by M.H.Reed

It's exciting to find an Italian restaurant with a menu that promises to deliver the rich flavors of Southern Italy, specifically Puglia's Salentine Peninsula, the area at the heel of Italy's "boot." The kitchen of Massa' Coastal Italian Cuisine in Mamaroneck is influenced by the produce from the peninsula's inland farmsteads (or masserias) and by the plentiful seafood fished from the adjoining Adriatic and Ionian Seas.

The menu is organized in a way that pays homage to the Italian homeland of the co-owners and co-executive chefs, Pasquale Coli and his son Francesco Coli. Diners might find the menu's layout unnecessarily complicated, though, with some dishes listed in boxes and others under numerous subheadings, alongside some charming adages written in Italy's unfamiliar Salentine dialect. But the younger Mr. Coli is pleased to translate; one proverb advised skipping the egg today for the chicken tomorrow.

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Source: http://www.nytimes.com/