The eatery is located in River North—and at a location that would seem to invite many patrons. However, there has been substantial restaurant turnover over the years—including with Rosebud venue Joe Fish. (Mama’s Boy is also a Rosebud restaurant.)
Hopefully, Mama’s Boy will be around for a bit longer than the others.
At a social-media event there a little while back, Corporate Chef Fabio Capparelli explained that the food reflects what he had growing up; now, Executive Chef Massimo Gaffo has taken over the reins, and he seems to know his stuff as well.
For the appetizer, our attentive server, Lisa, sold my friend and I on the grifliatto misto (grilled seafood). The jumbo shrimp were definitely large, and the calamari and octopus were both very good. My friend (eating especially healthfully before her wedding) also ordered the baby spinach-and-kale salad, which she thoroughly enjoyed—although Lisa forgot the grilled chicken my friend wanted with her salad. (The mistake was quickly remedied, though.)
My entree consisted of pasta—but with a presentation. Gaffo brought the spaghetti out in a huge parmigiano reggiano wheel, and then scooped out the dish after pretty much immersing it in the cheese; then, the chef slowly pours olive oil on the dish It’s attention-grabbing—although I’m not sure the portion warranted the $24 price tag. Also, although the dish was tasty, I thought it would benefit from the addition of meat (something my small amount of leftovers confirmed when I combined it with lamb a day later); my friend added that putting an egg (sunny-side up) with the dish might help it as well.
We concluded with dessert, getting a slice of coconut take that was as big as my friend’s and my head combined. It was well-baked, with just the right amount of coconut.
So I’d recommend checking out Mama’s Boy. Here’s hoping it’ll be in that spot for a while.