We live on the northshore of Lake Pontchartrain so it naturally follows that any thoughts about breakfast should begin here. Our all time favorite is the closest to the house, but we would drive as far as necessary to eat at Mattina Bella, operated by Vincent Ricobbono and his lovely wife Debbie. If the name Vincent Riccobono is familiar, they are everywhere in the Peppermill family.
It is all about family here, since the Riccobonos have seven children, and nearly all of them are employed in some way in the family business. Vincent came up that way too. His family goes all the way back to the Buck 49 Steakhouse.
Mattina Bella sits in a historic building in downtown Covington that was last a good restaurant called Judice’s. It has a rustic almost cowboy cool about it, and is always full of people. With good reason- friendly service, and terrific food. The large menu is imaginative without being pretentious. You’ll see the usual things like omelets and the two eggs any style staple, but also an assortment of Benedicts, like a blue crab version, and an Italian one called Malanzana with fried eggplant.
This is great comfort food traditional breakfast fare like your mom would have made, but only if she was a star in the kitchen. Don’t expect porridge and a breakfast whose aim is “healthy” first. You can order egg white omelets, and they will certainly accommodate requests because they are wonderful people, but really hip stuff just might not be in the house. Good breakfast meats, especially his Italian sausage, nice biscuits, toast from Wildflower Bakery, (superior), and unfortunately those fried potatoes cubes now accepted as hashbrowns. The pancakes come in two varieties-white, and wheat. Our feeling about this is, if you are going to eat carbs, go for the gold. The white pancakes here are half an inch high, light as a feather, stacked in three, and some of the best you'll find. They actually fall into crumbs when cut. Ask for the real maple syrup. (He has it.)
Lunch is also excellent, but we never go.
Mattina Bella
421 E Gibson St Covington 70433
985-892-0708
7-2 Daily
Mattinabella.com
