This is the new incarnation of Modesto, owner Brendan Marsden’s longtime tapas restaurant. He dubs Mona’s, An American-Italian Joint, and it is reminiscent of the old-time American pizza place, with oilcloth tablecloths in blue check and simple walls displaying Tuscan plates.
While pizza is not tapas, this place retains a strong aura of the tapas concept of mixing interesting ingredients into small plates. For one thing, the starters are not the usual, unless you consider pickled zucchini fries and smoked chicken lollipops standard. Even the pizzas are presented in creative combinations like shrimp scampi with bacon and parsley or marinated artichoke with fried kale and garlic confit.
It’s a casual place, with friendly service that appeals to both happy hour imbibers and families. And the pizza crust here, very thin, crisp and with the slightest chewiness, is very good. The toppings, too, are judiciously applied and include a unique cheese combination that actually works, although it sounds questionable: cheddar, gouda, mozzarella and provolone. No, it’s not too cheesy.
Our starter of Garlic Knots ($6.95) was excellent and reminiscent of American Indian fry bread. Dough knots came deep fried with a dipping sauce of provolone fondue topped by tomato confit. It was kind of like having dessert before the meal, that’s how much it reminded me of doughnuts. The Grilled Caesar salad ($8.25) was a disappointment as the romaine heads had absorbed too much oil. They came with a liberal dose of shaved parmesan and (here’s that tapas touch) crisped pepperoni.
Much better was the Chopped Salad ($8.75), a fresh bowlful of well-combined ingredients, including butter lettuce, chickpeas, avocado, artichokes, cucumbers and green olives. It was lightly dressed with basil vinaigrette. Also excellent is a starter of Pickled Gulf Shrimp ($10.95), which was a creative presentation of good-sized shrimp stuffed into a jam jar filled with oil, garlic, vinegar and pickled onions. The accompanying crostini were superb (wish there had been more!).
The pizza menu is divided into ‘red,’ which has tomato sauce, and ‘white,’ which doesn’t. The Meatball Pizza was quite good, with pork-laced Italian meatballs crumbled on top. The base of four cheeses didn’t overwhelm and small clumps of ‘smoked tomato’ added another element (although they didn’t taste very smoky). The menu also mentioned ‘pesto’ but it wasn’t the garlicky variety, rather clumps of greens that added an earthy (and pretty) touch.
The Shrimp Scampi pizza ($15.95) was also really tasty, with baked shrimp scattered on top and plenty of crisp and meaty bacon. Parsley was on there too, to temper the bacon grease a little. This pizza was a white, with no red sauce, but it had a light dose of cheese that allowed the excellent crust to shine.
A disappointment was Mona’s Lasagna ($15.95), which came in a piping hot skillet and looked divine. Unfortunately, once I dug into it, I found mushy noodles and too much cheese/bechamel and left asking, Where’s the meat? Linguine ($18.95) had good flavor from ‘bbq shrimp’ (flavored with Old Bay’s-style spices), but here again, the noodles were well beyond al dente.
Desserts are made in-house and are classic Italian fare (but thankfully no tiramisu or cannoli, so far!). Our Limoncello Torte ($7.50) was a delight, with its layers of light sponge cake, lemon curd and limoncello icing. Better yet is the Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake ($7.95), with crusty biscuit and strawberry compote.
amuse bouche
the scene | Fresh-faced Italian pizzeria
the prices | $8-$9 salads, $13-$16 pizzas
the chef | Carlos Hernandez
the favorites | Garlic Knots, Shrimp Scampi Pizza, Chopped Salad, Pickled Shrimp, Balsamic Strawberry Shortcake
chef chat» owner brendan marsden
what inspired the American Italian concept at Mona’s? I have half Sicilian in my blood, so that was an inspiration, and for a long time I have wanted to serve pizza.
favorite dish | Any of the pizzas, though we have a great linguine with shrimp.
will there be seasonal specials? Yes, but we haven’t fully decided on them yet.
future goals | To make it a success, and to open a second location if this one is well received.
5257 shaw ave. | 314.772.8272
Photos: Bill Barrett