Friday, July 14, 2006

Go train not running? Dinner downtown at Marinela's

I, like tens of thousands of other commuters, was affected by the freight train derailment earlier this afternoon and had no way of getting home. So rather than try to quickly find a way to get home, I made a reservation at a little Italian restaurant called Marinela's. I hate the heat, so I sat indoors, but they have both a curbside patio and an upstairs patio that offer seclusion and charm.

The atmosphere of Marinela's is great. It's a very small restaurant, with only about 12 tables inside (that I could tell of anyways), maybe even less, and a long bar. There are lights and dried herbs attached to the roof, and a great view of the patio. The restaurant is basically in an old house.

It is a little pricey (pasta mostly costing over $15 and steaks costing over $30), but it is worth it! There is also about a page of wines (mostly Italian, not surprisingly!). I ordered a starter of brushetta, which although it isn't the best brushetta I've ever had, was still delicious! Very fresh.
My main course was the chicken fettuccine. The sauce that this pasta is served in is devine. It is a cream sauce, but there is something about it that makes it super tasty. There were also mushrooms and tomatoes in the pasta.
And of course, I couldn't resist the dessert! I had a tiramisu. Although it wasn't as good as my pasta, it was still a nice way to finish the meal.

Also, most of the other patrons decided to use the patio, so the main dining area was very quite.

The only downside to this restaurant is that all the parking near there is very expensive. It could cost you $10 for a Friday night to park just for dinner.

I would definitely go back to this restaurant (infact, this was my second time returning). And, I did manage to make it home!

For more information, see other Marinela's restaurant reviews.