Columnist Muriel Stevens: Bistro has same old charm

Friday, June 7, 2002 | 10:06 a.m.

Muriel Stevens' dining column appears Fridays. Her shopping and travel columns appear Wednesday. Reach her at (702) 259-4080 or muriel@lasvegassun.com.

Eastsiders who have been trekking to Summerlin to dine at Mama Jo's Italian Bistro, at 8427 W. Lake Mead Blvd., now have a Mama Jo's of their own.

Mama Jo's at 1000 N. Green Valley Parkway (formerly DiMartino's) has the same menu, the same friendly service and, of course, the same family style, familiar Italian food at affordable prices. Menus at both restaurants are related, but not the same. Portions are more than generous.

Mama Jo's speciality is homespun food. There's nothing new here, but it is tasty and comforting. Bowls of clams, green lip mussels, scallops, shrimp or a combination, are priced at $9.95 to $10.95. A bowl of cioppino ($25.95) is chock full of lobster, shrimp, crab, clams, scallops and mussels in a red sauce.

Our party of four ordered pizza, eggplant Parmagiana, veal Milanese and lasagna Bolognese. After viewing the portions of food going by we opted not to order appetizers. It was a wise decision. Entrees include a crisp green salad with the house balsamic dressing.

The pizza crust was crisp, the cheese topping gooey -- this was a good pizza. I liked my eggplant; two generous slices over properly al dente linguine, but the pasta was not hot. A minor complaint that surely would have been corrected had I brought it to the server's notice, but I was hungry so I ate it. All of it.

The veal Milanese brought joy to another of our group, for it was prepared just as it is in Philadelphia, his hometown. Nostalgia is the best flavor of them all.

Lasagna, served in an au gratin dish, pleased my niece. She liked the robust meaty richness of the sauce and the wide noodles used, rather than a sheet of pasta. Most of all we liked the service. Mama Jo's was busy, although it was early (we didn't know about the Early Bird specials). The kitchen was swamped, but our server kept us informed and happy.

Mama Jo's serves lunch Monday through Saturday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; dinner Sunday through Thursday, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 3 p.m. to 10 p.m. Early Bird specials are available Monday through Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

A separate lunch menu features hot and cold appetizers; pizzas; an antipasto salad bar or pizza or pasta salad bar combinations ($7.95); a variety of panini, Italian sandwiches served with French fries; soups and salads; mix and match pastas; and some of Mama Jo's special dishes (smaller portions at lunch).

Early Bird dinners ($9.95 to $11.95) include the house salad and dessert.

Short orders

Frozen Philly steaks: This native Philadelphian is reeling from the mere thought of frozen Philly steak sandwiches. Frozen steak meat, yes, but a sandwich? Say it isn't so. Look for the meat or sandwich in the frozen meat section of supermarkets. It should be appearing soon.

Roy's opens another: Roy's Las Vegas, at 620 E. Flamingo Road (one block east of Paradise Road), will debut June 14 with a private grand opening. Just in case you didn't know, Roy Yamaguchi, a James Beard Award winner, made his mark with his innovative Hawaiian fusion cuisine.

Chef Roy is a delightful man. He's expected to be at the opening along with managing partner Jeff McDermott and executive chef partner Steve Potovsky.

World Pastry Forum: The list of renowned instructors who will appear at the World Pastry Forum, June 30 to July 4 at The Rio, continues to grow. Pastry chefs from Spain, Italy, France, Venezuela, England, Belgium, Switzerland and the United States will participate.

For a list of activities (the event is open to the public) and additional info, check out worldpastryforum.com.

Shoofly Pie at Donna's Corner: The proliferation of ethnic eateries and markets continues with the opening of Donna's Corner, 6922 W. Cheyenne Ave., at U.S. 95. Owner Donna Carter was born in the Pennsylvania-Dutch region of Pennsylvania, so there's more than Shoofly Pie here.

The homey bakery and cafe features such goodies as canned and jarred food specialties, Yacco Hot Dog Sauce (used on the cafe's hot dogs) and more. Home-style tea breads, cookies, brownies, handmade candies and cheesecakes are baked from scratch daily -- a link to the past, Pennsylvania-Dutch style. For more information call 658-5244.

New Chef at Lawry's: Ralph Sanchez, a member of Lawry's The Prime Rib Team since 1983, has been named executive chef for Lawry's The Prime Rib Las Vegas. Sanchez comes to Las Vegas from Lawry's The Prime Rib Dallas, where he has been for 19 years.

Williams-Sonoma Grande Cuisine: Williams-Sonoma has opened a Grande Cuisine store at the upscale Rampart Commons, at 1001 S. Rampart Blvd. This WS super store offers an "interactive" experience where customers can sample a variety of foods, view cooking demos and gather new ideas. Store hours are Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.