Mundelein's Mambo Italiano a cozy neighborhood joint

Mambo Italiano is one of those cozy neighborhood restaurants that national chains emulate but never quite equal.

Owners Salvatore and Briana Cardone, both of whom are chefs, have operated the restaurant since 2005. Designed to resemble an Old World Italian villa, Mambo Italiano offers many familiar dishes, from stuffed baked clams to lasagna to veal Marsala. The Cardones had a hand in tweaking all of the recipes on the extensive menu, they said.

Once settled into a comfortable booth or at a table with views of pretty Italian waterfront or street scenes on the walls, you can easily be mentally transported to Italy, accompanied by the recorded hits of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and other famous Italian-American singers.

Warm crusty Italian bread was the first edible to arrive at our table, already set with a bottle of tasty olive oil. Many restaurants stopped offering bread service except on request to save on their food costs during the recession, so we especially appreciated this traditional start to our meal.

One quibble was that our waiter didn't offer us a wine list until we asked to see one. The list contains a wide selection of wines by the glass, along with an interesting variety of California and Italian bottled vintages ranging from an $8 Prosecco to a $175 Barolo from Piedmont. There also is a long martini list.

Our server arrived and described the day's specials but neglected to mention the price of each dish — a pet peeve that happens in a lot of restaurants but should not.

Grilled calamari is one of my favorite Mediterranean appetizers, so my friend and I split one generous portion, which arrived at our table promptly. Mixed with roasted red peppers, garlic, white wine and olive oil, the squid pieces were tender and not at all rubbery, with just the right amount of garlic.

Some other tempting appetizers that will have to wait till my next visit were grilled Italian sausage sautéed in garlic, olive oil and white wine and served in a light red sauce and arancine, a homemade risotto rice ball studded with prosciutto, peas, ground beef, mozzarella and Romano.

We also ordered an off-menu taste of two meatballs with marinara sauce. The oversized meatballs, a mixture of ground beef, Italian-seasoned bread crumbs, egg and Romano cheese, were fine and filling, while the slightly spicy sauce was a winner.

Soup or salad is included with entrees, a good value and one that's come to be expected in the suburbs. The salad — a spring mix of lettuces with a tiny slice of tomato — was enlivened by a red-wine vinaigrette. However, a few leaves had started to turn brown on the edges and should not have been served.

The house-made minestrone was very good, brimming with vegetables and not overly salted. It passed this soup lover's taste test.

We ordered one of the day's specials, the house-made ravioli containing roast chicken, porcini mushrooms and mascarpone in a Marsala wine mushroom gravy. This hearty dish is pure comfort food.

My friend ordered chicken Vesuvio, a delectable chicken dish reputedly invented in a Chicago restaurant in the 1930s. The preparation, a half chicken cut into four pieces, sautéed in garlic, olive oil and white wine and accompanied by nicely browned and seasoned potato wedges, was as good as “downtown” but lacked the peas that are usually included. The generous portion provided enough for a second meal to be enjoyed at home.

The extensive choice of entrees includes many standards seen on hundreds of menus in Chicago-area Italian restaurants: veal parmigiana, seafood risotto, grilled New York strip steak Siciliano — sautéed in garlic, olive oil and white wine with roasted red peppers and Vesuvio potatoes — and an array of pizzas and pastas.

Dessert choices also are plentiful. A few, including the cannoli and tiramisu, are made in-house. Most are imported from Italy. We split one order of three chocolate mousse-covered profiteroles, miniature cream puffs filled with custard that technically are of French origin. No matter — they are delicious in any language.

A medium-roast coffee also satisfied, although the wait for both coffee and dessert was longer than it should have been.

Mambo Italiano is a solid, family-friendly mom-and-pop eatery that deservedly benefits from much repeat business. Buon appetito!

<b>Mambo Italiano</b>

748 S. Butterfield Road, Mundelein, (847) 281-9100 or <a href="http://www.themamboitaliano.com" target="_blank">themamboitaliano.com</a>

<b>Cuisine: </b>Italian

<b>Setting: </b>Italian villa theme

<b>Hours: </b>11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Saturday, 4 to 10 p.m. Sunday

<b>Entrees:</b> $11.95-$28.95