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Type: Italian
Hours: Sun.-Thurs. noon-midnight, Fri.-Sat. noon-1 a.m.
Good choices: Calamari and baby back ribs appetizers; endless soup and salad;
lasagna; veal parmagiana; chicken marsala.
Credit cards: American Express, MasterCard, Visa.
Access: Fully accessible.
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EAST SIDE MARIO'S
1143 Broadway, Saugus
(Route 1 South)
(781) 941-9090
Restaurant reviewed 2/12/97 by Bob MacDonald
It's not all cakes and ale on the Cheap Eats beat.
We had visited three restaurants in two states one afternoon. Two were over the limit; the third was closed.
Very hungry and thirsty, we arrived at East Side Mario's in Danvers and ordered drinks and appetizers, including fried calamari that one of our tasters had eaten there before and raved about. Victory at last, we thought, until Amy, our waitress, said they were out of draft Budweiser and some other things "because we're closing at 10 o'clock tonight."
So why would that make them low on things?
Because closing, it turned out, meant closing for good, done, finito.
But all was not lost. You can still find the same food down the street at East Side Mario's in Saugus, which we subsequently visted. But in Danvers, we were virtually dining at the Saugus location, because cooks, a manager, and other personnel from Saugus had been staffing the Danvers Mario's for its final month. Both maintained an atmosphere of New York's Little Italy, with old photos of the Yankees and other city memorabilia, even a tenement clothesline with laundry strung across the ceiling. The mirror behind the bar advertises Brooklyn, Ruppert, and Ballantine beers on tap.
The calamari al diavolo ($6.49) lived up to expectations. Sweet and spicy, it was enhanced by garlic, white wine, and lemon and served with mild green and hot cherry peppers for added zip. The baby back rib appetizer ($4.99 for half a rack) made you wish it was an entree. The ribs were meaty and moist without being fatty, and the sauce just peppery enough. As good as we've had.
Portions at Mario's were enormous, as was a baked lasagna ($8.49), described as Sicilian-style and containing ricotta, provolone, fontina, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses and a sweet meaty sauce. Extremely filling.
Roasted chicken ($7.99) was moist, tender, and served with potatoes roasted to the same rich shade, a reminder that not all Italian starch is pasta.
Veal parmigiana ($10.49) was thin and tender, lightly fried, and topped with a wonderfully sweet tomato sauce and served with a mound of spaghetti.
Peppered chicken marsala ($9.99) featured cracked black peppercorns (a pleasing variation), enough chicken and mushrooms for three diners, and a substantially creamy sauce, although it could have used more marsala flavor.
Chicken piccata over linguine ($9.99) was intensely flavored with not just lemon juice but little pieces of lemon, blending memorably with the capers.
Seafood linguine ($10.99) was a feast of calamari, shrimp, whole shelled baby clams, and mussels.
Mario's brick-oven pizza starts at $5.99 with additional toppings at 49 cents each. A pepperoni, green peppers, and onion version had Bermuda onions for added color appeal. The crust was thin on the bottom with a crisp but tender puffy edge.
All pasta dishes and dinners come with a choice of unlimited soup or unlimited salad and unlimited little loaves of warm garlic bread that were irresistible. The soup of the day, minestrone, had a thick broth and lots of veggies. Salads are the garden variety with a choice of dressings. For a dollar extra you can substitute a Caesar, which includes bacon bits and a decidedly garlicky dressing. Being predressed and also unlimited (we envision a huge vat somewhere), it was slightly less than crisp.
Mario's has a variety of specials too numerous to go into, served between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. each day. For children 10 and under, there are "Bambino Meals" for $2.99 that include dessert and bottomless soda.
Our favorite dessert was a fat-free cheesecake served on nonfat strawberry yogurt ($2.99).
Tips & hits
