Restaurant Review: Mama’s Kitchen

While on my way to the AirFest air show at Mac Dill Airport on Saturday, I decided to swing in for a hearty breakfast at Mama’s Kitchen (5524 S Dale Mabry Hwy, Tampa, FL 33611, (813) 831-6400). A busy little place about a mile outside of the base, Mama’s serves up breakfast, lunch and dinner favorites in a packed diner environment.

Even with the crowd, service was pretty quick. My root beer was out on the table within 5 minutes. My breakfast was out in less than 10. As I looked around, I noticed that all of the tables were served equally quick and everyone seemed to be happy with their meals.

Since I knew I was going to be at the Airfest and a number of other activities all through the day, I decided to load up on comfort food early on so I’d be full of energy throughout the day. The obvious choices for me included the corn beef hash and the Greek Omelette. I actually ended up ordering more than I needed, as all of the portions were larger than I expected.

The Greek omelette was above average. The things I look for in a Greek omelette include a large quantity of feta cheese, crisp vegetables and a well done and thick consistency to the omelette. This one was spot-on. If I had to wave a magic wand, I’d have added gyro meat, but I forgot to even ask for it. The omelette was extra large in every way, filling a large platter and thus my belly.

I was really expecting the corned beef hash in place of the hashbrowns with my omelette and thus was surprised when they brought out a heaping pile of hashbrowns that I couldn’t finish. They were just the way I like them too, crispy and brown on one side with a cooked through bottom that wasn’t oily or burned. They also salted it just enough to where I didn’t need to add any. A splash of hot sauce and ketchup made them near perfect. To round off the plate, the rye toast was adequate, if not a little dry.

The corned beef hash was the star of the show, even though I ordered it as a side dish. Based on mass alone, it was probably the same size as the omelette. The hash was meaty and had that great corned beef smell that you can only get from fried corn beef hash. It was aromatic and hit the spot. When I got up from the table, I felt 10 pounds heavier because of the all the starch and carbs, but I knew I was good for the day.

Even leaving and going directly into the hot sun for the next several hours, the breakfast kept me feeling full and happy. The next time I’m down near the base, I’ll have to pop in for lunch and see how consistently good it is.

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4. Restaurant Review: Central Park Restaurant
5. Restaurant Review: The Brunchery
6. Restaurant Review: Johnny’s Pizza & Restaurant
7. Restaurant Review: Pop N Sons Diner
8. Restaurant Review: Athenian Garden Restaurant
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