The comfort of Tomato sauce & bread

On Saturday night Kate & I ate at Massimo's Restaurant. It is located on Pleasant St. in Malden MA, which is probably only a mile or two from my apartment. We just took the T to Malden center. We had googled an Italian eatery to go to. I had a craving. Kate remembered seeing this place when we were out walking, however it's existence wasn't exactly advertised much on the web. I had some doubts it existed, and I think even Kate did, despite that it was from her memory :D.

It is the old fashioned family style Italian eatery that brings back memories of childhood. The portions were plentiful and the prices were reasonable. The owner greeted us at the door. The wait staff was for the most part older women with a bit of a maternal air about them. Patrons seemed like the type that had been going there for years.

I had a craving for good bread, and old fashioned Italian food. I like the north end, but I find that you really need to be in the mood to get dolled up and go out for their gourmet eateries.

If you want the comfort Italian food of the suburbs and your childhood, the North End Italian district for the most part is not the place to go. Sure there are some places that serve the traditional dishes, but most are headed by chefs who seek to meld ethnic dishes, or add some special flare to their entrees. They are for the most part all very pricey too.

Massimo's was very warm & laid back, with retro rust colored seats and stained glass dividers above the booths. There were some Michelangelo prints on the wall, and a gold sort of marble print wall paper. For the most part it was very tacky and out of date, but I suppose that is part of its charm. The amusing thing, is the owner definitely seems to take his business very seriously, and it seems to me just some minor upgrades would go a long way in improving his business. We were there past seven however, and it was still fairly busy. Perhaps business at Massimo's does not need improvement.

They sat us in the "Lover's seat" which was a little brick enclosure with a booth in it. At the end of our meal... I was still eating even though I felt like exploding, the owner approached Kate and said "mangiare!" It was sort of amusing. After this, the chef actually came out, I believe just to talk to the owner, but he saw us and asked us "how was your meal?" "Delicious!" we responded. Then he said "You know, you are in the lover's seat, was it good for you?". "It was wonderful!" I replied. This quaint little time honored restaurant made for a memorable night. I'm sure Kate and I will definitely be headed back.

I Purchased a new CD, a self titled one called "Clap your hands say yeah!"
It is like Radiohead, but not depressing. :D

Check out this NPR review with sound bites:

Clap Your Hands Say Yeah

Anywhoo... Happy Monday and stuff.