After waiting over 40 minutes for a table, we were taken to our table where we preceded to order drinks and appetizers from inexperienced, high school aged server. After a review of the menu, we chose the Primo Appetizer priced at $18.95, which offered a taste of all their featured appetizers. The Shrimp Marconi was served cold even though the sauce consisted of butter, wine, and garlic. It say it was unappetizing would be an understatement, considering the congealed butter which lay at the bottom of this cold dish.

The next appetizer item was the Maryland Crab Cakes. It would have been nice to have some crab mixed into the bread mixture presented as the Crab Cake but this diner believes that would have been asking for too much.

The final appetizer of this appetizer trio call Primo Appetizer was the Bruschetta, which was served on what could only be described as a store bought cracker. The only positive thing this diner can say of this appetizer trio was that the tomato mixture on the Bruschetta was freshly made.

Prior getting our salad course, we waited for our server to clear off the table. After a long interval we decided that it would behoove us to make use of the nearby busboy's cart and deposit our dished there ourselves. When the harried server finally came back to our table, she did not even realize that the table had been cleared off. We even had to ask multiple times for refills on our wine and ice tea. At one point, after asking for water a third time we were able to get the attention of a busboy who was able to fill our request for water. In addition to having to clean off our own dishes, our salads were very unremarkable and the House Cesar Dressing was a poor quality bottled dressing.

Disorganization seemed to be the theme of the evening, which was very surprising for a restaurant that has been in business for the last 45 years. Once our entrees came, our disappointment with our dinning experience was complete. The Pasta Marinara, priced at $9.75, had a sauce that was watery and tasteless. Now for those of you who do not cook Italian food let this diner say that Marinara is one of the easiest Italian sauces to make.

Marinara sauce is very easy to create, the ingredients to make a good sauce consist of tomatoes, garlic, sugar, and fresh basil. The only way the Marinara sauce can become watery and flavorless is when it has not simmered long enough to reduce the water shed by the tomatoes during cooking or when hot water is added to provide more sauce for extra servings. Either way any restaurant serving such a sauce should be ashamed. This diner has eaten better quality Marinara sauce from the mall restaurant Sbarro and for much cheaper!

We also ordered the Veal Piccata, priced at $18.50, which made us wish that we had chosen to eat somewhere else. Marconi's presented an overly breaded, priced, and soggy veal patty with a greasy sauce lacking the signature caper/lemon flavor that Veal Piccata should have. It was accompanied by vegetables that were over cooked and with out any tang.

We ended the meal with a traditional Italian dessert, Connoli; this diner must say this was the highlight of the meal. The coffee offered was well done and the Connoli served was freshly made. A secret to creating a good Connoli is filling this pastry just prior to serving so that the pastry doesn't become soggy from the filling. Maroni's Connoli filling was simply made without chocolate chips or nuts, so it was hard to make a mistake in putting it together. The pastry shell itself was not made in house.

Though this evening meal was poorly made, presented, served; this writer would have restrained from giving this review until such time another night of dining was made, however, due to the poor service and the prices attached to an evening at this restaurant, this diner believes that future patrons of Marconi's should be warned. Marconi's, at one time, may have been very good Italian restaurant, but this diner's meal did not reflect the implied quality a restaurant that has been around for 45 years. When in Cleveland try another restaurant.

Marconi's Restaurant

424 Berlin Road

Huron, OH 44839

419-433-4341