Mario's Restaurant

At least 3 times a year, I have the luxury of being treated to a traditional and very intimate family birthday dinner for Uncle Jay, Bill and Mark. Uncle Jay chooses the restaurant for Bill and Mark usually at different restaurants in the city, and Bill and Mark find a place for Uncle Jay. I can honestly admit that for almost a decade since I've had this privilege that there hasn't been any restaurant that I've extremely disliked, and we've covered a lot of ground in NYC.

For Bill's birthday this year, we decided to venture out of Manhattan and into Little Italy in the Bronx for some real New York Italian eats at Mario's Restaurant on Arthur Avenue. This is the first time we've ever left Manhattan to dine.

Happy 39!

Next door to Mario's is the Arthur Avenue Retail Market, which houses small shops that sell everything from imported cheeses, meats, candy and Italian specialties to gelato, sandwiches, pasta and prepared foods. This place is a must go.

Mario's Restaurant has been on Arthur Avenue since 1919 serving Neopolitan cuisine. The space is good for groups and offers valet parking, which we used. It's old school, laidback and friendly service with a family style vibe. The waiters were all wearing matching buttoned up white long sleeve shirts under a lavender vest with slacks to match, but the sign on the front door mentioned "casual attire welcome"; however, some part of me wished the dress code would have been business casual, but maybe they are more flexible during the summer.

We started with warm bread and a bottle of Santa Margherita pinot grigio. I enjoy this wine a lot. It's light, refreshing, and good with any meal.

We ordered the cold antipasta for the table, which offered a combination of meats (prosciutto and pancetta) on fresh mozzarella cheese and onion placed along the edges of a large oval plate with insalata caprese topped with shrimp and garnished with black and green olives and capers lining the middle. All the meals were brought to us on a cart including dessert.

For my entree, I ordered the spaghetti with meat sauce, which weighed about 2-3 lbs. I feel like they used spaghettini or spaghetti #8 (very thin noodles) and the red sauce with meat was just right; not bitter or salty. Mark ordered the spaghetti with roasted garlic and olive oil and the smell from his dish was intoxicating as the roasted garlic filled the table with its aroma. I wish I had ordered his dish instead as it was light and healthier. We both needed doggy bags because our plates were so huge and heavy. Uncle Jay ordered veal and Bill ordered manicotti, which did not look filling.

For dessert, we got a trio to share: slice of red velvet cake, chocolate mousse cake and almond cake. I realized after having a few bites of each that I don't really care for Italian desserts specifically mousse cakes and Italian cookies. However, I do enjoy tartufo, tiramisu, cannoli and zeppoles.

After our initial order, I kept my menu on my lap with my cloth napkin covering it. I had Bill's presents in the bag that I brought with me so my strategy was to throw it in my bag during the course of the evening. However, I kept looking for opportune moments but it wasn't happening. It wasn't until after dessert when Bill opened his cards and gifts that I offered to take them from him to stick back in the bag. I put his cards and gifts on my lap where the menu was and I carefully grabbed all of it together and placed it in my bag. Done.

We get home and guess what? I ate the rest of my spaghetti. Damnit! It was so good.

Mario's Restaurant: 2342 Arthur Ave.
Little Italy, Bronx, NY
Website

Mario's Restaurant