Check out our feast experience as it happened here: Maria’s Zoom Tasting Experience

Updates Since This Feast:

Restaurants are now allowing dine-in service at 50% capacity but masks must be worn in while you are being seated or are not at your table.

Also, regarding take-out at Maria’s, they have been EXTREMELY busy! If you want your food for carry out during peak dinner times, we recommend calling WELL in advance. Like, 2 hours or so.

Street view of Maria's

Dessert Case

Full of all kinds of temptations

Inside Entrance

Just inside the entrance. Usually full of people… Coronavirus is weird.

Cash Register

Just to the left is the gelato case

AUBREE’S EXPERIENCE:

On the Menu: Mussels and Cheese Bread from the app menu; Caesar Salad-side; Spinach Ravioli; Cannoli; Italian Cream Cake; Bottle of Pinot Noir and Root Beer

Bill: $73.14 plus $20 tip

Review number five was fun for us, especially since we had been quarantined for 9 weeks when we held our Feast Mode Zoom Eat up. Since we were eating live at home I ordered more than usual because well clearly, have you seen the menu? It was so hard to pick. Also, my son Jaden was home so it was dinnertime for us. Sharing is caring so I just went ahead and ordered the whole menu…I mean who doesn’t like leftover takeout?!

Calling in our order was easy, I called around 5:45 PM and they said the food would be ready for pickup at 6:30 PM. Upon pick up, the restaurant had plenty of parking in the lot on the South side of the building. There was already a line with one other patron waiting to pick up her food. A sign on the door read that said you must wear a mask inside, and another stated only one customer allowed in the restaurant at a time. While waiting in line a few more people ended up behind me and we chatted while remaining socially distant until it was my turn to go in.

When I entered the restaurant my first impression was it is adorable and quaint. They had wine racks and a refrigerator filled with different types of root beer. I walked further in to see two cases, one filled with assorted cakes, and another filled with gelatos they get locally from Palazzolo’s in Fennville, Michigan. Yes, the visual dessert case got me, I ordered the cannoli on the phone and upon seeing that cake I added a slice to my order before paying.

Once I got home, I set the table and got my laptop situated. I took pictures of all the food for our post, and let me say I was impressed at how they wrapped and contained the food to go. It was all very hot in nice foil containers and wrapped again to prevent spillage. For example, the mussels were safe and not a drop of white wine sauce spilled. That is winning! The menu stated that entrees came with a breadstick; we ordered one entrée and received three breadsticks. Let me tell you, these breadsticks were AMAZING! They were warm, soft, flavorful, and so fricking good. I could have easily eaten just breadsticks for dinner. They must be homemade, bread just isn’t THAT good!

I have had the pizza and cheesy bread from there before as that is one of our favorite local places for those items so of course, we had to get cheesy bread. We ordered a small order which I think is not much smaller than the large one. The marinara and ranch (yes ranch you know I am a self-proclaimed RANCH WHORE and I like all the sauces) are so good, the marinara is sweet and you can taste the fresh herbs in it while the ranch goes perfect with it for double-dipping.

I usually love all mussels and these did not disappoint. They were prepared simply in a white wine garlic sauce that I could have drank, but I refrained. The only thing that would have set it off would have been some good crusty bread for dipping. The entrée came with a side salad too. I got the caesar since as I am sure you know by now caesar salads are my favorite. It was good and plentiful covered in shredded parmesan cheese. YUM.

Now for the entrée, Spinach Ravioli with shrimp. It came with 6 big raviolis and 7 medium-size shrimp. It is prepared stuffed with spinach and the shrimp served on top covered in a basil pesto sauce. I loved that the shrimp is prepared with tails off and I didn’t have to mess with that. It was very rich and delicious. It heated up well the next day too. It was nice they use foil pans because I literally heated up my oven and threw everything on a baking sheet to reheat the next day for dinner, no mess.

