MARINO'S ITALIAN CAFE (REVISITED)

Those who have followed my restaurant reviews in the past know that until I left my parents' farm for college in 1959, my idea of Italian food was opening a can of Chef Boyardee (no, that's not a joke). But college was a game-changer; since the dormitories at Kent State University didn't serve meals on Sundays back then, hungry students had to fend for themselves. Those who didn't opt for shakes and burgers at Lujan's gravitated toward The Stag bar. And that's where I had my first taste of authentic spaghetti sauce - so good it was almost a religious experience. Real pizza came a little later at the long-gone Jerry's Inn on Mason Street in Niles - which is where I learned to love icy cold beer as well, though I had to settle for the low-powered (3.2) stuff because I wasn't yet 21.

After I got married, I relocated to my husband Jack's home turf of Niles, where I swear there's an Italian restaurant on practically every corner. The U.S. Route 422 "Strip" was a gold mine of opportunity; who can forget Alberini's? Or Jimmy Chieffo's? Or El Rio or Cafe 422 (the latter is still going strong, by the way).

Along the way, I've even learned to cook a few Italian specialties, but my culinary efforts don't hold a candle to any of the wonderful area restaurants. Marino's Italian Cafe is among them - and I reviewed it in this blog way back in 2010 after visiting with a couple of friends. Happily, our move something like eight years ago to Mineral Ridge put us just several stones' throws from the restaurant, located just around the corner of State Route 46 and Mahoning Avenue in Austintown.

When we stopped in recently with that same couple to celebrate a birthday, I decided it's time for an updated review. The atmosphere is very relaxed here, with a row of booths against one wall and tables filling the rest of the room - with one exception: one wall houses the buffet stand; a lunch buffet is served Wednesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. ($13.99) and Saturday nights ($19.99). But this was late afternoon, and once we were seated in a booth, our first request of the server wasn't for drinks, but rather whether we'd get a basket of Mama Marino's famous rolls - buttery delicious and still warm from the oven. Absolutely, she replied, eliciting smiles of anticipation all around.

Needless to say, the menu is full of Italian specialties - from appetizers like lightly fried calamari and sauteed greens (add homemade hot peppers for a small upcharge if you want) to wedding soup and caprese salad (a favorite of mine), Italian staples like calzones and pizza and ravioli (another favorite of mine), linguine with white or red clam sauce ande manicotti filled ricotta topped with tomato or Alfredo sauce. And more. Plenty more. Entree prices are quite reasonable, with a plate of basic spaghetti with marinara at $8.99 and that aforementioned linguine with clam sauce at $15.99. All prices I mention here, of course, are what we paid at the time of our visit.

On this, our "official" visit, we started with shared appetizers as is our custom. The aforementioned friends, hereafter known as Jerry and Barb (because, well, those are their names and as far as I know they have no need to remain anonymous) chose bruschetta, bread topped with red peppers, olive oil, various spices and cheese and drizzled with balsamic vinegar and chopped tomatoes and very tasty ($8.49). Also as is our custom, I opted for hot peppers in oil - less of a search for great flavor and more of a quest to check the extent to which said peppers qualify as "hot." The peppers here are quite flavorful ($7.99), but from the perspective of my cast iron stomach there's no heat to speak of, so I probably won't get them again. But I'll also note that they had too much "kick" for any of my three companions so consider the source (and yes, I ate the entire plate all by myself).

For our entrees, I got meat-filled ravioli (big surprise, huh?) with marinara sauce - no meatball - with wedding soup as a side instead of the crispy salads chosen by my three companions.  The wedding soup, for the record, is just about the tastiest I've ever had at a restaurant; better still, it arrived actually hot. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to be served a cup or bowl of lukewarm soup, which unfortunately seems to be the norm (one of these days when it arrives that way, I'm going to work up the courage to send it back to be properly heated up). I'm not sure the reasoning behind it - if it's to protect customers from burning their lips or tongues, a simple "Be careful, this is quite hot" warning from the server will suffice for me, thank you very much.

