Pellino's Fine Italian Dining

 

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Andrea Q.

Milford, NH

I'm rather torn on how to rate this place.  Something about it made me really want to like it, but ultimately I was underwhelmed. I'm giving it 2.5 stars.

The boy and I were staying at a B&B in Marlbhead for the weekend and after looking around at reviews online and from a few recommendations from family that lives there we decided to head to Pellino's for dinner our first night.  We also came across a coupon for 30% off our total bill online, so I really couldn't pass up going.

First off, it's a really small place, but it's cute and dark.  I love my restaurants dark.  We were seated by the windows in the corner of the room and the tables were all really close to each other which should have been awkward with other patrons sitting at them, but it wasn't.

John and I each had a really hard time deciding what to order, there were a lot of things on the menu that sounded delicious (Butternut squash stuffed Tortelloni in a sage brown butter sauce, Porcini Ravioli, Veal Siciliano, Salmon Agrodolce etc).  We finally settled on mixed green salads with balsamic vinaigrette to start; John got the Gnocchi Amatriciana and I got the Lobster Ravioli in a mascarpone veloute.

The balsamic vinaigrette was good and the greens were fresh but there was a ton of salt on the greens.  Yuck!  It's fine to season homemade dressings but there shouldn't be visible salt on every leaf.

I ordered a greygoose martini and since green olives are the only reason I really started to drink martini's, I asked for some extra.  The martini was good but the olives were not.  They were almost spicy but not in a good way.  Again, Yuck.

John's Gnocchi dish was basically fresh gnocchi with a homemade marinara sauce and smoked mozzarella and pancetta.  The gnocchi themselves had great texture.  And the overall taste of the dish wasn't bad, but there was too much cheese and not a whole lot of anything else going on.  

My Lobster Ravioli themselves were pretty tasty.  The pasta was obviously freshly made, and they were generously filled with fresh lobster.  But the rich, creamy mascarpone veloute that I expected to dress my ravioli left a lot to be desired.  Like John's meal, the sauce didn't taste bad, but it was mostly stock and very little seasoning.  It could have used a little starch for thickening and perhaps a little of the mascarpone cheese that the item description contained.  Granted it was probably a healthy dish in this watered down version, but it wasn't what I wanted.

The best part of the night:  We had been prompted to order dessert when we ordered our meals.  They had two specials that night, a cranberry bread pudding and a molten chocolate cake and the reason we were being asked to order them so early is because they take a half hour to make.  We got the molten chocolate cake.  I blurted it out without even asking John which he preferred.  He wanted the other dessert.  Oops.  The molten chocolate cake turned out to be awesome!   It was warm, gooey, rich and soooooo satisfying.  The coffee was good too.

What Pellino's does right:  personable, efficient waitstaff (one even took my coat which was sweet), a warm, cozy (some may say cramped but I say cozy!) atmosphere, fast service, great location (right downtown), yummy dessert, and the use of fresh ingredients.

I would be willing to give Pellino's another shot, but I will make sure to try one of their Entrees instead of their pastas.  I'm hoping the reason for our disappointment is because they have a new Saucier who just needs a little more time to perfect his dishes.  But . . . probably not the case.  If I do make it there again I'll be sure to update this review.

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Deedee K.

Boston, MA

This small restaurant is the best Italian restaurant in Marblehead.  The guys who run this establishment are just plain cute and good at what they do, even if you find them checking you out when you are on your way to the day spa next door.  With consistenly good food and an intimate setting Pellino's is a nice & cozy dining experience.

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11

William Christina G.

Salem, MA

This is by far my favorite Italian restaurant in Marblehead! Every time I go here, the food is excellent and they have great service. Small restaurant, romantic atmosphere, very comfortable. Delicious appetizers, entrees and desserts! A little expensive, but its definately worth trying it out if you have never been here before!

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