Mario’s Pasta Garden

After nearly 19 years in his Federal Road location, Pasta Garden of Brookfield’s owner Mario Avellino has added is first name to the establishment’s, which is now known as Mario’s Pasta Garden. The signs are being changed.

Although “Pasta” is featured in its name, the restaurant offers pizza and range of traditional Italian dishes, as well as salads, sandwiches, steaks, and burgers. All pasta is made on the premises, as are the sauces and pizza dough.

The restaurant seats 150 and offers several environments from which customers can choose. The front is almost all windows, a sunlit area during the day with tile floor that feels similar to an atrium. It also looks into the pizza making and pickup area.

The center portion of the restaurant, the largest section, is festooned with hanging plants. It has fewer windows so daylight is subdued. Against the interior wall are four large upholstered booths, each of which can comfortably seat six. A mural of a river with a windmill — yes, there are some windmills in Italy — graces a rear wall.

Beside the muraled wall is the back room, which seats 60 and can be closed off from the rest of the dining area for private parties. There are no windows in this area, which is decorated in an autumnal color scheme, but several are painted on the back wall. These “windows” provide a “view” of the river also seen in the main dining area. This is a popular place to hold bridal showers, birthday, anniversary, and graduation parties, and the like.

There are lunch and dinner menus, and most items are available for takeout. Several are also available in “party portions,” serving 10–12 or 20–25 people; 24-hour notice is required for some party platter entrees. Catering is available.

Ten lunch appetizers are offered, including garlic bread parmigiana ($2.99), stuffed mushrooms ($4.79), and broccoli rabe ($5.99; with grilled sausage or chicken, $8.38), as are a choice of three homemade soups, all $3.99. The nearly 20 salads, ranging from garden ($5.99) to grilled salmon ($8.99) include the soup bar.

Also offered are a selection of calzones and stuffies — similar to calzones but without ricotta cheese — all less than $7, as well as six wraps, $6.99–$8.99, and subs and deli sandwiches, $4.99–$5.99.

Lunch entrees feature traditional Italian favorites, such as eggplant ($8.79) and veal ($10.19) parmigiana, and baked salmon and spinach ($9.98); all include a side of pasta and the soup bar. Those coming for pasta dishes can choose from 23 offerings, ranging from $5.59 to $8.99, including ravioli and shrimp sauce, cappellini mushrooms, fettuccini Alfredo, and grilled chicken rigatti vodka.

The dinner menu is equally varied and segmented more along food types — seafood ($11.49–$16.99), poultry (all $12.99), veal ($13-59–$15.29), pasta ($6.99–$8.99) — enabling dinners to choose manner of preparation as well as blending pasta types with their favorite sauces. It also offers specialties from the grill ($15.99) and signature dishes: gamberetto florentine ($18.99), bostecca e gamberetto ($19.99), and vitello e pollo ($17.99).

Is the low carb trend affecting business? “Not much,” Mr Avellino replied, “but I do want to have my pasta analyzed, as it is different from most places. This was brought to my attention by one of my customers, who is diabetic. She commented that ours is the only pasta she can eat that doesn’t affect her sugar level, and wanted to know what we were doing to create that. I realized it must be the egg whites we use. Most pasta is basically flour and water, but we add egg whites, which raises the protein level and lowers the carbs.”

The restaurant also has a full service bar with a wide selection of wine — by the bottle or the glass — and beer. Beer drinkers can choose from 18 in the bottle, four on tap.

Mario’s Pasta Garden, 174 Federal Road in Brookfield; 775-0426. Open Sunday through Thursday, 11:30 to 10. Friday and Saturday till 11. Monday through Saturday, takeout lunch is offered from 11:30 to 3; dinner 3 till closing. Visa, MasterCard and American Express accepted.

 

Farfalle di Lorianna

Bowtie pasta in fresh vegetable sauce

½ cup diced eggplant

½ cup diced zucchini

½ cup sliced mushrooms

½ cup diced tomato

2 cloves of garlic thin sliced

3 tablespoons of olive oil

½ pound of farfalla pasta (bowties)

¼ cup of vegetable stock

1/8  cup parsley

One roasted red pepper cut into strips

In a pan of salted boiling water add farfalla pasta. Stir occasionally.

In a fry pan add sliced garlic and olive oil, sauté till garlic just starts to brown, add parsley, zucchini, eggplant, mushrooms, and tomato to pan, sauté additional 2 minutes, add vegetable stock, simmer about 5 minutes or till sauce starts to thicken. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Strain pasta and mix into pan and plate garnish with roasted red pepper. Serves two.