Visiting a restaurant twice and having the same old experience is never fun. Mother Mary?s Italian Kitchen and Pizzeria is supposedly the best place to eat homemade pizza with a superb marinara sauce and has a slogan ?It?s the Sauce that Counts? and ?It?s Gourmet? to give it credibility.

Unfortunately, when I was experiencing the pizza for myself, I was disappointed to discover that I had ordered the only pizza that is not served with marinara sauce. Without their most-prized commodity, a Mother Mary?s second attempt to restore their image in my eyes was impossible.

Mother Mary?s has been serving the greater Fresno and Clovis area for one year, since the fall of 2010. The owners’ goal is to attract customers who want to eat authentic, Italian-style cuisine. Len Ruggiero, who is one of the owners, said he decided to open Mother Mary?s because he felt Fresno and Clovis did not provide the true Italian way of cooking.

Once I arrived with three parties ahead of me, I was very happy to know that it wouldn?t be a long wait like it was the previous time I went. But I was wrong. I waited for 25 minutes just for a table next to the wall for a party of two. Usually, the only time I have to wait over 20 minutes for a table is when my family has parties of 40 to 50 people in a restaurant.

After my long wait, I listened to live music, which had no relevance to traditional Italian music whatsoever but helped pass the time. The music was calming and romantic, but not something for a pizzeria.

Looking at my watch and realizing 18 minutes had passed without a server or a manager asking to take my drink order, I was very frustrated, which made me want to leave. Finally, I called a waiter over, who ignored me, but then the manager noticed I had been sitting there for a long time, and asked me what I wanted to drink.

Patiently waiting and hoping someone would come to take our order for food, I was accommodated by our server, who apologized for the long wait while sweat dropped from his head onto the table because he was busy catering to other tables. I ordered T.A.?s four-cheese pizza and an antipasto salad to share with my brother.

Surprisingly, our food was ready promptly, but our waiter forgot to actually bring the food out to our table, which left it a little bit lukewarm. The pizza smelled great, making me hope that the cuisine would help me forget about the unpleasant service we experienced.

Just when I thought it was going to get better, there was no marinara sauce on our pizza. I was disappointed, but I didn?t want to send it back, so my brother and I ate the provided pizza.

The crust and the cheese were favorable, but being filled with just cheese and no tomato sauce, I was bored. The crust was rather crispy and a little over-baked just the way I like it. The topping was savory; all of the fine-aged cheeses were well-blended, creating a true Italian twist to the pizza.

After trying this pizza, I decided to taste a dessert in order to a give Mother Mary’s another shot to see if they had anything good to end the night with. Sadly, I was mistaken. The tiramisu I ordered was not quite to my expectations — after all, this is a delicate dessert to serve. The tiramisu cake part was so dry, I needed milk. The cheese inside it was also dry, and tasted like a thick mouse filling thrown into the refrigerator for a couple of hours before being served.

The first time I tried Mother Mary?s pasta, it was a little below mediocre, and was bland. This time I tried their version of a pizza without marinara sauce. While I talked to the manager about the experience I had, he apologized but still bragged about how great their pizza is. It is one thing to claim having good pizza and say ?We’re the best,? but it is another thing to say, “No one can make pizza as well as I can.” How does one brag about something that they cannot serve to a customer?

I have been to other places that serve pizza far better than Mother Mary?s, like Giuseppe Gallos or DiCiccos. The atmosphere was very tense because of its crowdedness, especially on a Saturday. According to Ruggiero, Mother Mary’s hadn?t been this packed since last March.

Mother Mary?s is not the most economical place to go if your are looking for somewhere to eat with family. We spent $25.84 on a small portion pizza — said to be 12 ” –, a salad and a dessert. After giving Mother Mary?s two chances, I will not plan on returning.

Mother Mary?s is located in the Piazza de Fiore on the corner of Willow and Nees. To contact them, call 559.299.4242.

For more food reviews, read the Oct. 27 article, Western steakhouse offers plentiful options.