Maria's Front Room

06/11/09

Give Maria's Another Chance!

by youresofashion

We ordered take out from Maria's the week it opened and were somewhat disappointed. We ordered the "original" Chicken Marsala and Puntanesca and both dishes were quite bland. Also, whoever put our order together didn't include our salads or pasta side for the Chicken Marsala. However, knowing that any new business needs time to figure out the kinks, we went back three weeks ago, sat in their dining room, ordered differently and had an outstanding meal. We ordered the Pasta Marsala and the Tomato Bruschetta Pasta with Shrimp and it was nothing but spectacular! Since then, we've ordered take out twice. I really hope that anyone who had a less than spectacular experience at Maria's will give them another chance and support your local businesses :)

• Pros: Pasta dishes
• Cons: Cold Bread

04/02/09

Some Kinks to Work Out

by daleres4

Oh, how I miss the old Maria's! The decor was dated and stereotypical (in a really awesome and charming way), the service was decent, and the food was great. I am willing to give the new owners another chance in a few months, but I have to say our experience there was pretty awful. We were the only ones there, and still had to shout to hear each other over the blaring, poorly chosen music. We were given lukewarm water with no ice and bland, spongy bread.

My pasta was overcooked and hadn't been well-drained, as evidenced by the puddle of water at the bottom of the dish. My friend's lasagna was even worse--just totally bland, mushy, and not at all how lasagna should taste. The chicken my other friend has was rubbery and served on a bed of overcooked pasta with bland, ketchup-y marinara on top. The soup was clearly from a can or bag and had little flavor other than salt.

It's basic American Italian food and really hard to mess up too much. I think they'll get the hang of it, but for now it really felt like a waste of money.

• Pros: Neighborhood, easy to get a table
• Cons: Food, Service, Ambience

03/29/09

Legendary

by msida

I heard incredible things about Maria's Front Room before it closed and reopened under new ownership. People had raved about how good the food and service was. Maybe my expectations were too high?

At a time when people don't have much disposable income, businesses and restaurants should really try to make the experience memorable - in a good way! I love Ferndale's local flavor but Maria's is gonna have to step it up a notch before I even think about going back.

I would go to the Olive Garden before I would think about going to Maria's. :(

• Pros: Example: best croissants in town
• Cons: Slow service, greasy food, lack of ambiance, cold