Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Italian Easter Eggs


Italian Easter Eggs (Uova Di Pasqua) are not your typical Easter Eggs. These massive chocolate Easter Eggs are elaborately wrapped and decorated. They are much larger than their typical American counterparts.  Each egg contains a special surprise inside their hollow chocolate shell. On Easter morning, children enjoy breaking open the eggs to reveal the hidden surprise inside.

Check out Marco's Uova Di Pasqua amongst our Easter decorations and make sure to make your reservations for our Easter Brunch, Sunday, March 31. For a complete Easter Brunch menu, visit our website.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Kudos to Our Staff

Check out this recent Trip Advisor post from a couple traveling from Michigan. Thanks to the entire team, for making all of our guests feel welcomed and special each and every visit.

 
“They stayed open just for us!”
5 of 5 starsReviewed March 22, 2013
I want to agree with the other reviewers that the restaurant is expensive. But let me tell you "the rest of the story". We were traveling from Florida to Michigan and had made hotel reservations for the evening in Macon, Georgia. As soon as we were close to Macon the skies opened up and we drove through one of the worst rainstorms we could remember. When we got to our hotel the whole block that it was on was dark. We told the clerk holding the flashlight that we were going to find someplace to eat and if the power was not on when we got back, we were going to have to cancel. Of course, she said "no problem" so we looked in our GPS and found what we thought sounded like the only locally owned restaurant in the area. We like to frequent non-chains whenever possible to support the local economy. We found Marco's Ristorante Italiano and called to see if they were open. They said that they were open and we told them we were on our way. We were expecting to see checkered tablecloths and Chianti flasks with candles when we got there. Imagine our surprise when we found a very elegant and upscale looking restaurant with only one couple in a corner of the place. They seemed to be well into a dessert course and ready to leave. We said to the manager that we had just called and that we did not want to keep them open just to serve us if there were no other customers. He said that they had lots of work to keep them busy and they would love to take care of us. Well, we sat at the bar and a lovely bartender brought us menus and the drinks we ordered. A young server named Eduardo with a strong Italian accent came and took our order and we had a wonderful discussion about how and why he came to America at such a young age (22). He said he came to study the culinary arts and he was also learning the beverage alcohol business. He was a very personable young man and he and the bartender joined us in conversation for some time. I was very surprised when I read the menu that a simple dish such as Lasagna was priced at $25.00! I am a Lasagna fan so I ordered it and my wife ordered fried oysters and calamari appetizers. Eduardo came back and said the bad news was that the Lasagna would take 35 minutes to make. I told him not to bother with the Lasagna and that I would order something else. I ordered hand-made Fettucini noodles with spinach and mushrooms in a white cream sauce. When the food came out it was beautifully presented and after the first bite I thought I was in Heaven! The sauce was not the regular Alfredo that is grainy and gloppy. It was the lightest and tastiest I had ever had. The bottom line of my review is that despite the expensive food cost, the atmosphere, the servers, the enthusiastic manager, and the wonderful food made it well worth the cost. The whole staff made us feel welcome and never once made us feel as if we were keeping them there even though we must have been because as soon as we walked out of the door the place went dark and employees started to leave. These people know what they are doing and they know how to make their guests feel welcome.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Easter Brunch at Marco

Join us for our annual Easter Brunch on March 31 from 11 am - 2:00 pm. A full buffet of homemade Italian Easter favorites will be set. The menu includes a shrimp cocktail, eggs benedict, traditional lasagna, pistachio crusted salmon, potato and ham croquettes, and a carving station with fresh rib-eye au jus. For the complete menu, visit our website.

One highlight of the menu is Italian "Colomba" Easter Cake served French Toast Style. Italian Colomba Easter Cake is an incredibly moist, sweet bread filled with candied bits of orange and coated with almonds. To serve it "French" stye, the chef will slice the cake and dip the slices in an egg and milk mixture. The slices are then pan fried until they are golden brown. The delicious toast is finished with a sprinkling of powered sugar.

Make reservations by calling 405-5660.



Monday, March 11, 2013

Celebrate Your Birthday at Marco!

Make your birthday a little sweeter with a complimentary dinner at Marco. Bring your birthday party to Marco and receive a complimentary dinner with the purchase of one or more additional dinners of equal or greater value within the party. In order to redeem your birthday dining experience, follow these steps:

1. Like Marco's Facebook Page.

2. Call the restaurant  at 478.405.5660 to make your reservation. Speak with Cristina, Giordano, or Beth. Ask for the complimentary birthday dinner promotion.

3. Redeem your birthday dinner by showing your ID to your waiter or waitress. The complimentary meal is redeemable from the day of your birthday until six days after your birthday.

4. The complimentary meal is only redeemable with the purchase of one or more additional dinners of equal or greater value within the party. Alcohol, tax and gratuity are not included.

Thursday, March 7, 2013

New Spring Menu!

Check out our new Spring Menu. We have added some frenquently requested favorites and an extensive list of pasta dishes. All of our pastas, from ravioli to fettuccini, are made
in-house to ensure upmost quality and freshness.  Come taste the difference of fresh, homemade pasta.

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Pistachio Gelato!

Gelato is the Italian form of ice cream with a few differences. The percentage of butterfat is lower, there is less air in the finished product, and it is served at a slightly warmer temperature. Like ice cream it is a delicious cold dessert and one scoop is never enough.

You can make your own version of Marco's Pistachio Gelato at home using the recipe below.



2 cups of water
2 cups of milk
4 egg yolks
3.5 oz. of pistachios – whole, unsalted
2/3 cup of ultrafine sugar

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Put a large mixing bowl in the freezer.
Bring two cups of water to a boil. Add the pistachios. Boil for one minute. Drain the boiled pistachios and rinse under cold water in a colander. Peel the pistachios. Spread the peeled pistachios on an ungreased, non-stick baking sheet. Toast them in the oven at 325 degrees for 3 to 4 minutes, checking to make sure they are golden brown.  Grind the toasted pistachios in a food processor or chop them finely.  Put them aside.
In a sauce pan, bring the two cups of milk to a boil. In a separate bowl, mix the yolks and the sugar together until the mixture is creamy and the sugar is dissolved. Add ½ cup of the milk to the egg yolks mixture, slowly so it does not cook the eggs. Whisk the mix together.
With the rest of the milk, pour into a mixing bowl and add three ounces of the pistachios. Mix for one minute to incorporate the flavor of the pistachios into the milk.
Remove the large mixing bowl from the freezer. Fill the bottom of the mixing bowl with ice to keep it cold. Place a smaller mixing bowl on top of the ice. Combine the pistachio-milk mix and the egg mix in the smaller mixing bowl. Mix together with a whisk for 2 to 3 minutes until everything is cold.
Add mixture to a gelato machine or ice cream machine for about 30-45 minutes until gelato is set. Gelato should still be frozen, but smooth.  When serving, top gelato with the remaining pistachio pieces.