I’ll Wear My Fat Pants Next Time

Marzullo’s is a diet-breaker. I urge anyone who battles portion control problems to stay away – far, far away.

The restaurant itself may be small, with closely-packed tables in a shoe-box sized dining room, but the dishes are enormous. My point of view may be slightly skewed as I went there during the week I was on Nutrisystem – but I assure you, I wasn’t the only one in a family of big eaters who had a hard time packing it all away.

When you first walk in, the restaurant and café don’t look like much. The door opens into the casual café complete with clear dessert and deli counters. The host will steer you right, towards the cozy dining room. Parties of two will likely be crammed into the tightly-packed deuces along the wall whereas parties of four or more get more private seating.

The menu is extensive – with everything from brick oven pizzas and entrees to sandwiches, wraps and salads. A complimentary dish of bruschetta is brought to the table along with bread for you to snack on while perusing the menu.

The four of us ordered the shrimp marzullo, chicken murphy, meatlover’s suffed foccacia sandwich and the seafood combination. The shrimp marzullo — Gulf shrimp, prosciutto, ham & scallions in a cream sauce — was a hearty portion of shrimp served with potatoes, vegetables, and pasta. It was alright – the sauce was bland and I saw nary a scallion or piece of ham. I was disappointed that my diet splurge wasn’t all that I wanted it to be – but I suppose it kept me from wolfing down every last bite – which I would have if it had been everything I had hoped for.

The plate of chicken murphy placed on our table was enormous. It was served with chopped chicken instead of a whole breast and was overwhelmed by the taste of vinegar. It was also served with potatoes and vegetables, a mix of carrots, squash and zucchini. The two of us were more enthusiastic about our side dishes at this point than by the main courses themselves.

The seafood combination and meatlover’s stuffed foccacia sandwich were both praised by the diners who ordered them. The seafood combination was a delicious mix of fresh calamari, mussels, clams & shrimp, served over enough pasta to feed a family of four. My sister – who can eat an entire king cut prime rib and all of the traditional side dishes in one sitting – could not pack away her entire meatlover’s sandwich. It was stacked about four inches high with roast beef, turkey, bacon, Swiss cheese, tomato & mayo. She finished half and wrapped up the rest before having her very first coronary, right at the table – I kid.

We were all too full to ask for a dessert menu, but had the table next to us ordered the Reginetta sooner, we might have forced ourselves to eat just a bit more. As their server brought out the chocolate cake topped with raspberry sauce, and amaretto gelato drizzled with chocolate & amaretto crunch, all of the surrounding tables turned and stared. Some immediately ordered “what they’re having,” and we regretted having already paid our bill.

Marzullo’s Restaurant and Café
117 Grove Street
Montclair
(973) 744-6663
www.Marzullos.com

— by Ali Hanford
Ali is managing editor and a co-founder of GoOutJersey and lives in Essex County. She has lived in NJ her whole life.

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