Cafe Mulino

The family came in here after my sister's graduation from Rider University last week.  Definitely doesn't look like much from the outside (almost like a house) but the inside  has more of that small Italian restaurant feel.  They easily accommodated our party of 12 on a Thursday night around 7pm.  We ordered a pitcher of sangria and a few appetizers (clams casino, calamari, eggplant rollatini, and mozzarella sticks) to get us started.  On top of that, they also bring out fresh bread and bottles of herb filled olive oil.  Not a bad way to kick off a meal.  I will say, the portions aren't huge, so if you want a lot of any appetizer (say for more than 3-4 people to share) then order more than one.

Then came the meals.  Everyone ordered their own entrees, each of which come with a side of pasta or roasted veggies and potatoes (which were more baked and chopped than roasted).  I went with the Chicken Scarpariello, which is sauteed with garlic, olive oil, fresh rosemary, lemon and Italian sweet sausage in a white wine sauce.  I also asked for extra sauce to be sure there was enough to cover the pasta.  Turns out when you order the side of pasta it comes on a separate dish and has marinara over it unless requested otherwise.  Minor disappointment, but it was fine.  My meal was great otherwise.  The chicken was on the bone, but it did come off quite easily. The sauce and the sausage really made the meal something special. Contrary to the review of Kim B. about 6 months ago, my sister's boyfriend ordered the chicken valdostana and he said he enjoyed it and I can say from sitting across from him that it was not a small piece of chicken.  Everyone seemed to enjoy their entree with few complaints.

I will mention the one issue we had with our visit.  We ordered 12 meals, which came with 12 side dishes, so about 24 plates had to be taken to our table.  All of the entrees and sides made their way to our table over about a 3-5 minute period, except for one.  My wife had to wait an additional 5+ minutes for her entree and her side, which caused my mother (who arranged this get together) to talk to the manager.  The meal came shortly after.  Personally, I attribute that to an enormous simultaneous order that probably overwhelmed the kitchen staff quite a bit.  In the end they compensated our wait time nicely by offering us three free desserts (around a $20 value) for free.  There's something to be said about a business that admit when they've made a mistake and work to make it up to you.  We got the tiramisu, the apple tiramisu, and the cheesecake.  Nice end to a tasty dinner.  I would definitely go back, but probably not with such a large group.  I recommend you give it a try.

As bland as bland could be.

My boyfriend and I had a Living Social deal for Cafe Mulino and even with the money saved I am annoyed I paid so much for such crappy food.

We ordered the Seafood Incrosta as an appetizer which was a store bought piece of puff pastry that they burned and then drowned in flavorless watery sauce- the only upside is they were generous with the seafood, but they somehow found a way to make that tasteless as well. My boyfriend ordered the Cappellini Mare e Terra (please forgive any spelling errors, I am working from memory) which was a healthy serving of pasta in another watery, tasteless sauce. This again was generous with the seafood, but it was still totally tasteless. I ordered the Gnocchi Sorrento, which was overcooked gnocchi (which I didn't even know was possible) in a watery, tasteless red sauce with some mozzerella melted on top. Every piece of food we touched was just so, so bland even with us dumping salt and pepper on it.

On top of bland food the service was very slow and not at all attentive. We often sat with empty drinks and plates pushed away waiting for someone to clear the table or offer the check. When we finally did receive the check both the waiter and the manager/owner (I am unsure of who this person was because he didn't introduce himself and barely spoke english) gave us grief about the fact that the Living Social deal was pulled up on my cell phone and not printed out. It took the manager/owner 20 minutes to go into the computer and verify my deal before he finally took the money off our check, because he explained that I could have somehow duplicated the certificate... on my phone... in the Living Social app.

The whole evening was just irritating enough that even if the food had been decent I wouldn't have returned based on the service. Save your hard earned money and your time and head down the road to Marsilios, Sal De Fortes, or my personal favorite Revere- it will be worth the little bit of extra money you spend.

I was very disappointed with Cafe Mulino. My family tries to get together and go out to eat around the holidays. With all my siblings and their other halves, that's 12 people. We picked this restaurant based on location and a very large menu. So many of the dishes sounded so good as did the specials. Just about every Italian favorite plus many more options.

First, the good. The atmosphere was very nice. Quiet, dark but not like you couldn't see your fork. On the romantic side for a date. The people are super friendly. We had a good waitress and the owner, manager or chef (not sure which one) came around and asked how things were. They really seem to be making and effort, which I commend. The prices are very, very reasonable and the portions are rather large.

OK, the downside. Out of the 12 of us, I think only 2 said they enjoyed their meal. I had a shrimp and scallop special that was completely bland. Just not a lot of flavor at all. I tried a couple of other dishes from others in my party and felt the same about those. The chicken marsala looked delicious but again was very bland. I should have gone with the chicken parm as that was the only one that was above average. I hate to be negative about a new place, especially one where the people are truly putting forth an effort. But, something has to change in the kitchen for me to go back. The meals are just plain "eh".