Mulberry Italian Ristorante
 Buffalo, New York       Date of Visit  08/14/11        http://mulberryitalianristorante.com/

My second meal in Buffalo. This time I had company and felt much less lonely than I did at the Anchor Bar. This is also a place that has been getting some press. Known for handmade Italian fare the place has been described with the words…“Looks like the Bronx, tastes like Manhattan.”  Five minutes outside of Buffalo in Lakawana NY The Mulberry sits in what appears to be a purely residential neighborhood with lots of folks sitting on the front porch watching people head off to a meal.
 

Italian Tradition and Necessity
 

I had seen Mulberry and Chef Jerge on an episode of Diners Drive Ins and Dives and was impressed by the attention to detail and all of the homemade goodies the place churns out from pasta to meatballs everything is done in house. My companion was up for just about anything and we ordered the meatball and calamari for apps, the daily lasagna and braised veal cheeks. Italian bread arrived with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The appetizers followed quickly and ended up being a mixed bag.
 

The meatball is enormous in every way…size, heft and flavor. The sphere ranges somewhere between a baseball and a softball. It’s almost like a small roast. It is also dense, walking around the rest of the day I never forgot I had eaten ¾ of this beast as it rolled around in my innards like a shot-put. Never a regret because chewing the monstrosity was delightful. Very forward meatiness and a surprising amount of black pepper are the first things that struck me. With the size the texture is spot-on as it barely clings to itself until you begin to chew; which is when it generously surrenders its flavors simultaneously by disintegrating. Then you get all the rest of the usual suspects, garlic, greens, etc. which make for a serious meatball. Top it all off with a fresh red sauce and it is something to behold and devour. Worth standing in the Mac store thinking…oh that was a lot of meatball. Molto Bene! Unfortunately the squid didn’t continue in the same vein. It was chewy and the breading didn’t really do much to offset the gnaw. Traditional Caesar salads came with the meals which were fresh and had a nice dressing but were functional at best.
 

Everyday the lasagna varies and it is as much a beast as the meatball. We tried the small plate which was plenty. The cinder block sized portions on other tables proved we had made the right choice as far as size was concerned. Today the layers consisted on sliced meatball, mushrooms, banana peppers, and roasted pork along with the cheese and the house rolled pasta. The earthiness of the fungus was excellent and the bite of the peppers mediated the rest of the seriously rich innards. A really well done brick of Italian tastiness.

I ordered one of the specials which were the veal cheeks. Braised to a ridiculously succulent richness the cheeks themselves were superior. Expertly seasoned and prepared to perfection. The meat sat atop a risotto flavored with a cheese I had never heard of before. Apparently an Italian tradition that might be in danger due to the intensity of the labor required to produce it, I found the Bitto cheese to be something like a grassier Parmesan with a nice stretch and salty flavor. The rice itself was well done, lack of which has been the failure of many an Italian restaurant, it all came together really well. The only suspicion I had was whether the sauce underneath had been intensely reduced (possible) or had been quickly thickened with a slurry of some sort (likely) as it very quickly skinned over once the plate hit the table. Still it was really good overall. Mulberry is a fine Italian destination in a quiet neighborhood. Feels a little like home. In some ways, I hope never to return (some of you will understand) but if I should ever find myself in the Buf again…for whatever reason…I might have to spend the day complaining about how full I am from those gargantuan but delicious meatballs.