Barb chose ravioli as well, but opted for the lobster-stuffed special of the day topped with a blend of Alfredo and marinara, if I recall correctly (diners can opt for whatever sauce they want on their pasta). The sauce was absolutely delicious - she graciously shared a bite - but it was so rich I might have made it through one ravioli but not an entire plateful. Jack chose crab-stuffed whitefish - delicious also, but the fish, as is not usual for those of us who buy it at inland restaurants, was cooked a little too dead for my tastes. Jerry's birthday meal was veal marsala ($17.99). Honestly, I forgot to ask him if he liked it, but I did notice that his plate was clean when we finished up so I'll go out on a limb and assume he did.

Also worth noting is that Marino's has a wide selection of carry-out catering items to feed a crowd, such as eggplant parmesan, sausage with peppers and onions and lasagna plus that wonderful wedding soup ($15 a quart) and rolls ($7 a dozen). As I've mentioned before, we typically make restaurant stops at off hours, in large part to avoid crowds and waiting. Marino's is relatively small, though, and I've seen the parking lot with every single slot occupied on many occasions. To be on the safe side especially when you'll need four or more seats, I advise calling ahead to see if reservations are advisable. Then go. Mangia!

If you go:

Marino's Italian Cafe
5423 Mahoning Ave.
Youngstown, Ohio 44515
(330) 799-8326

http://www.marinositaliancafe.com

Open Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Closed Monday

POST OFFICE PUB

When this restaurant review blog came to a screeching halt with the shuttering of businesses at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the next installment was to be the Post Office Pub in downtown Mineral Ridge, Ohio. In part, that was because we were delighted to find a cool place to pop in for a cold one and a munchie or two on a hot day in the place to which we relocated after what was, for one of us, at least, a lifetime of living in nearby Niles. In fact, the Pub almost qualifies for right around the corner; I often pass by on one of my morning exercise walks.

I've always said you can tell a neighborhood bar by the fact that the server puts your drinks in front of you almost before you sit down - and that's certainly true here (two Rolling Rocks, one glass and a salt shaker, if anyone cares to know). Another clue is the special parking spots for motorcycles and golf carts; in our neck of the woods, after around 6 p.m. when it's not raining (and sometimes when it is), we could use a traffic cop to keep all the carts from hot-rodding around the streets.

But I digress. For those who haven't yet been to the Pub, the decor is simple but intriguing; located in what was the U.S. Post Office in Mineral Ridge until its closing in 2011, the walls are lined with old photographs and other graphics reminiscent of the building's past life. There's the requisite partitioned-off bar section plus a couple of rows of booths, several tables of various sizes, a covered outdoor patio for dining and a rack of for-sale logo-covered tee-shirts and hats for those who are into such things. Dining is uber-casual; rolls of paper towels on the tables serve as DIY napkins, and food is served in shallow metal baking pans lined with parchment paper.

Often, we'll pop in just for a couple of the aforementioned Rolling Rocks and an appetizer or two at the bar, usually during Happy Hour (3 to 5 p.m. weekdays), when selected appetizers and drinks are offered at special prices. It's safe to say we've tried most of the appetizers and all have been quite good; we're drawn to the chicken wings - garlic parm for me and teriyaki for Jack, all flats. To be honest, they don't come from the biggest chickens in the coop, but they're meaty enough and the sauces are excellent (the price fluctuates, and sometimes they're on special; at our official visit, Jack's six wings were $10.25 including an upcharge for getting all flats). If I had my druthers, I'd prefer a little more sauce - a lack of which I've also noticed at several area eateries, for the record. Wings were meant to fly, not float, but I do like enough sauce hanging around that I can slosh a little more on a wing or two when needed.

