Mel & Mars Italian Bistro

Mel & Mars is a new Italian bistro just a few miles from our home in Algonquin. We both love Italian and have eaten a lot of it, including amazing home cooked Italian so our pallets can be pretty discerning when it comes to it. 

My first impressions of the place was that it reminded me of a good ol’ east coast pizza shop. They had the cooler and everything.  The employees (there were 2 working on the Sunday afternoon we stopped in) were extremely friendly.  They even gave us a sample of their homemade clam chowder when I mentioned we used to live on the east coast and had eaten clam chowder in Cape Cod (it was really good). 

Now to the food…     

Black Olive Tapenade - Calamatta olives pureed with garlic, fresh herbs, imported cheeses and extra virgin olive oil served with herb crostini. 

Very good tapenade. The texture was good and it had a complex flavor profile. It was a little salty (tapenade is salty in general) but the crostini helped tone that down.

Bruschetta - A combination of diced tomato, red onion, fresh basil and radicchio., marinated with red wine and extra virgin olive oil.  

Wow, really amazing.  We make a really bruscetta (if I do say so myself) but this one was perfect. The balance of flavors was perfect.  If you visit this place you must try this.

Proscuitto and Mozzarella Sandwich - Thinly sliced Prosciutto Di Parma, sliced fresh mozzarella, tomatoes and shaved crisp lettuce, drizzled with lemon pepper aioli 

Very good. It was flavorful and the portion size was large. The aioli added a nice zing. The homemade sweet potato chip were addictive. 

Sausage Sandwich - Fennel Italian sausage and sautéed peppers simmered in a marinara sauce served on French bread and Romano cheese.

I love sausage and pepper sandwiches ever since I was introduced to homemade ones at Alisha’s family Christmas parties about 6 years ago so this sandwich had a lot to love up to.  The sausage was great as were the peppers.  The red sauce they put on it was pretty good as well.  My only complaint was that it was a little salty, I think from the Romano cheese they topped it with.  

Cannoli - Homemade Ricotta filling served in a traditional hard shell and finished with candied pistachio.

These cannolli’s are the best I’ve had since the ones we buy in Staten Island NYC (that’s another blog). They actually fill them when you order them to make sure they don’t get soggy. I do have to say we received these for free, but did not let that influence our review on this or any other part of our experience at Mel & Mars Italian Bistro.

All in all, this place is really good.  The prices are right and the food is great.  We will definitely be returning.  If you’re anywhere near the Algonquin area you should definitely check them out!