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Mama
Melrose
Disney-MGM Studios
The Czarina's Royal Table
EXPLANATION OF SORTS: The Czarina is a Real Person who eats -- a lot - at Disney World. She takes sole responsibility for all opinions stated below, de gustibus non disputandum and chacun a son gout. Do let us know what you think about this column at eureka@eurekajim.org.
Dear, Beloved Public, did you know that the hidden-away back part of MGM boasts a terrific restaurant? Not just a thinly-disguised, over-themed fast food joint, but an eatery where someone is Actually Thinking In The Kitchen? Oh, you did know that? Then you must have dined at Mama Melrose.
If you long, as the Czar and I do, for the old days of red-sauce, red-tablecloth Italian places with posters of Sinatra on the wall and hanging clusters of plastic grapes - and thin-crust pizza -, you owe it to yourself to come here for lunch or dinner. Preferably with six or eight of your closest friends/family.
But first, the great question: How the heck do you find the place? Here is the simple answer: Head for MuppetVision 3D, and turn left at the Miss Piggy Fountain. You can't miss it.
Mama Melrose does not have a big splashy canopy outside like the Brown Derby, but inside, it is much bigger than you would think. Still, it's got a cozy feel, not at all barnlike, being subdivided by half-walls and booths. It is a good place to go for a romantic (but not dressy) dinner with your main squeeze, and an even better place for that big family lunch. In other words, the vibe is great.
And so are the servers. Most of them seem to have worked here for a long time, and they love the place. As evidenced by our server Debbie, when a group of us went there for lunch on Aug. 21, 2000. Like most Mama's servers, she was eager to tell us how fine the food was, and anxious that more guests don't know about it.
We were all very thirsty, and Debbie brought us iced tea. And more iced tea. Every time I turned around, that girl was silently placing a new glass of iced tea before me. I liked her.
For lunch, you can have wood-fired pizza (individual size), various starters, and main courses. "Starters" (definitely bigger portions than "appetizers") include a very thick Minestrone, salads, fried calamari or steamed mussels and grilled portobello mushrooms with polenta (mmmm!)
On the main-course menu there are a couple of pastas, a large Caesar salad with grilled chicken, and some meat and fish options. Portions are hearty and if you are not terribly hungry, sharing a main course or even a couple of appetizers is a perfectly good option.
The Czarina chose the Grilled Chicken Pizza with Pesto, Spinach, Bacon and Asiago Cheese ($12.25). I asked for it "extra crispy" - I always do this, especially with thin-crust pizza - and it arrived slightly blistered and charred on a couple of edges, which I think is fabulous. The balance of juicy chicken and sauce, and crispy bacon and crust, was just about perfect.
Dotti opted for the Grilled Atlantic Salmon with Pencil Asparagus, Portobella Mushroom and Citrus Juices ($14.95) and dubbed it "the best lunch I've ever had at WDW". High praise! Dotti has eaten a lot of lunches in Lake Buena Vista.
Peter, an adventurous 13-year-old, snarfed down a Starter plate of crisply fried Calamari with Two Aiolis, Citrus and Spicy Tomato ($5.95) and said it was "one of the best I've ever tasted." It turned out he was saving room for dessert, which for him was Worms and Dirt - Oreo cookie crumbs, gummi worms, vanilla/orange swirl ice cream with a cone. Pete said it was "awesome" and gave it two thumbs and one forefinger up. Yeah, he liked it.
Most of the rest of us managed to avoid dessert, being already stuffed on the bellissimo Italian food, but the menu offers several delectable choices including a signature tiramisu and a daily selection of fresh gelatos. Coffee comes with rock sugar on a stick to swirl in your cup. Or Debbie will bring you another glass of iced tea.
THE BOTTOM LINE: Beloved Public, a good, uncrowded, comfy Italian place in the middle of MGM - what's not to love? It's a beautiful thing. Try it.
CZARINA'S TOP TIP: The only time this place is ever crowded is before Fantasmic. Beware of trying to dine early without a Priority Seating. You can often just walk in at lunch time, though.
