scarletpimpernel
Google
we had a delightful birthday lunch at marena, during a particularly hot summer day: a rather noisy party of 12, half in juvenile hangover, half past the juvenile ardor and in apologetic, slightly embarrassed mode. after a little hiccup about our reservation, the maître allowed the staff to join two tables in the lateral veranda. better impossible, since the youngsters were allowed to be noisy at will, without disrupting the main salon which is, by the way, of singular beauty and quiet calm. it feels like you are in an italian villa, under a wisteria canopy casting a refreshing shade from the scorching sun. enough of poetry.
the drinks: all the drinks were perfectly mixed with a special mention for the saint germain spritz, a cocktail whose fancy name I don't remember, but it was a spritz, nevertheless.
the food: almost everybody choose pastas: special mention, again, for the pasta with anchovies. great italian food isn't about amazing tricks, smoke and mirrors (sorry frenchies) but about synergy of great quality ingredients.
we drank too much. thanks god half the table was under 20, so it wasn't totally ridiculous when "shots, shots, shots" were demanded after dessert; but our waiter was absolutely great, polite and patient. in a neighborhood with so many uninspiring restaurants and bars, marena is undoubtedly a restaurant to visit again.