I visit M every two months or so and have so far been loyal to buffet and Hash House. But since we were there for New Year's and had no intention of going outside the building that night, we thought we'd try Marinelli's for a "nice" dinner.
A disclaimer that, as 100 percent Italian with New York roots, I am, as they say, a real pain to please with Italian food. Not into frouffy stuff (any place that charges $25 for pasta should be closed down) and I like my servings hearty.
Marinelli's delivered big time. We had a great waiter from the Bronx who was pleasant and straightforward. Had a nice glass of sangiovese for $7 and ate more bread than I needed to since it was so good.
I ordered the gnocchi - sort of my go-to meal at a new place - with a meat sauce and when the plate was placed in front of me I thought, "This isn't that much food." Oh, but it was, even with gnocchi that were extremely light (made with ricotta instead of potato).
My husband ordered the cavatelli (a pasta I don't see often on menus and love) done amatraciana style, and it was a perfect balance of spice, tang and pancetta-flavoring.
The highlight, though, was the side of creamy polenta. Oh my. I don't want to know how much butter or cream is used to make it, but for a special holiday meal, it was worth every calorie!
We opted for the bomoblinis for dessert (also not something you see on most Italian-American menus) and they were terrific. Light puffs of fried dough served with sides of cream and raspberry sauce.
Our meal - two glasses of wine, two entrees, a side and dessert, was $60, which I thought was beyond reasonable for that meal. Will definitely return!
