Dining and drinking review: Marzano’s

Marzano's is located... not in walking distance of The Esplanade

Review and photos by Ted Broussard

I’ve always prided myself on being a rule-follower. Whether it’s refusing to put a pizza box down the garbage chute, making sure to collapse all my cardboard boxes before recycling, or waiting till the lower garage door comes to a full open before I drive through, I’m there. Where I’m not so good though, is when it comes to following the rule to only write about food and drink restaurants "within walking distance of the Esplanade" for these reviews. 

However, after a couple of recent visits to Marzano’s right next to Pacific Lutheran University (PLU) at the other end of the world in Parkland, I’ve decided to live large and break the rule, to spread the word that the best fine dining Italian restaurant in town is not in town.

There’s a good chance that Parkland is probably not on your bucket list of dining destinations. Although with a Farrelli’s Pizza and the recently opened Citron European Bistro, that may change one day. Not much to see there till you get to Garfield Street, which also serves as the main entrance of PLU. It’s your basic university town feel all on one or two streets, followed by the leafy and gorgeous grounds of the university. Even if dining in Parkland was not your main goal, PLU is a beautiful campus to walk through and discover.

But if you’re looking for a charming, upscale Italian restaurant for a special celebration or just for the joy of fine food, venture out to Marzano’s. Located in a former two-bedroom house, each room becomes a discrete seating area painted in soothing rich, dark colors to set the tone for a sumptuous meal. There’s a beautiful front deck as well, and one in the back, each filled with lush flowers and plants making it hard to understand how this little slice of paradise wound up in Parkland.

Beyond ambiance, the food is the thing at Marzano’s. Owner/chef, Elisa Marzano, born and raised in North Italy, presents authentic Italian dishes with a Northwest flair. Presentation is everything here and the beauty of the food captures your heart even before the taste does. On our most recent visit we started with the Burrata and were blown away by the melt in your mouth cream center of fresh mozzarella, accompanied by pesto, roasted tomatoes and perfectly grilled crostini. For one of our main dishes, we tried Market Lasagna, a stunning dish of roasted summer market vegetables, dandelion greens, puttanesca sauce, mozzarella and béchamel, circled in pesto oil like rings of Saturn. It was beautiful and very delicious. Our other main dish choice was a special of the day featuring ravioli with sweet peas and basil and a rich, delicious cream sauce with just a hint of sweetness, accompanied by market vegetables. Each bite sang with freshness and flavor. Entrees came with a salad of greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette that was tasty and fresh. I thought the dressing was a little heavy handed but not overpowering and certainly not a deal breaker. 

Desserts are presented on a tray designed to tempt and tease and are well worth giving in to your desires. We chose the strawberry rhubarb crumble over house-made rhubarb ice cream. It was well balanced and delicious. TIP: The cannoli is the stuff legends are made of and it is not unusual for them to run out on a busy night. Insiders say that the thing to is to let your server know that you’re interested when you order dinner and s/he can put dibs on one or more for you in back to make sure you get one. On two recent visits, it worked one time but not the other, so no guarantees. They are incredible so if you so inclined, be sure and make your interests known.

Servers are well trained and friendly and personable. We were celebrating two birthdays and a retirement on our last visit and I felt like our server, Nicole, was an old friend by the time she got through congratulating all of us several times through the evening. Entrees run from $17 for Spaghetti Bolognese to $33 for an Elk Rib Eye or Beef Sirloin Steak with most of the other dishes somewhere in between. They feature an extensive wine list of domestic and Italian wines by the glass or bottle and a few beers as well, but no cocktails.

Marzano’s is special. It’s great for celebrations, a casual grouping of friends or a romantic dinner. Go there for the food, go there for the ambiance or go there just to discover Parkland and PLU. Whatever your reason, don’t miss it. I mean look what it did for me, a restaurant so good I had to break the rule about what to write about. Wow, that felt good. I’m thinking I may be a changed man after this and start breaking rules right and left. I’ll keep you posted on that, but for now, I think I’ll throw some Styrofoam in the recycling bin.