Gee K.
Yelp
Mario, the front of the house, was great. kind, funny, caring, and truly service oriented. luckily, the food matches up nicely to the front of the house at marino as well.
marino is just west of providence on melrose. it has a pleasant, well lit, classy outdoor dining area with heat lamps. well behaved small dogs seem welcome. tables are well spaced.
we started with the calamari - well breaded, light, and just as tasty as it should be. it might be a safe starter, but it was really good.
we took 2 pastas and 2 mains for the bulk of our meal.
the linguine alle vongole was solid, but not sure i'd come back for this dish. would substitute one of their many other pastas next time. but if you're in the mood for it, you won't be disappointed.
the penne al arrabbiata with rabbit as the protein was delicious, and you could tell it was rabbit but it really complemented the tomato sauce and penne perfectly. would get this again.
also enjoyed the new york steak, which i didn't really expect too much from, but it was cooked perfectly medium rare and the meat was very tender. glad we ordred it. the side arugula provided a nice complement to the juicy meat.
finally, as a a throw in, we ordered the halibut. it was good, but maybe something we weren't looking for that night. if you are a pescatarian or fish lover, order it. a very solidly crafted dish.
my vodka martinis were on point, delicious, and perfectly mixed.
overall, the ambience, food, and service were great. if you want to feel like a part of an italian family restaurant with good ambience, come. i'll be back. :)