Mama Cucima's- Fresh Italian Cuisine, Attractively Priced Shoppes at Innsbrook, Cox and West Broad 346-3350, Reservations Recommended $10 to $16 per entrée. Reasonably priced wine selections. Mama Cucima's is cramped, loud, and little attention is paid to décor. In a word, it was excellent. When my fiancée, Kristin and I went out to grab a good dinner last Friday night, in search of an Italian restaurant that 1) didn't proclaim that when I was there I was family (does anyone really want to eat with their family and pay for it?), 2) didn't force you to order one dish for two people, and 3) wasn't overly expensive. So we traipsed over to Mama Cucima's, tucked away in a shopping center on West Broad Street by Innsbrook. As soon as we opened the door, indicators that a good meal was at hand, appeared immediately. First, we were graciously greeted by an actual Italian hostess, without at nose piercing or dyed hair job in sight! Secondly, all of the tiny restaurant's 16 tables were packed, but while we didn't have a reservation, we were seated within 10 minutes. Not bad for 7 pm on a Friday night. Something you need to know about menus in good restaurants: they should be small and they should change with the seasons. An extensive menu means frozen products, out of season products, and little expertise in creating those dishes. That being said Mama Cucima's menu was reasonably sized, with a few dishes for veal, chicken, seafood, pork, and of course pasta. Another good sign from the menu is that they assert proudly that nothing is frozen, that the meat is butchered on-premises, the fish filleted on-premises, and the pasta is fresh. I chose the Veal St. Anthony's, the highest priced dish on the menu (I have that habit) at $15.95. It was superceded by an excellent Italian salad with the surprising but welcome addition of blue cheese crumbles, and a savory creamy Italian dressing. The salads come out with fresh, hot bread that is simply fantastic. Go ahead and finish the basket, as the attentive wait staff will bring more, and more you will want. As for my entrée, it was excellent, although a bit of a let down after the bread. That is not a slight to the entrée mind you, it's just that the bread was damn good. Veal St. Anthony's is thinly pounded veal topped with prosciutto (an Italian style ham), parmesan, fresh mozzarella, and fresh tomato slices cooked in a red marsala sauce. Kristin chose the Pasta Barizo Style value priced at $12.95. It was served on a gargantuan platter and Kristin ate at it for 20 minutes, never making a dent in the plate. The dish features fresh penne pasta with delicious homemade meatballs, escarole spinach and a rich tomato sauce. It was delicious and reminded her of her mother's Italian friend's kitchen. Definitely a good sign. We wound up boxing the Pasta Barizo style. The container probably weighed four pounds and we happily ate in Saturday and Sunday for lunch. Like I said, value priced at $12.95. The total bill came to just under $33.00 for 2, certainly a worthwhile meal, considering we could have had frozen ________ for the same price at a chain restaurant. My only regret was that we did not have room for dessert. Cannoli, black forest cake, and tiramisu were the offerings and they looked delicious, at least. If you would like to see another area restaurant reviewed feel free to drop me a line at sjimison@richmond.edu. Just a note, this column will not review the following: 1) large chain restaurants where the owner is a board of directors, 2) any restaurant on West Broad Street that requires its own parking lot, and 3) any place that I cannot afford. Go try a new food today, cause life is too short to eat bad food (that motto is killing my diet).

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