Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms who carried, gave birth, and then assumed the majority, if not most, of the upbringing of the children. Your are the refuge of your children. You are the example of strength and dedication. #AwesomeMoms
I am a mom of an 11-year-old young girl who is the most important person to me in the world and who grounds me in NY whenever I have a strong desire to simply disappear. The decision to have this child changed the trajectory of my life more than anticipated. Being young and stupid, I had no idea what I was signing up for in the paradigm of a marriage. On this Mother’s Day, I decided to have an awesome Mother’s Day in recognition of giving up a blossoming career and a big part of myself all for the sake of the child and family. The best part: I am now mostly free and planned the day myself to ensure no failures! Seems logical to write about Mama’s Boy in South Norwalk, CT in celebration of all mothers.
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Mama’s Boy in South Norwalk in CT calls themselves “southern table and refuge” because they promote a casual dining experience where you are treated like a family. That’s exactly how I felt when I was there a few weeks ago. A sense of comfort and love.
This is the corn muffin with honey butter and chill jelly. The muffins were warm; the butter was as sweet as honey and the jelly was sweetly spicy. These are great combinations of textures – warm and crumbly into gelatinous sweetness with a kick or warm and crumbly into a soft surrounding. Deliciously excellent.
Pei Black mussels with lemongrass, blistered cherry tomatoes, lobster saffron sauce, crusty bread. The lobster saffron sauce made it sing. The mussels were very fresh and clean. Definitely repeatable.
Collard Greens with house-smoked bacon, cider vinegar, hot sauce. I love collard greens and I make collard greens. I was looking forward to see how this dish really should be coming from a Southern restaurant and not from the stove top of an Asian girl. Alas, it was disappointing. The taste did not soak into the greens and it was salty. This was a failure. I subsequently had better at two other Southern restaurants – posts coming up shortly.
“Rissotto” with Anson Mills middlins, dry boat scallops, country ham, spring peas, shallots, white wine, lemon zest. Surprisingly, the risotto from this Southern restaurant was creamy and delicious. The scallops were seared perfectly and the freshness (although they were dried) came through in the texture. It was bouncy. This was the best dish of the night – other than the corn muffins.
Shrimp and Grits with white shrimp, Fall’s Mill grits, house-smoked Tasso, spring onion, pimento cream gravy. I was talked into ordering this dish because this is one of their most renowned items. So much high hope and yet it under-delivered. It was too creamy and the shrimps to grits ratio felt off. The shrimps were drowning in the grits and the creamy gravy. It was also too heavy; the dish tried to accomplish a little too much all at once. Felt like an over-eager person that delivered a 65 slides of a Power Point presentation when he only needed about 12.
Overall, Mama’s Boy is a great Southern restaurant. The farm to table approach is admirable. The staff is friendly and yet not intrusive. The food is way above average; you just need to know what to order. The seafood is fresh and well executed. Will definitely return and try the other items on the menu.
Lastly, I hope you can always be your Mama’s Boy or Mama’s Little Girl but remember to always be your own person. Don’t ever take your mother for granted. Relationships need to be work on. Bloodlines do not guarantee a meaningful relationship. I hope you all find your own refuge and have the courage to be one for someone else. Happy Mother’s Day!
This experience took place at
Mama’s Boy Southern Table & Refuge
19 N Water St,
Norwalk, CT 06854
(203) 956-7171
Peilin Corbanese 