One of our favorite restaurants 8-10 years ago was Marcello’s, an Italian restaurant on St. Charles Avenue in an area that was quickly gentrifying. It was in the former space of Le Chat Noir. Marcello’s had it all, to me at least. It was stylish and eclectic, with food that was polished and sophisticated. Most important, it tasted divine.
We were disappointed to hear that it closed a few years ago, and then thrilled to see it open 10 minutes from our house, in downtown Covington. Del Porto was only a few doors away, and I wondered how that would go. But I have come to realize that these are two very different versions of Italian food and not actual competitors. We go to Del Porto to eat fantastic modern sophisticated food. Marcello's is equally fantastic, but homier and more comforting. There are meatballs and spaghetti and lasagna at Marcello, but you'll never see that at Del Porto.
Recently I wanted to be comforted with Italian food, but I wanted really good Italian food, so we went to Marcello's. I realized that the reason we don’t go very often is twofold: I am a little bored with the smallish menu, and I’m not crazy about the place.
Marcello’s is housed in a cottage on the main drag in downtown Covington. It had been a succession of Latin American restaurants before this renovation. It is small and has a room divider, and I just couldn’t get past these physical drawbacks. But on this last visit, I saw the place in a whole new light. It was cozy and convivial, and I noticed (perhaps for the first time) remnants of the St. Charles Marcello’s.
The original creators of Marcello's visit Europe with some frequency, particularly Sicily, where all their “people” are. They collect really interesting things on these trips, like a suit of armor and statues. All of these things were displayed in the dining room, making for an unusually interesting place. Also, they are wine wholesalers primarily, and they introduced a type of wine sales in restaurants that has been copied a bit. You choose your wine by perusing wine shelves, and get these bottles at great prices.
When the father and son Gene and Gene Jr Todaro split very amicably with their chef Blakely Kymen, she took the concept to Covington, complete with the wine racks. I used to think it felt cluttered, but on this last visit, it seemed to add to the cozy charm.
We went on Saturday night and I was somewhat relieved there was no Happy Hour. I have had the delicious Crabmeat Contessa more than a few times, as well as most of the other apps that would be half-price at Happy Hour. At regular price I was not tempted to get it.
We settled instead on the Mista salad, which I love. It was large enough for two and the kitchen happily split it for us as a starter. It was great with the ciabatta garlic bread that comes to the table.
I had it in mind to have some comforting meatballs and spaghetti, but then I saw the lasagna. I love Marcello’s version of lasagna, but I always need to ask for more sauce. I decided to keep my plan and get the Meatballs and Spaghetti Bolognese.
We settled on Pork Cheeks Marsala over creamy polenta for Tom. The dishes that aren’t pasta but are Northern Italian specialties are exceptionally good here. Hearty and delicious.
The salad came and was everything I remembered it to be, except difficult to eat. Large pieces of interesting and very fresh greens have to get stuffed into your mouth, Sometimes I find this exhausting. Cutting these greens first is required, but I never remember until I am into it and fear that I resemble a cow grazing, with greens hanging out of my mouth. It was absurd to saddle Tom with this.
That said, I love this salad. It is a favorite out there. The olive salad is wonderful and oily, and the croutons are fried eggplant. An Italian salad to remember.
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The meatballs and spaghetti that were once a bargain at $16 are now $21, which is still in keeping with today;’s post-COVID world. I didn’t like this version as much as the last one, but it could be because I had a real case of plate envy.
The meatballs seemed harder than I remember though not off-putting. They just didn’t crumble, which is my favorite meatball state. Last time they were crumbly. I liked the spaghetti a lot. I usually don't register spaghetti texture unless it offends me as too al dente. But this pasta was perfect. It hit the sweet spot between al dente and the way I usually eat it, which is too soft for the purists. This was a very nice plate of meatballs and spaghetti, with Bolgneses sauce as a bonus. The marinara had the crumbles that I prefer.
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Tom’s dish was sensational. The very generous portion of pork cheeks could not be seen so well in the intensely rich and dark Marsala sauce, but there were at least four. These cheeks were braised perfectly and fell apart with a touch. The sauce was so rich it had that sticky demi-glace mouthfeel. I love it when it sticks to the lips. Mushrooms were plentiful though unseen as well, providing still more meatiness to this dish. And the creamy polenta beneath it all was a terrific counterbalance to all this heft. I will think about this dish often, and go back before long to have it again.
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Except that maybe I will have the short ribs instead, with the risotto, as the waiter suggested. One thing is certain…we will be back before long.
We didn’t want to leave that night because it just felt so good to be there. The dining room was buzzing with warmth to counter the cold that blew in whenever someone entered. The place was full of friendly people having a wonderful dinner.
I even loved the staff. All the waiters and busboys were young guys working hard to make your dining experience exceptional. It was noticeable and appreciated. Our server Stephen even remarked that it was his job to make it happen for us when I asked for something. These people were impressive, and we see a lot of servers and staff around town.
Blakely’s daughter was not there as she had been, but her aunt was at the front door welcoming us.
As we lingered to enjoy the scene. Tom had a cannoli to finish this wonderful dining experience, (and to extend it.) Stephen mentioned that they stuff their shells in the house which they do get in. It was all very good to Tom, who loves cannoli as a favorite.
When we were finished eating and the time approached for us to leave, we left, albeit reluctantly. We promised they could have the table by 7pm, since they squeezed us in. It’s not often I have to cajole Tom to leave. He did after I promised to go back soon. It will be an easy pledge to keep.
NOTE: Gene Todaro Jr is re-renovating the same space back from the theater…again. Stay tuned for developments on the re-opening of Marcello’s on St. Charles.
