Restaurant Review - Mangia Mi, Danville, CA

I wonder how many of my readers even know of the existence of this little restaurant. A relative newcomer to the Danville restaurant scene, it is nestled down a short walkway off Hartz Avenue, just a little south of the Veterans Hall.
 It may be small but it makes  terrific use of every inch of space. To get to the entrance, you pass by the outside dining patio, then on entering, you find yourself in what feels like a very stylish, yet informal, wine bar where there is a lively buzz of conversation, a long bar with stools, surrounding an open kitchen, and as many tables as can sensibly be fitted in. And they do need every table. Mangia Mi is obviously becoming one of Danville’s most popular eating places for those in the know.
 Sylvia and I visited for an early dinner on a Tuesday in September. We expected to find a pretty empty restaurant, but already it was filling up. They don’t take reservations, incidentally, and it does get full, but people seem happy to wait for a table while they have a glass of wine. As it was a beautiful evening, we took a table on the patio and enjoyed a glass of chardonnay while we perused the menu, where the emphasis is on quality, fresh ingredients and relatively simple but authentic Italian food.
 We both passed on the appetizers and went straight to the entrees where Sylvia decided, for a change, to have a pizza, where they had five or six varieties to choose from. Her selection was the “Carni Suprema” - Marinara, mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, meatballs, and caramelized onions. This was a thin crust pizza with a generous amount of topping and we both agreed it was delicious. The small (ten inch) one was just right for one person (plus a small slice for me).
 For my entrée, I had one of the day’s specials - grilled prawns with a mango salsa, served on a bed of mesclun sald. I wondered if I needed a side dish with that (the menu had a few sides) but our waitperson thought probably not and she was right. This dish comprised six or seven enormous prawns that had been cooked to exactly the right point on a grill and tossed in a phenomenal mango salsa. Very, very tasty.
 As this is an Italian restaurant, I figured that a tiramisu for dessert would be a good test of authenticity, and they passed with flying colors. In fact this may have been the best tiramisu I have ever tasted.
 If all of this sounds like it may be expensive, nothing could be further from the truth. All of the main courses are under $20 (even a filet mignon!) and most are under $15.
 Don’t miss Mangia Mi. This is now one of my favorites. Read more about them on their website at www.mangia-mi.com.