Marzano's Trattoria

Casual Italian/American restaurant in Peterborough

The old theater space in Peterborough has seen more than a few restaurants come and go. The latest showing is Marzano's Trattoria. It sounded like a promising name with a reference to the great tomatoes grown near Sicily.

I wandered in and settled at the short bar toward the back of the dining area. Although not too many changes had been made to the room since the previous incarnation, the space was pleasant and nicely lit with low lights. Soft Italian music played in the background including a few Sinatra tunes.

The wine list by the glass was dismal and the by-the-bottle list could be good, as most were fittingly Italian, but I wasn't familiar with any. Just looking for a bite to eat I ordered their Caesar salad and the mussels with tomatoes and white wine. Their onion soup sounded tempting, though. The wine arrived, and although disappointing, it was a generous pour.

The server brought some focaccia bread, which would have been enhanced by being served warm. The accompanying infused olive oil was the hit of the evening and gave delicious support to their claim on the menu that they strive to get the very best ingredients. The salad arrived, nicely chilled, and I rather liked the light dressing with just enough lemon and anchovy. The mussels weren't memorable, so I started looking at other people's plates and noticed bare-bone presentations and a woman doctoring her "chicken under a brick" with salt and pepper. The prices seem fair, but with quite a few pasta dishes. I would like to see half-portion sizes too. You can't live on carbs alone.