Mama's, You Spoil Me

Our breakfast this past Sunday was not one for the faint of heart. I had heard good things about Mama's 39th Street diner (including its appearance on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives) and we finally made it. Mama's is located in the historic Nichols Lunch spot but is gaining a rep of it's own....it's built quite the following since its original incarnation right up the street. The place was packed but we didn't wait long....but long enough to gape at the ginormous slabs of cake in the tall bakery case that originally came from Nichol's. I also appreciated the opportunity to survey the colorful crowd....hipsters, old school folks leftover from Nichol's and definitely some folks leftover from partying next door the night before. Mama's is located next to Missie B's, the longtime gay hotspot. That diverse crowd appears to permeate into Mama's and that adds an always-appreciated eccentricity to the sport of people-watching. It also makes for a diverse staff...replete with a server in drag. Our heavily tattooed server was a hoot...she reminded me of Lea DeLaria. The odd yet entertaining decor matches the feel of the place. The place is dotted with surreal art, including a strangely porcine Mona Lisa.

The rest of the experience conspired to make me feel old.....through no fault of Mama's. I'm in deep denial over needing bifocals but Mama's menu was so packed with details in small print, I couldn't read it and dammit, I just knew the problem was the lighting, somehow. The omelet list alone features 66 combinations. There's a list of breakfast "sammiches", pancakes, french toasts, scrambles, etc, etc. I was exhausted and overwhelmed and hadn't eaten a bite. I asked for a to-go menu so that I could revisit it later. When I did, I realized there's an affinity for New York delis as there were a plethora of offerings that sounded like they came straight out of Katz's Delicatessen. Back to the food...

I got a Mexican Scrambler which featured three eggs scrambled with Chorizo sausage, green peppers, tomatoes and homemade hash browns. I also, having heard such great talk about them, ordered one pancake. Their pancakes are made with fresh eggs, butter and malt and as I was about to discover, the size of cymbals. They, as well as the scrambler, were not only enormous, but crazy good. The only problem I had was the usual issue with over-sized breakfast fare...it doesn't really translate into decent leftovers.

My next twinge of aging involved bearing witness to the two young bucks chowing down next to us. Both were half my age and both were enjoying the hell out of their youthful metabolism...they tore up the most gut-busting menu offerings: deep-fried cinnamon rolls and deep-fried French toast and they were just getting started. Insolent whippersnappers with thirty-inch waist sizes.....Bah.

I look forward to returning to try out lunch, where one meal might easily feed me for the next few days... the portions are that big. By all means, check out Mama's but go hungry....as in only-raw- veggies-and-water-for-a-week-before-visiting hungry.