Il Mare

My husband and I went out for dinner to celebrate my birthday tonight and since we felt like Italian food, I got on Yelp and chose Il Mare.  This was our first time at this restaurant and let me tell ya, we would come back for more!  Soo good.  I had one of the specials which was the Chilean Seabass with Capellini Puttanesca (Yum!) and my husband had the Chicken Parmigiana.  For dessert, we ordered a piece of Tiramisu; very good too!  

Reasonable prices, good ambiance, very well attended by the waiters.

Perfect place to have a drink and some delicious calamari before a concert.

Of my two visits, the first was spectacular, the second not so much.

I've passed by Il Mare many times and passed by again one evening while on bikes with my dog. I had been wanting to try Il Mare and they were dog friendly so that made the decision. My dog joined us for dinner in their outdoor patio and our server brought a bowl of water for her. I LOVE patio dining at night and it was great to be able to enjoy the ambiance without worrying about my dog being tied outside by herself. Dog friendly restaurants make life so much easier!

We ordered the spaghetti and meatballs and calamari appetizer to share. The complimentary garlic bread was really good! The calamari arrived with individual little bowls of parmesan, marinara sauce, and crushed red chili flakes. I thought the calamari itself was just ok but mixing the parmesan and marinara sauce together definitely improved the calamari. Spaghetti and meatballs is one of those dishes that never really stands out to me but yet I continue to crave. However the spaghetti and meatballs here were REALLY REALLY GOOD!! And a really big portion with huge meatballs. The spaghetti and meatballs alone would've been sufficient food for two. Service was excellent from start to finish.

Second visit, I called in the order for pick-up. I ordered a salad and funghi pizza and accepted the offer for garlic bread. I was told it would be 20 mins. I waited 25 before I walked over, which was another 10 at least, so at least 35 mins before I arrived. I waited to ensure it would be ready because I was coming with my dog and didn't want to have to tie her up for a long time. I got there and tied her up thinking it would be a quick in and out. I walked in and told someone I was there to pick up an order and they told me to talk to the girl at the bar. The girl at the bar was chit chatting with a couple at the counter that she appeared to know, for a while before she acknowledged me. Finally she turned to me and I told her I was there for my order. She said she would go to the kitchen to get it but starts bringing a menu to a woman at a table and waits for her to order, then does a bunch of other things BEFORE she heads into the kitchen at all. I was SO annoyed! I went out to check on my dog who was really freaked out and see a  woman who just finished dining trying to comfort her. The girl at the bar returns and says it'll just be another 10 mins. OMG!! I called in my order almost an hour before. When she FINALLY brings my order, it's WRONG and there's no garlic bread. She gave me the wrong kind of salad and the wrong size. I was SO pissed but didn't make a fuss because it was near closing and I really needed to get my dog and leave. I asked what about the garlic bread and she looked around before grabbing a bag and handing it to me. The salad was ok but I would have preferred the salad I ordered. I love mushrooms but the funghi pizza was also just ok, nothing great. The garlic bread was hard and stale. Sadly, there was nothing I loved about my second meal from Il Mare. It left me wishing I had ordered the spaghetti and meatballs. I would give it another chance if I'm dining there but I'm never ordering for pick-up again.