Marcello Restaurant

 

0

5

Jen T.

San Pedro, CA

I went a year ago and it was the worst service I ever had in my entire life.  Not only was the waitress rude but she disappeared and forgot us.  My pizza could have doubled as a hard Frisbee topped with tomatoes.  My husband didn't even eat the salmon because of the bad smell.  On a good note, it is beautiful inside.  I am willing to try it again because they have a buy one get one free coupon running in the Best Buy Guide (living on the wild side here).

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Elite '08

25

154

Kim S.

San Pedro, CA

I have read the other 4 reviews (all negative), and I can only conclude that this must be an old fogies restaurant.  My wife and I and our guests (all over 60) loved it -- for a lot of the same reasons the younger and less experienced crowd might not like it.  It is a white table cloth place, not a red checkered kind of place.
We were there on a weekday evening.  Nice and quiet -- we could even converse with each other.  The piped-in music was appropriate and non-invasive.  Lots of space between the tables -- almost like a hotel restaurant.  That provided a sense of privacy.
We followed the first rule of eating in an Italian restaurant in the US -- never order a pasta dish.  They are all overpriced and and seldom edible.  Three of us did veal dishes, and one fish.  The veal was a nice cut and cooked just to our differing specs.  And pasta was NOT served as a side dish with the main course, another good sign.  With the main couse came soup or salad -- the soup was house-made and excellent and the salad more than iceburg lettuce, served only (as it should be) with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  The fish was, unfortunately, farmed Atlantic salmon -- something unforgivable in a California fishing-port town.
The wine list was extensive, filled with overly marked-up traps for the unwary at the cheaper end, but with some wonderful and affordable surprises in the middle ranges.  We had a delightful Briddlewood Syrah for $30 -- which goes retail for some $22 at Vons.
We were steered to a table close to other diners (a common habit of restranteurs, so you will not feel isolated and alone), but we asked for a different table "in Siberia."  No problem, and we enjoyed being alone and with each other.  If you do not like where you are put, just ask for a different spot.
The restaurant advertises an Italian chef, but the night we were there the only language spoken in the kitchen (and among the waitstaff) was Spanish.  I went into the kitchen to check.  Still, the food came out well and showed good culinary training in both preparation and presentation.
Downside:  Any restaurant with a pre-printed menu (and especially one with spelling errors) is to be suspicious of -- menus need to be flexible and vary with what is in the market that day.  Especially one of the caliber that Marcello's purports to be.
Upside:  This was one of the few good Italian meals that we have had in the South Bay.  And even though it is called the "Tuscan Room," realize that it really is a really Calabrese joint and order accordingly.  Nothing on the menu would be have been found on a local restaurant menu in Tuscany.
A little pretentous -- yes.  Could be better -- very much yes.  In Italy, this would be a restaurant for Italo-American tourists, not the local crowd, as its menu and presentation is about 40 years out of date by modern Italian standards.  But still the way it is deserved 4 stars and an early return visit.  This is, after all, San Pedro.

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8

21

Carrie S.

Palos Verdes Estates, CA

Oh gosh. I was here about two years ago, and I remember it being okay. Not bad, but okay. My parents were taking our family to dinner there tonight, so I checked the reviews and was surprised. I thought for sure I was going to be raving about the place based on our last experience. I wanted it to be a good experience!

The place is cavernous. And it was crowded, which was good for a Saturday night at 6 p.m. But the crowd noise level was high, and if that wasn't bad enough, there was a small two piece band playing even LOUDER then the crowd. We were seated at a round table in the front (right behind the hostess station), and we literally had to SHOUT across the table to be heard. My parents aren't terribly old, but they couldn't hear a thing we were saying from the other side, and I had to speak very loudly to my father next to me for him to hear.

We requested that they lower the volume several times - nothing. The owner also likes to join the duo and sing - his voice isn't bad, but like I said, the volume is obnoxious, and nobody needs to hear Volare that loud.

Our server was sweet, but kept forgetting to bring things to the table - like everyone's drink at one time.

I ordered the Fettucine with Porcini Mushrooms, and was told they were out of Porcini Mushrooms and had to substitute regular mushrooms. What Italian restaurant runs out of Porcini mushrooms at 6 p.m. on a Saturday night?

I changed my order to linguine with chicken (spelled checken on the menu), pesto & sun dried tomatoes. I have to give them credit for allowing my 13 year old to special order a shrimp cocktail and fettucine alfredo. One of my other sons ordered the Filet, which was good, and the other son the lobster tail, which he said was rubbery and tough.

Me, however: this was the very first time I have ever sent a dish back. It was awful. As far as I could tell, the sauce wasn't pesto and there were no sun dried tomatoes. The server said it was all combined, but I could not taste either.

By the time we were served, we had waited almost an hour and I decided not to reorder because I did not want to wait any longer. There was NOTHING I could find on the menu at that point to suit me. I assure you, I am not a high maintenance diner, but by this time, I was so annoyed, displeased with the service, the food and my ears were ringing.

It took forever to get out of there. It's a shame, because it's a great location and a nice place.

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0

19

Patrick C.

Rancho Palos Verdes, CA

I too was let down buy Marcello's....

we went there for my sister's birthday and our family friend said this is a great place to go too...

the spacious interior made the sound bounce all around the restaurant and that was not pleasant. though there is a little waterfall there which was nice...

We were also seated next to an elderly gentleman who was loud even though there were many available table open.

the food was pretty good but for some reason, the place does not make me want to come back if i was only to be there sober.  Their House Cabernet drowned out my disappointment and the loud elderly man next to us and I was able to enjoy a nice dinner with my family.  If my expectations had not been that high I would have given them more stars. I wanted to like it much more since it had been recommended to us.  

But yeah after emjoying in a glass of vino things don't matter so much and I became less cranky...

Maybe I will take some time to think this place over...and go back...but i guess part of me does not want to...

I feel a little torn about this place...oh well..the wine was really nice :)

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10

56

Mark M.

Los Angeles, CA

What a bummer this place was.

I lived down the street from this resturant for almost four years without ever actually going to it. Finally it was my girlfriends birthday the other night and I wanted to take her to a fancy place for it, and since she likes italian food I thought this place would be good. It certainly looks fancy from the outside, and I've heard pretty good things about it.

So we went there and upon entering the resturant I was impressed. The interior of it looks very nice, but it was VERY empty when we got there. Only about two tables taken. Kind of odd for a place that's supposedly so great.

The first problem that came up was seating. The waitress should have looked at us and clearly known that we were there for a special occasion and probably wanted some privacy, but instead sat us RIGHT next to a group of old people. She never smiled to us once while serving us, and  when we got our food, my rigatoni was undercooked to the point of being chewey. Just terrible. My girlfriends seafood pasta was evidently pretty good.

Overall bad service, food is hit-or-miss, and just not worth the prices they have on the menu.

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0

2

Mary M.

San Pedro, CA

The food and ambiance at this restaurant was incredible.  Maybe it was the company.
Last night, my sister and I enjoyed a long, leisurely meal including drinks and dessert and could not get over how nice everything was.  The server was attentive - but not pushy at all, as we opted to sit and chat over a half hour before ordering, then another hour or so after finishing our meal.  He made great suggestions and both of our meals were fantastic.

And, yes, like the previous reviewer mentioned, the place was practically empty and the help appeared pretty bored - except for the young man who served us, who was superb!

The only set back was when I found out that they would not accept a large gift certificate I had been holding for a special occasion.  Turns out that ownership changed hands and the new owner did not want to accept the former owner's certificates.  I big disappointment... but, for anyone else going out for a nice evening out, I think you'll find this place beautiful and the food exceptional.

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