During travel around the country for wine or work, I like to throw up a short blog post about any great restaurant visit. Living 45 minutes northwest of Indianapolis doesn’t afford me many opportunities to get into the city to the better spots, but I make a point to eat well in Indy whenever I can.

For Traditional Italian Dinner, You Gotta Go to Mama'sAn impending birthday (well, they can’t be avoided so embrace them) was the reason to head to Broad Ripple on Indy’s north side and a visit to classic – Mama’s Corolla’s!

Mama’s is a very busy spot for folks in the know looking for great Italian. I had been there once before and remembered it as good but Saturday night was off the charts good.

We started with the fried ravioli and a light marinara dipping sauce. The ravioli, with cheese stuffing, was toasty and delicious. We also had wonderful calimari – small pieces which were crispy and a great dipping sauce that had a hint of horseradish.

Mama Corolla’s on 54th near Broad Ripple!

My dinner was a signature Mama favorite, the Rosemary Chicken Lasagna. The old-fashioned sweet marinara was a perfect companion to the chicken, herbs, and cheese. It was one of the best entree’s I’ve had in a long time.

We split a piece of Ricotta cake garnished with blackberries. All the time we were enjoying a big fruity and soft Italian Ripasso.

I love the new chef-driven and farm-to-fork restaurants popping up. But once in a while the classics can’t be beat!

Oh Mama, you make me so happy!

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