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Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

09/02/1999
14e
Rochester Weekend
Gary Fallesen

At Mario's: On a hunt for the perfect ravioli

Byline: Gary Fallesen
BY GARY FALLESEN, STAFF WRITER
Iam on a ravioli mission. If ravioli is on the menu, I'll order it. It's as simple as that. Mind you, I'm not
interested in garden-variety ravioli. I want the pasta to have something special inside.
Mario's Via Abruzzi offers ravioli stuffed with oven-roasted veal. It had my name on it. Unfortunately, it just
missed the mark, as did my two recent dining experiences there.
Mario's has a new menu featuring Abruzzese-style dishes brought back from Italy this summer by Mario
Daniele, the congenial owner who works the room like a Las Vegas showman. There also is a new pastry
chef, who's experimenting with the desserts.
Perhaps the menu change hasn't gone smoothly. Or maybe the staff is undermanned. All I know is, I've dined
at Mario's for years and never gone away displeased, but these two dinner visits left me unsatisfied.
On a busy Friday night, after a 30-minute wait, I went the entire meal without getting my water glass refilled.
On a weeknight, when there were fewer customers, the service was excellent. Then, as more patrons came in,
little things like my empty water glass again went unattended.
Attention to details is, of course, the difference between a good meal and a great one. Likewise, the food we
ate was good, not great.
During one visit, after starting with a basic Insalata della casa ($2.90) - Mario's house salad with arugula,
mixed field greens, tomato, cucumber, sweet red onions and root vegetable curls - I tried the Pollo all' Aquila
($12.90). It was lightly battered chicken served with prosciutto and mozzarella in a white-wine sauce. The
chicken was overly peppery, and the prosciutto especially salty.
My companion's Minestra all' Abruzzese ($2.90) was a nice mixture of beans, peas, lentils and pasta. The
soup was thick and mild-tasting. Her Gnocchi ai Tre Formaggi ($11.90) was the best dish of the two trips.
The gnocchi came with sun-dried and Roma tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, grana cheese and dry ricotta, all in a
deliciously sweet cream-and-tomato sauce.
For dessert, I had a Mousse Fragola ($5.75) that was underwhelming. My companion had a Mille Foglie
($5.75) - multiple layers of phyllo dough with a lemon-flavored cream filling - that was much too filling.

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During another visit, we started with Bruschetta al Pomodoro ($3.90), a grilled filone bread covered with
Roma tomatoes, arugula and shredded grana cheese. It was refreshingly cool.
Then came my Ravioli di Vitello ($14.90). The stuffing was delectable, and the dish was tossed with a savory
marscapone cream sauce. But the pasta was thick and chewy.
Our Cannelloni alla Fiorentina ($12.90) came stuffed with a mixture of ground meats and spinach and was
baked with a balsamella sauce and finished with a meat sauce. The dish could have used half as much
stuffing and twice as much sauce.
The Torte di Fruitti ($5.75), a strawberry-and-banana pastry, one of the new dessert chef's creations, was
heavy and overly doughy. And the bananas had an odd flavor.
When the server inquired about the dessert and learned of our disappointment, he offered Lemon Ice,
compliments of the restaurant. Now that's the kind of touch we've come to expect from Mario's.
Mario's Via Abruzzi
Address: 2740 Monroe Ave.
Phone: 271-1111.
Serving: Dinner 5-10 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 4-11 p.m. Saturday; 4-9 p.m. Sunday. Brunch 11 a.m.-2 p.m.
Sunday.
Cuisine: Italian.
Atmosphere: Old World.
Service: Friendly but at times inattentive.
Prices: Entrees range from $9.90 to $24.90.
Kid stuff: Children's menu.
Smoking: Not allowed.
Bar: Full service.
Parking: Large lot.
Credit cards: Most major cards accepted.
Reservations: Recommended.
Accessibility: Wheelchair accessible.
Gary's rating: With 10 as a must-try, this restaurant rates: 6
Map is not available.

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Mario's Via Abruzzi

Food, Restaurant
Dining Out