Dessert time! Cannoli…I loved the filling. It was good, but there was an after taste from the shell I wasn’t crazy about. Would I order them again? Probably not, my son really enjoyed them though. However, that Italian Cream Cake was dabomb-dot-com! For real though let’s talk about this cake… it was light but rich, and the mascarpone filling was amazing. It was seriously one of the best cakes I have had. I am so picky about sweets too since I am a baker, but this was a quality cake. They asked if I wanted the raspberry sauce when I ordered it last minute and I told them no, very glad I made the right choice because I think that would have taken away the spotlight from the cake making it over the top. Sometimes simplicity is better.

Best for last…the wine! I had the wine at Maria’s before when my book club met there so I remembered enjoying it. I ordered a bottle of the Familiare as they call it or Pinot Noir which was very good and I drank every drop. They make their own wine locally in Fennville, Michigan! How cool is that? I was thoroughly impressed. Jaden had a bottle of the Frostie Root Beer which he enjoyed, but probably not as much as I liked the wine.

The worst part of the experience was that we couldn’t try each other’s food. Sometimes I want “Just a Bite.” Good thing I ordered the whole menu so I could try a few things. The best part of the experience is tough to pick because everything was wonderful, but I must say the wine and that Italian cake had to be my favorites.

If you want a cozy traditional Italian bistro that you can break bread with friends at, go to Maria’s and enjoy some food and wine (or root beer). I am sure they are feeding some dogs spaghetti out back just like in Lady and the Tramp-that’s the vibe. Salute!

Side label of Familiare Wine

Frostie Root Beer

A favorite among kiddos!

Italian Cream Cake

This passed Aubree’s picky dessert taste buds with flying colors!

Familiare Wine

A dry red wine, a Pinot Noir, from Maria’s own winery out of Fennville, MI.

Pizza Box

Cheese Bread

Mussels Appetizer

Side Cesar Salad

Spinach Ravioli with Shrimp

RICHIE’S EXPERIENCE:

On the menu: Had the seafood ravioli (which came with a side salad and breadsticks), a “Dang! That’s Good” butterscotch root beer, and the red velvet cheesecake.

Bill: Came to $30 before my massive tip (You Already Know!!)

What’s good my people!!!!

STILL living that COVID-19 life. STILL can’t sit down at a restaurant and have a meal. STILL miss sitting with my ladies and cheers-ing our glasses. STILL……STILL…..STILL…..but, it’s STILL not going to let it stop us from reviewing some food for y’all!!! The ladies and I wanted to keep the party going, and we kind of figured out this Zoom thing a little better, so we figured……..BRING ON THE ITALIAN FOOD!!!!!

Since we all agreed that we were craving some good Italian food, Aubree and Steph both had Maria’s on the brain, and our choice became pretty easy! I don’t eat at Maria’s nearly enough, so I was rather easily persuaded. As you read my review, you’ll see that this was a FANTASTIC choice!!!! These ladies are friggin geniuses!!!!

Ordering & Pick Up

Ordering was super easy!! Their website (www.mariastasteofitaly.com) has their phone number, address, and menu easily available. Once I figured out what I wanted from their menu, I called my order in and was given a 20 minute pick up time. Steph told us that she was able to schedule her pick up time, which sounds super convenient as well!!!

We are picking the food up during COVID-19, so there are precautions that occur. You have to wait outside in a properly spaced line, you have to have your mask, and they only allow a certain number of people in at a time. This has become the routine for most places, and Maria’s is no different. Maria’s is on a road that is blocked off for construction, so there is even more room outside to stand as well, but you have to park on side roads to walk to the front of the restaurant.

My personal pick up took all of 5 minutes!!! The food was ready and packed up when I got there, and the register is right next to gelato, cake slices, and what felt like 20 root beer options! These guys are smart, they KNOW I want me some root beer and cake!!!!!! Well played Maria’s…….well played!!

(WARNING: when you are starving, and you go to Maria’s, you end up buying root beer and dessert!!!!!)

