SINGING FOR YOUR SUPPER YOU CAN GET A GREAT ITALIAN MEAL AT MARCELLO'S FOR A ... WELL, YOU GET THE IDEA.Byline: Larry Lipson Restaurant Critic It was a Friday night, and most of the tables in Marcello's were occupied. A gray-haired man wearing a Stetson, plaid shirt and cowboy boots sat quietly sipping a glass of water at the counter. But he wasn't looking into the view kitchen where chef Marcello was cooking. His attention was on the piano player and parade of volunteer singers from among the diners. Eventually, he ambled up to the corner where the piano faced the dining room and sang an impassioned rendition of ``Stout Hearted Men,'' acknowledged the audience's positive response, then left the building. He was an anomaly. The others who got up to sing - everything from operatic arias to crooning - were bona fide [Latin, In good faith.] Honest; genuine; actual; authentic; acting without the intention of defrauding. A bona fide purchaser is one who purchases property for a valuable consideration that is inducement for entering into a contract and without suspicion of being dinner patrons. And they and their dining companions were obviously enjoying chef Marcello's Italian food. Not that he does anything unusual. His dishes are safe and familiar. Most of them are skillfully cooked with a light hand, separating him from many of the old-fashioned red sauce red sauce Nutrition Any low-fat, low-calorie tomato-based sauce. Cf White sauce. Italian kitchens with similar menus. His best efforts are undoubtedly the pollo (chicken) plates. You won't find a finer al forno (baked) chicken version (marinated in a balsamic- tinged, herbal olive oil mixture) at twice the price. Marcello's charges $9.95 for it at night and at lunchtime it's a downright steal at $6.95, served with a small salad, roll and grilled vegetables. Ditto for his just-as-moist, just-as-tasty pollo griglia in salsa di limone (also $6.95 at lunch and $9.95 for dinner) which, instead of the baked half chicken with bone, is tender, white, boneless Bone´less a. 1. Without bones. Adj. 1. boneless - being without a bone or bones; "jellyfish are boneless" breast slices in a piquant lemon sauce. And for those who like Italy's traditional sweetish Marsala saucing, the pollo Marsala ($9.95) emerges as yet one more chicken winner. Another strength here is Marcello's pasta cooking. Particularly impressive is a Roman-style offering of penne Romane ($5.95 at lunch, $8.95 for dinner) where the al dente slant-cut noodles noo·dle 1 n. A narrow, ribbonlike strip of dried dough, usually made of flour, eggs, and water. [German Nudel. arrive sauteed with onions, basil and prosciutto pro·sciut·to n. pl. pro·sciut·ti or pro·sciut·tos An aged, dry-cured, spiced Italian ham that is usually sliced thin and served without cooking. in a red wine sauce. Very often recipes like this tend to end up too salty from the cooked prosciutto. Not Marcello's. His seasoning appears perfectly balanced. Almost as good is his rigatoni rig·a·to·ni n. Pasta in ribbed, slightly curved, large-sized tubes. [Italian, from rigato, past participle of rigare, to draw a line, from riga, line, with sausage in a tomato sauce ($5.95 at lunch, $8.95 for dinner) which comes forth with a slightly milder Italian sausage than expected. However, a few dry red pepper flakes will quickly give this dish its needed kick. However, steak (New York New York, state, United States New York, Middle Atlantic state of the United States. It is bordered by Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, and the Atlantic Ocean (E), New Jersey and Pennsylvania (S), Lakes Erie and Ontario and the Canadian province of , $11.95) and fresh fish of the day (around $13.95) rate as merely passable. Marcello's fish on one occasion (bass) seemed a mite dry. And the steak, though tender and cooked as ordered, had a narrow, skimpy skimp·y adj. skimp·i·er, skimp·i·est 1. Inadequate, as in size or fullness, especially through economizing or stinting: a skimpy meal. 2. Unduly thrifty; niggardly. and somewhat lonely-looking appearance. But what should one expect at these prices? The house romaine salad or soups (stracciatella Stracciatella (from Italian stracciato, "torn apart") is an Italian egg-drop soup, usually said to be "alla Romana" ("the way it's done at Rome"), but also popular in Marche and Emilia Romagna. or minestrone) aren't bad pre-entree choices at no extra cost. And both calamari fritti ($5.95) and bruschetta bruschetta Noun an Italian open sandwich of toasted bread topped with olive oil and tomatoes, olives, etc [Italian] ($4.95) are standard a la carte versions, though the calamari is fashioned from squid steak strips that come up a bit too dark brown for my liking. Desserts ($3.95 each) of cannoli or tiramisu tir·a·mi·su n. A dessert of cake infused with a liquid such as coffee or rum, layered with a rich cheese filling, and topped with grated chocolate. , the latter supposedly an award winner, will basically satisfy the sweet-toothed, but neither is memorable. What is memorable at Marcello's is the joie de vivre joie de vi·vre n. Hearty or carefree enjoyment of life. [French : joie, joy + de, of + vivre, to live, living. , especially when vocalists around the room join in the chorus. Whether or not there's a singer ready to show off his or her pipes at your table, you can have a thoroughly enjoyable evening of dinner and musical entertainment at a bargain basement price any Friday, Saturday or Sunday. MARCELLO'S Where: 10825 Oxnard St., North Hollywood. When: Open for lunch from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, for dinner from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. Recommended items: Minestrone, bruschetta, house salad, penne Romane, rigatoni sausage, lemon chicken, chicken Marsala, chicken al forno. How much: Starters from $5 to $7, pastas and entrees from $9 to $14, desserts $4 each. No alcohol license. AE, MC, V. Reservations: Needed for dinner. Call (818) 505-0071. Our rating: Three stars for food; two and one half stars for service for service; three stars for value. CAPTION(S): photo Photo: Marcello Mauro of Marcello's in North Hollywood works at the range, while his wife, Hilda, offers roasted salmon in a raspberry vinaigrette. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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