Marino Ristorante

09/24/08

Overall exceptional experience

by alon_raphael at Citysearch

Having been a server for many years, I recognize a professional when I come across one. Some of the best service I have had at any restaurant. Food was very good as well.

03/13/08

Great pizza anywhere

by razman at Citysearch

I have been ordering the pizza with sausage & mushrooms for a couple of years. I order it from the take-out which is right next door to the restaurant. It is by far the best pizza in LA. I have tasted them all from Spago to Mozza and I rather have a Marino's pizza. The owners/staff are always very warm & friendly. When I read the comments from the reviewer who gave Marino's 1 star I just had to put in my 2 cents. Can't imagine that happening.

08/08/07

5 stars?

by foodieusername at Citysearch

We arrived at 7:30 on a Tuesday night, sans reservation. Only a few tables were occupied, and the owner seated us good-naturedly. Bread and butter were brought promptly. There were only two red wines on the list below $40. I asked our waiter about a wine listed as both Zin and rose. Our waiter seemed as confused by that as I, so I asked to see the bottle. The owner heard ?rose? and appeared with one just as the waiter brought what turned out to be a white zinfandel. I asked the waiter for the other sub-$40 wine, a Terrabianca Chianti, which, at $36, is an excellent value. The waiter brought the chianti promptly, but the owner, evidently heard me say ?Zinfandel,? and appeared at the same time with a Zin not on the list. I said the Chianti would be fine, which seemed to upset him. He didn?t speak to us again for the rest of the evening, although he chatted with the other tables. He did, however, loudly call our waiter an obscenity a few minutes later. My friend had clams with linguine, I ordered the special wild mushroom risotto. We split a Caesar salad. The salad came immediately, however it was a full 30 minutes before our entrees appeared. We barely had a taste before the waiter asked how everything was. My friend said fine. I was noncommittal--my plate gave off an unpleasant odor, like mildew, and had an off taste. He left and didn?t come near our table again for an hour. It only took two more bites to decide my entree was seriously off. The clams in my friend?s linguine were good, but the pasta tasted of burnt garlic. About fifty minutes later, the bus boy asked if we were done. We said we were, and he took my full plate without comment. Ten minutes later the waiter appeared, asking if we wanted coffee. We said, no, just the check. I told him I couldn?t eat my meal, and he said it would be taken care of. It wasn?t?it remained on the check, and no one at any time asked why I hadn?t eaten my entree. I can?t remember a more unpleasant dining experience.

• Pros: Easy self parking.
• Cons: Eccentric owner/manager. Inexperienced staff. Few medium-priced wines.