Food

Once we got to our homes and got situated, we went live with it on FaceBook. We got into our food, and if you saw our live feed………….The. Food. Was. On. POINT!!!! This food was delicious and filling!! I had the Seafood Ravioli, which consisted of rather large ravioli (I think there were 6 of them) filled with lobster, scallops, and shrimp. Served in a rich cream sauce and topped with baked parmesan on top, this was simply amazing! It was so filling that I could only eat half of it, which meant I had a fantastic lunch the next day (yep, it warmed up perfectly, with no separation in the sauce!!) It came with 2 breadsticks and a salad, which were also both delicious. I DID however save the salad for the next day, just because I knew it would hold well in the fridge, but also because there was no way in hell I was going to fill up before having my dessert!

For dessert I chose the Red Velvet Cheesecake, and after having it, it’s going to be hard to order anything else for dessert if this is there the next time I eat at Maria’s. Despite my lactose intolerance, I am rather partial to cheese and cheesecake. I usually end up slamming some Lactaid pills before most meals, and those pills had their work cut out for this meal! This cheesecake slice was huge and delicious, and it only took me 3 bites to top me off and have me pass it to my daughters to finish. It took all three of us to maximum stomach capacity with smiles on our faces!!!! It was the perfect balance of moist delicious red velvet cake layered in the middle of rich creamy cheesecake! It was definitely the right choice!!!

The drink I chose to try with this meal was a butterscotch root beer from the brand “Dang! That’s Good.” Honestly, I think it’s named properly because Dang! It WAS Good!!! LOL. My only regret is that Steph’s daughter had to go without it, because I grabbed the last bottle without knowing she wanted it (Oops!) It followed suit with the rest of my meal. It was very rich with a sweet smooth finish, and the butterscotch and root beer flavors complemented each other very well!!

Wrap Up

Maria’s was a great choice, and I’m happy that the ladies wanted to review them. I rarely get to Maria’s honestly, but I always end up stuffed and happy when I go there. With all the COVID-19 restrictions still in place this was the perfect eat-at-home spot to review, mainly because I was so stuffed and happy that I could jump right into pajama pants if needed (let’s be real though, you KNOW I was ahead of the game on that one!!) The menu is more on the pricey side in comparison to other restaurants in South Haven, but I’m not complaining when the food you get seems like it’s not prepared for one sitting. You get a TON of food, and when you consider that you’re more than likely eating on this order for a couple meals, you’re really paying a reasonable amount of money for it. I totally recommend Maria’s if you are in the mood for Italian food, and unless you hate good food I’m sure you’ll be impressed with what you get!

Red Velvet Cheesecake

Richie's Root Beer Selection

Dang That’s Good, Dog n Suds, and Triple XXX.

Richie's Meal

Seafood Ravioli, Dang That’s Good Root Beer, Breadstick, and (of course) lactose pills… LOL

STEPH’S EXPERIENCE:

On the menu: The Palermo Dinner, Cannoli, 3 surprise root beers (btw, I offered to order pizza for my kids or something but they didn’t want any… so please don’t think I just didn’t order my family food LOL)

Bill: $39.22 + tip

I need to start this review out by saying… I MISSED MY TASTE BUDDIES SOOOO MUCH!!! It was honestly (very understood) torture not being able to meet up for our feasts and just chit chat about food and whatever was going on in our lives so we decided to get some takeout AS SOON AS restaurants were open for carry out and Zoom it for our people to join in! I almost cried, lowkey, when I heard their voices again. Quarantine isolation sucks, but we will get through it! We wanted to switch it up a bit so we went with Italian food from Maria’s Taste of Italy.

I honestly don’t know if I’ve ever ordered anything other than pizza and breadsticks to eat from Maria’s, so I was excited to explore the depths of their menu (it was honestly so hard to pick!). I also have a secret love affair with cannolis that started when I worked in the kitchen of a different Italian restaurant during my high school days, so you know I had to grab some dessert and, when you go to Maria’s, you HAVE to get some root beer!