Speaking of appetizers, I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the bourbon glazed brussel sprouts. There's a story here, so bear with me: I'm more than eight decades old, and for all but about two of those years, a brussel sprout never, ever passed my lips - not even to taste (nope, not gonna, can't make me). But something made me rethink that choice, most likely the reports of how healthy they are for us mortals - a status I hope will continue for at least another decade, BTW. Since they're listed here as both an appetizer ($11.50) and available as a side, on one visit I tried them as the latter figuring I wouldn't lose much if they were awful. Now seriously, I doubt the truly healthy aspect of these babies - the sauce is almost sweet enough to throw me into sugar shock - but oh my, are they ever delicious. Jack, who still hasn't come around to my way of thinking on those sprouts, is particularly fond of the potato skins appetizer ($11.50) and pierogies ($9.50, cheddar infused with carmelized onions).

In the sandwich department, there are a number of great burgers - I'm partial to the Black & Blue, at $13.50, and the Jameson Whiskey, $14.50. All sandwiches come with fries, with other options including sweet potato fries available at a small upcharge. But the regular fries are quite good - all precisely cut into neat squared strips reminiscent of those I make at home with my aging As Seen On TV Veg-O-Matic. My other favorite 'wich is the hot sausage, the meat for which comes from almost-next-door Badurik's Butcher Block, topped with marinara, bell peppers, carmelized onions and provone on a hoagie bun ($13.50). Entrees are more limited; at the time of this writing, seven are on the menu, with only three - all variations of haddock - ever passing from either of our mouths to our stomachs. The panko haddock ($15.50) is my favorite, and the portions for all - including the fish sandwich - are generous. 

For our official visit, Jack went with his usual teriyaki wings, while I opted for the chicken tenders ($11.50 under the "handhelds" section) which I haven't before tried. Similar to those at Buffalo Wild Wings but a tad less flavorful coating, they're deliciously crunchy on the outside and (what else!) "tender" on the inside. I like mine dipped in honey mustard sauce, but that's just one of several options available. They're also huge; in fact, all I could eat was two, bringing the other three, plus most of my fries, home for lunch the next day. 

As for dessert, you're on your own; I don't recall the last time either of us has ordered something sweet to end our meal (though if you're offering a snifter of Courvoisier, let's talk). When it comes to pay-up time, do be aware that there's a 2.8% surcharge if you use a credit card. While lots of small businesses do that and I do understand the reasoning behind it, that's a bit of a downer - especially since our credit card pays a 2% cashback on restaurant purchases, making the surcharge/cashback thing pretty much a wash.

In short, the Post Office Pub is a great place to go for a meal, a few drinks and snacks after work or to watch Caitlin Clark and the rest of the Indiana Fever do their thing (hey, I was born in the state, and even if I grew up in Ohio, we native Hoosiers and the sport of basketball are forever joined at the hip). 

If you go:

Post Office Pub
3821 Main St.
Mineral Ridge OH 44440
(330) 349-0440

http://www.mrpostofficepub.com

Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; Noon to 7 p.m. Sunday. Closed Monday.

REVIVING THE REVIEWS

For I can't even remember how many years, one of the greatest delights for both me and my husband Jack was going out to eat; a week without at least three lunch or dinner trips to a restaurant or bar was unusual. And while we've always believed food doesn't get much better than in the Mahoning and Shenango valleys, we loved sampling local restaurants when we traveled.Largely because of our love of dining out, both of us, individually and collectively, became restaurant reviewers. Whether it was for regular columns in the Youngstown-based Business Journal or this Mahoning Valley Eats & Treats blog, which I started in 2009 with a review of Margherita's Grille in Girard, Ohio, we loved telling anyone within reading distance what they could expect at area eateries. 

And then the bottom fell out. A potentially deadly virus dubbed COVID-19 made its way to the region, causing panic, countless hospitalizations and deaths even before it was officially declared a pandemic. The day before celebrations were to take place for my favorite holiday of the year, St. Patrick's Day, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine ordered the closing of all bars and restaurants to in-house patrons. Restaurants that chose to remain open could offer take-out and delivery, but going inside was not a happenin' thing. Already geared up for the next day with my green beads and flashing shamrock ring at the ready, I was devastated to say the least.

