Mario's Tutto Bène

First time. Really liked it.  We sat in the room closer to the bar.  Nice atmosphere.  Ht either side was brighter and quieter.  Depends on what you like. We were early so many of the clientele were older as you would expect at early on a Saturday.  I had the veal satenbucca (sorry for the spelling).  Came with a salad also.  Hot, fresh....very good.   They also served some complimentary bruschetta and lemon sorbet between courses.  Nice touch.  Bread service came with some excellent garlic herb oil. Had the tiramisu for desert.  Love desert.  Partner had a strawberry napaletano.    Service was good.    Nice pace.   Waiter didn't have ,uh of a personality but did a fine job.   Overall.....yes pricy for the neighborhood but a good value.  I will go back for dinner and would like to have a drink at the bar

Great experience!
We were referred to Mario's while searching for a venue to host a gathering and we are so glad that we went with them. We had a private room for a group of about 30 ppl and went with the buffet style menu.  The room itself was lovely and they were very attentive with set up and our requests. Food was delicious, stand outs were penne vodka and chicken marsala. Desert was also great, I can't stop thinking about those mini cannolis :) We had both red and white sangria in our package and they were both very tasty. Michael and Luis were so great about checking in with us and making sure everything was going smoothly, something we greatly appreciated. Overall, I would highly recommend Mario's for private events or just a nice dinner out!

Food: 1.5*
Nectar: 1*
Ambiance: 2**

I'm local and like any wise New Jerseyean, will firmly deny that the mafia exists.  But this place has some colorful characters: a few posers but a couple who are the real deal.  It actually adds a little charm, which is good, because its more interesting than the food.  I hope the 'side' business is doing better than the front.

There are three environments to this restaurant.  The outside has a few tables that make for a good place to sip a drink on the sidewalk.  For some reason, they mounted a television to the exterior wall to gawk at sports - so much for people watching.  If you are wondering why no one has stolen a 57"-inch flatscreen TV that is sitting outside, please see the above paragraph.

Moving inside, there is a dark bar which draws a few crooners to the piano.  Here, they have snacks of intermediate quality...pseudo-Kobe beef sliders, squishy dead squid and possibly a slice.  With only two beers on tap, you give up and try the house wine.  Please don't give up.  The chianti and cabernet taste like they have been sitting in a huge recycling vat of leftover bottles.  The tinny, oxidized taste foreshadows the flashing-light migraine you'll get if you have a second glass.

Peering into the main dining room from the bar, you decide to stay put.  Geriatrics hobble on walkers between tables and share plates of pasta between puffs on their inhalers.  One family wheeled grandma to a large table.  The poor thing was slumped over, passed out face-first into her ziti, air hose from her oxygen tank snaked up under the red sauce so she could breathe.  I envied her.

The Hotzie-totsie shrimp are pretty good, but occasionally have the same consistency of the limp calamari from the bar.  Likely they use the same days-old fry grease for both.  The pizza is flat, predictable and good with a beer.  Veal and pork chops are filling, solid but nothing special.  I then walked around the back and spied packages of BARILLA PASTA through the kitchen window.  If I'm paying $25 for pasta, it better goddam well be fresh!  Their sauce is good, but don't get suckered into a pasta dish.   The servers are even laughing when you order it - they know you are a rube.

For all of this, the menu is somewhat pricey.  With a bit more outlay, there are other very good restaurants in the Union and Kenilworth area which will give you a better experience.  Hit the bar for karaoke night, a pre-dinner beer, and then move on for supper elsewhere.  You'll have lots to talk about over your meal!