Ordering: I called ahead to order and requested that my food be ready by 6:30pm but they stated they had to do 6:40pm… probably because Richie and Aubree were also picking up around that time… LOL. No problem at all. I got there and followed the social distancing guidelines as described above and I was probably in and out within 5 minutes as well (I also saw Aubree walking to her car as I was pulling up, so that was a plus!). Also, their website is super convenient for information and has the backstory of the owners, which I always enjoy reading.

Food: Let’s start with the breadsticks: Not sure if Maria’s spoils everyone or what, but I thought I was just getting one breadstick with my entree and ended up with 2. I could literally eat an entire order of these by myself and still want more. They are soft, fluffy, and have the perfect amount of garlic and Parmesan cheese. Their marinara sauce is chunky (you know I like my sauces thicc ;)) and a bit sweet but the two go together so beautifully.

Maria’s has a total of 15 specialty root beers on their menu and there’s literally something for everyone… except for Aubree, who weirdly doesn’t like root beer. I told them to surprise me with the root beer selection since the one my daughter Sabra wanted by name, “Dang That’s Good,” had JUST sold out (THANKS A LOT, RICHIE!!) and they gave me “Frostie Root Beer,” “Dog n Suds Root Beer,” and “Henry Weinhard’s Root Beer.” My girls had Frostie and Dog n Suds (a close replacement for Dang) and both really enjoyed them. I drank Henry and it had notes of sassafras, vanilla, and honey. It was really smooth and did not really have a bite to it. This root beer was noted as being the owner, AJ’s, favorite and is from Fort Worth, TX.

For my entree, I ordered the Palermo with a side salad (and the breadstick as previously mentioned). The side salad was your traditional side salad of fresh mixed greens, those little tomatoes that I never eat because I hate tomatoes, and shredded cheese. I got their raspberry vinaigrette dressing which I REALLY enjoyed! It was light and on the sweet side and, honestly, the perfect dressing for a summertime salad. Salads are my least favorite thing ever so… moving on.

The Palermo: the holy grail of Italian sea food entrees. I have so many questions: Why did I not know about this before? Why is it so big? How did they make it so heavenly on my taste buds? This monster is made up of shrimp, mussels, lobster, fire roasted tomatoes, and sliced garlic with a creamy garlic butter sauce with linguine pasta and it’s all baked “old world style.” I wasn’t sure what that meant, so I Googled it and honestly couldn’t find an answer, so I think it’s a secret but I’m here for it. Yes, it’s $24 and one of the pricier items on the menu but it’s worth EVERY PENNY. I ate this for FOUR DAYS!! The pasta was cooked PERFECTLY. It wasn’t mushy at all, even after being reheated. All of the seafood was tender and fresh. None of it was too chewy or tough. Only critique was I wish the chunks of lobster were bigger/more plentiful, but that’s literally me looking for something to nitpick. Biting into this pasta dish just made my heart happy. The thick creamy butter garlic sauce was just pure perfection. I really have no other way to describe it.

Dessert, the Cannoli: An order of cannolis comes with 2 small cannolis. They were smaller than I was expecting. I will refer you to Aubree’s review as I agree with that. I almost felt like the shells weren’t crunchy enough? I don’t know… the filling was amazing but the shells were lacking a bit. Not sure if they source them already made or make them in-house but they don’t seem like they are made in-house.

Overall Impression: Even during this Zoom feast, I learned so much more about Maria’s because this restaurant seems to fly under the radar for all they have to offer. I didn’t realize they have their own winery out of Fennville, MI or amazing wings (per Richie). Their interior is very old-world Italian bistro and super cozy. I’ve never once had an issue with the service being slow or unfriendly and you really feel like you’re among friends when you dine there.

I’m pretty sure I speak for all of us when I say that Maria’s is Feast Mode Approved!