In 1983 I spent my spring break in metro New York playing lacrosse. A parent of a teammate invited the entire team to dinner at Mamma Leone's Ristorante in Manhattan. Back then the restaurant could be found in an old rambling three-story complex on 48th Street. It had an eleven room dinning complex with 1,250 seats. In the 1980s, many called it the largest restaurant in the city. Mamma Leone's became famous for its $23.95 seven course meal that included more food than one could eat. “When we sat down there was a huge block of mozzarella cheese in the middle of the table with marinara sauce to dip it into. The food never seemed to end, it seems like warm bread and salad followed and then we all got our entrees . . . and hot bread,” remembered teammate John Houtenbrink. The place was something to behold for hungry college lacrosse players. “I ordered the lasagna and I remember it being seven layers high and delicious,” says Houtenbrink. He adds, “I think they even gave us dessert, I'm sure none of us needed it, but I also doubt anyone refused it.” More than twenty years later, Houtenbrink maintains that was “a meal I will never forget.”
