RESTAURANT REVIEW:

All it took for me to be sold on Mama D’s was one simple act of kindness. And some warm focaccia garlic bread.

I was walking down Newport Boulevard on a beautiful cloudless day, looking for somewhere to eat, ready to spin the wheel and enter any restaurant that caught my eye, when I saw the menu posted on the wall to the right of the door at Mama D’s and decided to approach.

I hadn’t been on the property for a minute when a waitress came out of the front door and offered me warm bread.

She didn’t know if I was coming in or not, but it didn’t matter. The bread was free, and so was the smile. That was enough for me; I was sold. I followed her into the restaurant and was seated at a table.

While the generosity and the friendliness was the bait, the bread was what kept me on the hook. Warm garlic focaccia sprinkled with Parmesan is a pleasant change from the French bread and garlic paste you usually get in Italian restaurants.

The norm seems to be absent at Mama D’s, and that is a good thing. The owners, transplants from New York, have a traditional family-run Italian restaurant, but have made certain the food is not stereotypical.

The first example of this is the marinara sauce. At most places it is watery, sweet or filled with chunks of tomato that could choke a cat.

Here the sauce is thick and herby, filled with basil and oregano. The taste of the Roma tomatoes is obvious but not stifling, and it gives the sauce an outstanding texture.

One of the dishes I chose was the sautéed spinach ravioli. It features thin, crepe-like ravioli stuffed with spinach and ricotta, on top of a slight layer of marinara sauce. The sauce is just the right amount, though the ravioli is so good it could stand alone.

Another favorite Italian dish of mine is linguine and clam sauce, and Mama D’s is also very pleasing. Four large clams and a large amount of baby clams are mixed in a bowl with the thinnest linguine I have ever seen. Again the right amount of marinara sauce accompanies the dish.

Another sauce I tried is the restaurant’s famous pink sauce. It is a combination of marinara and Alfredo sauce and the combination provides a smoky flavor that is quite good. It’s not for every dish, but I could certainly see putting it on several pasta dishes and chicken entrées.

Another accouterment not to be missed is the homemade sausage and meatballs. The sausage is both sweet and spicy and very delicious, as are the meatballs, which did not fall apart when I cut into them.

The service, however, is the real star. My waitress was helpful, offering educated suggestions about the menu. She was attentive without being smothering and very friendly. It is one of the few times a food server has asked me my name. The sincerity showed, and it certainly added to the enjoyment of the meal.

Though the restaurant gets busy, it is worth the effort. Besides, while you are waiting, someone will come out with that mouth-watering bread so you won’t stay hungry for long.

When my meal was finished, my waitress thanked me for coming in and gave me a card for a free appetizer for my next visit. There will definitely be a next visit, and a next, and a next and a next.

JOHN REGER is the Pilot’s restaurant critic. His reviews run Thursdays.