Marcello’s at the Station: A Trip Back in Time

Columns reminiscent of an Italian villa's balcony protect outdoor diners from traffic at . They also signal an ornate interior where Edwardian-era ladies would be right at home. 

Though the floor is a practical tile, drapes hanging from ceiling rods along one wall add an air of elegance and also help reduce noise. Mirrors, moldings, paintings and fancy napkin rings holding gold napkins on red table cloths add to the room's charm. The music is Italian, not muzak.

The space was designed by owner Marcello Czernizer and his wife, and on a cold, fall night, it was very welcoming. Lights are kept low, perhaps a bit too low for proper perusal of the unique menus.

Marcello uses painters' boxes to handcraft collages that surround the dishes listed on his traditional menu. But there are also regular, plastic clad seasonal menus and specials so if you are a first time visitor, it's best to allow a lot of time to check out the menus. He said lobster is a popular entrée (and your waiter will take out of the shell), but so too are all the classic Italian dishes.

Marcello was born in Buenos Aires and immigrated to the United States in 1979.  His mother was Italian and a "great" cook, which explains the Italian menu at Marcello's at the Station, which he opened in 1995. The Argentinian half of his heritage can be found at his other Ridgewood restaurant, .

Before opening Marcello's, he worked in both Argentinian and Italian restaurants in North Jersey.

On our recent visit to Marcello's at the Station, the cover of my intriguing, painter's box menu was, what else, an artistic rendering of an old fashioned steam locomotive. Inside the collages included more trains, but on the other side, a clarinet separated the menu sections. You could actually display these menus as art objects.

Chef Jose Sanchez's amuse bouche was a single perfectly cooked shrimp on toast with an excellent mayonnaise. The bread was good and, in keeping with the elegant setting, there were butter knives. That's a nice touch we always appreciate.

My partner started with fried calamari and asked for both the mild and hot sauce.  The calamari was not particularly crisp outside but it was very, very tender and we thought it was first rate.

I ordered the arugula salad with artichoke hearts and it was disappointing. A good arugula salad, to me, means either baby leaves or wild Italian.  This arugula was a big-leafed variety that I find rather bland. It was drowned in a heavy dressing that tasted more Russian than Italian. 

Next came another elegant touch – the "intermezzo," a creamy lemon sorbet, that we thoroughly enjoyed.

For a main course, my partner chose the veal/chicken Milanese with salad.  The combo, the waiter explained, saved diners the necessity of choosing between the two meats and both were very good.

I had the mushroom risotto which was nice, but a little on the salty side.

There is a dessert tray with a 6 or 7 delicious-looking offerings, but we opted for the classic tartufo to split. It came as a double decker, which was a first for us. The temperature was right and it was very good.

Marcello's, which is only open for dinner, is not really a place for children.  It is a place to go for your anniversary, to go for a special date or to have a quiet dinner with friends. Marcello said the recession has not been kind but he had built up a steady clientele which is helping the restaurant ride through lean times.

Food: Very Good

Service:  Excellent

Entrée Price Range $14.95-$25.95 (Lobsters are market price)

Atmosphere: Elegant

BYOB

Credit Cards Accepted

Open Table: No