It got worse. For more than a year, I estimate, we even avoided take-out for fear of possible contamination (as senior citizens with more than a few health concerns, we're particularly vulnerable to dire consequences of contracting the virus despite being fully vaccinated). Coupled with my distaste of reheated food - to me, it becomes leftovers any time after it leaves the restaurant – I was forced to hone cooking skills I'd previously hoped would remain dormant for the rest of my natural life. Finally, we began to chance take-out once every couple of weeks, limiting ourselves to restaurants not more than 15 minutes from home so the food would still be at least warm enough to be consumed when it got here with no microwave intervention.

Now 2024 is nearing the halfway point, and we've returned to occasional inside dining - but still, almost always at "off" hours when most booths and tables are empty and rarely more often than once a week. Like other once-frequent diners, we've mourned several of our once-favorite restaurants that were lost forever to the financial devastation rooted in the pandemic. As we've made cautious returns to a handful of old favorites, we've also made some observations - most of which, alas, are less than positive. Mind you, there are many reasons for the changes, many of them understandable under the circumstances, but here’s a run-down of what we’ve experienced:

1) Too often, the quality of the food overall isn’t the same. For whatever reason (and there can be many), more than a few of our former favorite dishes just don't taste the way they did pre-COVID. Of course, there are a few happy exceptions, including the above-mentioned Margherita’s, where we have yet to encounter a “bad” meal – just the other day, in fact, we brought our daughter-in-law and her brother here to celebrate Mother’s Day and delicious meals were had by all (hint: don’t miss the blackened Ahi tuna).

2) Menu options have shrunk. Items we used to love are nowhere to be found, and we've been told they're not likely to return.

3) Prices are noticeably higher than before the pandemic across the board. Prime rib or walleye, for instance, blows our dining out budget for an entire month. Getting an appetizer before a meal is a lost art now that they cost as much or more than the entrees. 

4) "Shrinkflation" is in full bloom. Some restaurants have kept prices close to pre-pandemic levels by reducing portions, which can be an effective option (on the surface, fine with us since our appetites have diminished with age as well, but at the same time, we no longer have the benefit of bringing home tomorrow's lunch). And a surprising number of eateries have both hiked prices and cut portion sizes.

5) Service is sketchy at best. Go anywhere near a peak time, and waiting in line is the norm. Often, it's not because there's a crowd; rather, patrons are sitting in the lobby looking at one or more sections of the restaurant that are shuttered because there aren't enough servers to handle all the available tables.

6) Schedules - even those posted online - are more limited now. Lunch, for instance, has totally disappeared at several restaurants we used to haunt around the noon hour. Ditto Sundays and Mondays, when many that used to be open on those days now are closed. It's not even unusual to find restaurants closing earlier than expected without warning, or for an entire day - again usually attributed to a lack of help. So if we have our heart set on a particular eatery, we try to remember to call ahead by an hour or so to make sure the doors are open.

The bottom line? Like many other people, we've had to make cutbacks, most notably the number of times we can afford to eat out. Even in the good old days, we tended to opt for a late lunch, when prices tended to be more reasonable; these days, we even have to think twice about that; dinners out are for special occasions only.

Still, while I'm a pretty darned good cook - thanks to growing up on a farm with a mother whose fresh-from-our backyard-coop fried chicken and homemade pies were second to none - I do not enjoy cooking and am more than ready to head out as often as possible. Already, I've made a list of restaurants that opened over the last couple of years as well as several I want to revisit. Doing so, I decided, is a good-enough reason to revive my restaurant-review blog. I can't make promises for frequency, shooting at first for monthly installments.

If you have a favorite or two you'd like to see, let me know and I’ll add it to the list. My requirements are relatively simple; I prefer local, independent restaurants within Trumbull, Mahoning, Columbiana (Ohio) and Mercer (Pennsylvania) counties, but chains are not off the table. Wineries that offer food beyond snacks and appetizers not only are fair game, but welcome. Till then, happy eating!