For more than 10 years, the Momos have been serving fine cuisine, with a nod to local ingredients, in the heart of Princeton.
By: Faith Bahadurian
Carl and Raoul Momo have built up a nice collection
of restaurants in central New Jersey. A few years ago they renamed their mini-empire
Terra Momo, and it seems to me the brothers have been working very hard to refine
their existing restaurants, while preparing to start construction on a new one
at the old Winepress location in Kingston. Their group currently includes Princeton’s
Mediterra, Teresa Caffe and Witherspoon Bread Company, and Nova Terra in New Brunswick,
along with Eccoqui in Bernardsville.
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Mediterra |
Mediterra, at just over 10 years old, is one of Princeton’s most popular spots, offering a full liquor license (popular with business diners), a classy bar scene, live music later on weekend nights, and regular wine dinners and other special events. It is maturing well. Executive Chef Larry Robinson has been with the company for 14 years, and still sounds as enthusiastic as ever. The restaurants used to occasionally bring in an outside consultant to work with the staff on a "tune up" of the menus and operation, but now the Momos send key staff abroad instead, to Italy, to South America (where their mother lives), so they can bring back the flavors and techniques direct from the sources.
My recent dinner at Mediterra was very good and it was a pleasure to watch a well-run establishment in action. Furnishings are simple and contemporary; wooden tables, earth toned high-tech woven place mats, soft lighting and good housekeeping create a comfortable and sophisticated ambience. Service is snappy, too, attentive without being obtrusive, although at one point a busboy did try to take away my friend’s plate before she and I were finished with that course. No way were we letting such good food get away!
In summer and fall, many of the restaurant’s vegetables come from its nearby Herban garden, and the bread is from Witherspoon Bread Company. A basket of the latter, with good green olive oil, arrived promptly at our table when we were seated. Specials are regrettably recited without prices, although they are usually in line with regular menu prices.
For starters, beef carpaccio and crab cakes beckoned, along with a tapas special assortment ($19) that would have been a good-sized starter for four. But we stuck to the regular menu, trying Prince Edward Island mussels "en padella" ($16), from the "Plates to Share" portion of the menu, which arrived in a very large round pan, taking up half the available space on our smallish table. They were tender, and redolent with sherry, roasted garlic and smoked paprika.
In comical contrast, our butternut squash gnocchi ($10), from the "Salads and Appetizers" section, was a much smaller serving in a wide-rimmed bowl. The light-as-air pillows didn’t seem very "squashy," but no matter. They were cozily nestled in flavorful shredded duck confit and Swiss chard, with a sprinkling of Grana Padano cheese on top. This dish was a taste of heaven on earth, but Chef Larry has warned me that it has already been replaced on the menu by house made cavatelli with lamb Bolognese inspired by a trip to Puglia.
Entrées were also delicious. Pork osso bucco ($25), braised in red wine, was served with soft polenta, calmyrna fig and gremolata. The polenta is from Oak Grove Mills in Pittstown, an example of the restaurant’s sourcing of local ingredients, which also include Griggstown Farm chicken and Simply Grazin organic pastured beef.
The halibut special ($29) was served with butternut squash and truffle purée, and buttery parsley root, which is not, I have since learned, the same as parsnip, but certainly similar in appearance and taste. The fish sparkled with freshness, while the accompaniments added heft to the entrée.
The wine list at Mediterra is extensive, and when I first looked at it, I did a double take. Were these really high by-the-glass prices or really inexpensive bottle prices? The latter, as it turns out, and we easily made the decision to buy a bottle of Jean Luc Colombo’s 2003 Cotes du Rhone Syrah at $25, rather than glasses of Syrah at $8 each. Sure, you can spend a bundle on a special bottle at Mediterra, but you can also, very easily, spend well under $40.
Desserts ($6-$8) were less impressive. A seven-layer chocolate cake with cappuccino butter cream made me envision light cake with layers of fluffy frosting, but instead it was a dense, compact square of very thin layers. It was, understandably, a more European-style presentation, but tooth-achingly sweet. Hazelnut panna cotta with cranberries and oranges was more to my liking, but still, at least for me, too sweet. Next time I’ll try the Bent Spoon sorbet or gelato of the day.
My friend’s double espresso was just fine, and it capped a very pleasant meal that reminded me that sometimes the best culinary treasures are to be found right in my own backyard. Another thing worth noting Mediterra is open daily not just for dinner, but also for lunch. Now I know where to take weekend visitors for a special lunch.

