Fairhaven's Mambo Italiano Will Rock Your World

We had some amazing moments in food history on our journey to Washington, and as far as I am concerned, Mambo Italiano blew everything out of the water for us. My hubby Luke and I have been trying out amazing cuisine which apparently seems to be all around us. How lucky we are to be able to explore and try out so many foods. Mambo was definitely the highlight of our culinary adventure.

Luke and I were out on a double date with friends. We decided to head out to Mambo Italiano in Fairhaven and get our Italian food cravings out of the way. Not only did they have a very welcoming vibe to their establishment, but we could smell the delicious food from across the street. We had taken the local transit to get there, and it was so nice to find a classy, warm, and inviting place to eat.

It didn’t take long for me to pick out the Shrimp Scampi, because it is a long time favorite and I wanted to get an idea of Mambo’s take on the dish. Luke went hogwild and got a Caesar Salad. 

After we ordered we enjoyed some bread and mambo pane formaggio for $14. A toasted baguette which had parmesan and mozzarella, with your choice between garlic aioli or pesto on top. Ours had the garlic aioli which really added a nice touch to a deliciously cheesy appetizer.

Before the food arrived we also got to test out their mixed drinks. I went for something different, an espresso martini while Luke tried out some sangria. The Espresso Martini was $14 while the Mambo Sangria was $13.

The Espresso Martini was delightful and packed a good punch. It consisted of Tito’s Vodka, Borghetti espresso liqueur, dark creme de cacao and coconut creamer with a sprinkle of nutmeg. Immediately the nutmeg was pleasant and inviting.

The Mambo Sangria was all business, but at the same time was elegant. The sangria was a concoction of house red wine, peach liqueur, pineapple, lime, orange, and Sierra Mist. There was a sugared rim and lemon garnish. House drinks are typically not too fancy but this drink did the trick.

Let’s get a drum roll going here as I jump to talking about the Shrimp Scampi. I would take an underwater adventure to Atlantis if I could get the ingredients for this Shrimp Scampi there, and that was the only way to make it happen. Fortunately all I had to do was fly from Kauai, walk, and take a bus in Bellingham to get there. Anyways, let’s just say that it was outrageous in a good way. 

I have had this dish many times at other places, and I’ve had successful results with this meal in the past, this iconic dish really blew everything out of the water. The shrimp was to die for and the veggies perfectly cooked, the linguine was excellent. I love my pasta and so there better be no funny business about it, and I am happy to say that it’s clear the Mambo Italiano crew takes their food seriously.

To give you some more background on the Shrimp Scampi, here's the description of the dish: There were six prawns sauteed in a lemon, white wine, and butter sauce with garlic, shallot, spinach, basil, tomato, capers and chili flakes. They offered to serve it with either linguine or the baguette, but come on, you gotta love those pasta noodles. Try it any way you want, but I’m telling you the linguine with all the fixings was to die for. The capers alone were excellent. For the $29 that it costs for this dish, just know it is worth every penny.

Before I continue about Luke’s Caesar Salad I would like to share that he feels very passionate about this dish. Apparently Luke has never found a better caesar salad anywhere. Perhaps he never will. The food ingredients lineup is a simple one but ideal combination: romaine hearts, croutons, parmesan, and house-made caesar dressing. All that for just $13. Luke's dish had chicken on top, which was a great compliment to the salad.

To top it all off we had the tiramisu which was purely divine. For $8 you can be on the mountain top with this fantastic dessert. Mambo has added their own unique flair to it which is a parfait style dessert, including layers of kahlua-espresso dipped lady fingers sandwiched between a creamy custard. On the top are grated chocolate shavings. 

Looking around Mambo Italiano itself is exciting, and you can tell just by looking at the establishment that it is a major destination restaurant. It’s warm and inviting, the customer service is polite and excellent, and they serve your food and drinks quickly. In other words whether you are traveling or live in Bellingham you really should go to Mambo. There’s no reason not to.