Kara Mia Italiano
The blasted GPS system has us going in circles. But a phone call and few turns later, we're able to track down Kara Mia Italiano inside The Plaza shopping center in Alpharetta. This soon becomes a welcome discovery.
THE FAMILY BUSINESS
Father-and-son team Bob and Jeff Weiss, both donning chef attire, preside over the operation with family-style care. In fact, the name comes from Jeff's daughter Kara. Bob delivers a basket of garlic bread himself, presenting not only a satisfying starter but the key ingredient of friendliness.
The cooks don't whip up sauce in Kara Mia's kitchen. It's called Sunday gravy. The tradition comes from those Italian mamas who would roll out of bed at the crack of dawn on Sundays, create a from-scratch sauce, let it simmer all day and serve over pasta at dinner time. The only difference is Kara Mia makes its gravy daily. It brings with it the culinary contentment you might expect. The kitchen douses it on Italian favorites and even the Southern delicacy fried green tomatoes.
GOOD GRAVY
Our first taste of Kara Mia's — that fab gravy — comes courtesy of an ample serving of delightful calamari. Twisted rings of fried squid intertwine with sweet cherry peppers provide waves of comfort. A lighter pre-meal bite can come in the form of the Kara Mia salad. The signature tang of the homemade Tuscany vinaigrette covers a fresh-tasting conglomeration of romaine, olives, red onion, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, sweet cherry peppers and parmesan. It's the right amount of zest and briskness to set the tone.
LUNCHTIME GRABS
Sandwiches at Kara Mia are dubbed wedge-wiches. Each hunk comes with a side of Sunday gravy. Creations include the Roma (grilled Tuscany chicken, mozzarella, cheddar, tomatoes, olives, red onions) and the Grotto (Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, cherry peppers, and mozzarella and provolone cheeses). Other lunch guests in Kara Mia's slightly narrow dining room opt for pizza. The menu offers eight specialty creations, including the inventive Ranzano with calamari, cherry peppers and more. Guests can create their own from a list of regular and premium ingredients.
DISHING IT OUT
Proof of Kara Mia's homeyness comes in its pasta dishes and Italian specialties. Hearth-warming, mushroom-tinged marsala sauce blankets a tender sauteed chicken breast. A generous slab of Kara's lasagna arrives covered in Sunday gravy. Bits of seasoned ground beef are scattered throughout a mass of noodles and strings of parmesan and mozzarella cheeses.Kara Mia sees the family theme through with kid-size portions of spaghetti and a meatball. Adults can find domestic and imported beer and wine behind the bar. A casual lunch or romantic dinner can both be found at Kara Mia. And with a belly full of hospitality and homestyle goodness, you'll feel like an honorary member of the family.
