mama D’s is really a traditional Italian family restaurant serving classic dishes. It is a place that welcomes the young and the old and everyone in between.

TERRY MARKOWITZ was in the gourmet food and catering business for 20 years. She can be reached for comments or questions at [email protected].

Mama D’s Italian Kitchen

Where: 3012 Newport Blvd., Newport Beach

When: 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Fridays, 4 to 9:30 p.m. Saturdays, and 4 to 9 p.m. Sundays

Prices:

Appetizers: $9 to $13

Entrees: $12 to $24

Wine:

Bottles: $30 to $52

By the glass: $8 to $11

Information: (949) 675-6262 or mamadsnewport.com