Mama Nina's Foccacheria, Bethlehem PA

It's always sad when a restaurant you love closes. That happened to me with Pane e Vino in Bethlehem. They closed in 2004, and I thought that was the end for my favorite Italian restaurant. I was delighted to be proven wrong. The family that once owned Pane e Vino now owns a restaurant on historic Bethlehem's Main Street, called Moma Nina's Foccacheria.

Jay and I had lunch there yesterday. The restaurant is small and cozy, with pasta being prepared in the back kitchen and pizza being made in the area in front of the kitchen. The charming decor does a good job of creating an authentic Italian atmosphere, with the help of the smells of the delicious foods being prepared. Italian food equals comfort food for me!

Pictured: exterior of Mama Nina's Foccacheria

Pictured: interior of Mama Nina's Foccacheria

Pictured: Jay, with the pizza preparation area in the background

Pictured: leftovers

Pictured: closeup of Jay's Deluxe (bacon, sausage, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, green peppers, onions) pizza

Pictured: closeup of Sharon's Pesto pizza

Pictured: closeup of the best garlic bread in the Lehigh Valley
My absolute favorite item is the garlic bread. I love the huge pieces of garlic mixed in with the oil on the freshly baked bread. We both enjoyed out individual pizzas, too. We brought half of our meals home with us, so it was worth the money we spent to each get two meals out of it. I've missed their pesto pizza. I've never had any other pesto pizza that tastes so good.

It's no surprise that the first thing I did when I got home was email my best friend to tell her that we have to go to Mama Nina's together.