Mamma Lucia

by Patricia B. Grossman
Photos by Julie Wiatt

Although Mamma Lucia bills its fare as “down-home Italian cooking,” the menu at this new Silver Spring restaurant brings a highly creative and innovative twist to traditional Italian cuisine.
With his favorite recipes in hand, chef Bruno Fabi opened his first Mamma Lucia in Rockville, and then partnered with Jimmy Fragoyannis to open six more across Maryland. Mamma Lucia of Silver Spring opened in August 2003, and plans are being made to expand into Virginia within the next year.
If you love seafood, then Mamma Lucia is for you. Every day the regular dinner menu is expanded with dinner specials prepared with the freshest and finest seafood. On a recent evening, the standout special was Rockfish Autumn Style—a fresh fillet of hazelnut-crusted rockfish topped with a yellow squash-coriander sauce, served over a medley of buttered spinach and carrots and with a side of linguine pasta. Belmondo Chardonnay was suggested as the wine. Tilapia with mango-crab salsa and Carolina rainbow trout were also specials offered.
Of the frutti di mare (seafood) portion of the regular menu, I adore the salmon ros —chunks of steamed-to-perfection salmon in a pink sauce over penne pasta. I first had this dish several years ago at their Rockville location. It was a special on their menu at the time, and I have been ordering it ever since.
Every entr e includes a salad and bread. The salad is quite good, but the signature garlic mixture which comes with the bread is outstanding. Olive oil, a sprinkling of chili pepper and loads of garlic and parmesean cheese make up this spread for the bread and it’s so good I dab it on my pasta in addition to the sauce.
I usually don’t order pasta in marinara sauce, because I prefer the white and pink sauces they serve. But I unwittingly had a chance to sample the marinara. On my recent visit, my dining companion ordered the gamberetti alla marinara—fresh shrimp in a light marinara sauce over linguini. I had ordered a salad topped with salmon. We both took home our leftovers, and to my surprise, I found that the waitress had mixed up our bags, and I had the linguini with marinara sauce and my friend wound up with my leftover salad. I think I turned out to be the winner. The leftover linguini with marinara sauce was simply delicious when I ate it for lunch the next day.

I must emphasize the salads—especially Mamma’s Insalata Speciale, consisting of a mixture of young, tender field greens tossed in a raspberry vinaigrette and topped with blue cheese, cherry tomatoes, and walnuts. The serving size is huge, and can be ordered with either grilled chicken or salmon. I always order it with salmon, which makes a great meal.
Worth noting, since the restaurant is billed as down-home cooking, are the traditional Italian favorites, which are prepared with special care and attention using the freshest ingredients for those accustomed to the more familiar Italian dishes. The menu is large, with a variety of chicken and veal dishes as well, including parmigiana, marsala and piccata. The homemade lasagna, manicotti, stuffed shells, eggplant parmigiana, and baked ziti are delicious. All of the dishes are available for lunch at considerable savings.
While I have never ventured to try the pizza, although the menu states that Washingtonian Magazine has rated it as “Best New York-Style Pizza.” The thick Sicilian style pizza, calzone, and stromboli are all visible by the front counter, looking as appetizing as ever.
Whether you are new to Mamma Lucia or an avid fan like myself, take advantage of their special on Monday nights: Buy one pasta entr e and get another for $2.99. Mamma Lucia has a wonderful selection of pasta dishes from penne pasta to ravioli, fettuccini and spaghetti to rigatoni. You can’t go wrong with any of the sauces. And these dishes are served with salad and bread with the wonderful spread.
If you can’t decide what to serve the family for dinner on a Tuesday night, try Mamma Lucia’s Tuesday pizza night carry-out: buy one large pizza and get another for 99 cents.
For a special treat order ice cream for dessert. Mamma Lucia has a display case in the front of the store of mouth-watering gelato—Italian ice cream—with over twenty flavors to choose from, including cinnamon, amaretto, cappuccino, blackberry, lemon, hazelnut and white chocolate, to name a few. People stop by just for this treat.
Whatever you’re craving, come by and taste what Rockville, Olney, and Bethesda have been enjoying for the past few years. Now we in Silver Spring can enjoy the tastes of down-home Italy.

Mamma Lucia is located at 1302 East-West Highway in Silver Spring. Hours are Monday through Thursday 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., and Sunday 12 p.m. to 10 p.m. Catering is available. For more information, call 301-562-0693 or visit mammaluciarestaurant.com.