Mambella's (OMG is this place amazing!)

MAMBELLA'S
160 Columbia St. West.
Waterloo
519-885-2244
mambellas@golden.net
What can be said about reliving a past experience that was totally amazing? It's terrific if you can manage it. As most of you know, I grew up in NJ where Italian food is king, queen, prince and princess. We always went to a bar called Conte's for pizza (the best on the planet) and meatball sandwiches. These flavors are part of my very food oriented childhood.


Scootor and I met Arlene at Mambella's for lunch. They have a huge menu of pastas, pizza, fresh salads, grilled paninis, fresh sandwiches (make your own or choose one of their signature paninis), toasted sandwiches, and wraps. They also have a breakfast menu until 11:30am.

So many choices it made my head spin. I opted for the Veal Parm sandwich but they had already run out of them so I chose a Meatball sandwich on a WHITE Kaiser. I normally do brown or multigrain bread but the meatballs were telling me to go WHITE. My sandwich came first and I took a big bite. I know I always say I saw God but instead I saw Conte's. It was so delicious I almost swooned! Scootor had the Pulled Pork and Arlene had the Boss Beef Panini. They also both had salads. Everything was marvelous.

Tina (the owner) doesn't buy "Deli" meats and cooks all the meat herself. It sure makes a difference!

There are Homemade cookies and squares that look scrumptious! I was too full of meatballs to partake.

So here it goes.....If you want a terrific Breakfast or Lunch this is the place to go!

It is right across the street from the RIM complex on Columbia Street. Run don't walk! When we were there they didn't do dinner; however, Tina let us know that they're planning on offering dinner service in the near future. So give her a call to see when she'll be open for dinner and weekend dining. Make a reservation as seating is limited - Note to reader: some days making a reservation is easy and others they are unsure, so you'll need to be a bit persistent.

Bon apetit!

ICEBOX CAKE

This dessert has been my favorite since I was a kid. My Mother wasn't much of a baker or cook if the truth be told. Since this dessert is a total no bake anyone can do it.

This is one of my free form recipes so just relax and have at it.

You will need:
1 Litre/Quart of Whipping Cream
4 boxes of Chocolate Wafer Cookies.
1T of Vanilla
Sugar to taste.

To Begin:
When whipping cream it's faster to put the bowl and beaters in the freezer. Don't freak out, you may omit this step. Start the mixer on LOW to start or you'll have droplets of cream all over the kitchen. As the cream thickens turn the mixer to MEDIUM. Add the Vanilla to the thickening cream and add the Sugar to taste. Try adding the Sugar a Tablespoon at a time. Keep tasting for sweetness. Stop whipping when soft peaks form.

Making the Cake

Start with a large PLATTER. Spread about 1/2 a cup of the cream on it. Pick up a CHOCOLATE WAFER and spread it with 1/2 inch of cream. Top the cream with another Wafer. Put the little cookie sandwichs on the platter. Keep going until you have a cake made. The size and shape is up to you. If you have a lot of cream and wafers left add another layer. Remember you will need to ice the cake with cream. You can always make single servings if you want.

Cover with plastic wrap and leave it set for a few hours. I always do mine in the morning and it's fine by dinner time.

To sum it all up it is a romantic cake almost as good as sex.

Bon appétit!