Marino’s, Church St., Jessup, PA

Marino’s Cucina is an Italian family restaurant on the main drag in Jessup in the upper valley. It has a pleasant, well-appointed dining room with a separate bar. It has daily specials – mostly Italian – and a wide ranging menu. I had spaghetti & meatballs, even though not on the menu. Instead, on the menu was homemade macaroni with meatballs, obviously a house specialty. The spaghetti was fine - buttery even - and I loved the sauce. It was a marinara, and the combination caused me to forget to add the Parmesan cheese. The meatballs weren’t quite as good – a little tasteless and a bit bready. The salad was good, nice and crisp and a few Tuscan beans thrown in with the croutons. The bread was nice and soft. The Chianti was disappointing – it tasted okay, but I saw it come out of a jug, even though I saw a nice open bottle of Chianti Classico behind the bar. Price - $9.95 for the pasta, $2.50 for the meatballs and $4.50 for the wine.
Style/ambience ***
Food ***