Review: Mark & Isabella's American and Italian Restaurant (Belmar Center, Lakewood CO)

As the newest eatery to open in the Belmar Shopping center in Lakewood, CO, I figured it was time to check out Mark & Isabella's for lunch. First, the lunch menu is diminutive relative to the dinner menu, but that was fine; there were still some good choices. Given my diet, I opted for the Grilled Salmon and Spinach Salad, my wife had the Lemon and Herb Crusted Chicken Breast Salad.

Upon arrival, the place was mostly empty (not a good sign), but given the restaurant's newness and that it was August, not surprising. The hostess was prompt and the waitress came to our table quickly; however, that is where the good service ended. The food seemed to take too long to arrive and our waitress never checked on us until our order was ready. Also, having spent 2 months in Italy, what restaurant with Italian aspirations does not serve bread as soon as you sit down. Plus, at the outside tables, there was no salt and pepper, olive oil, or balsamic vinegar. Raise prices by 1 dollar per plate and put some bread and oil out on the tables, especially if you are going to take over 20 minutes to prepare a "salad." (albeit, by Italian standards, this was fast service :) )

The salmon salad was good, the selling point for me was a black olive pesto, but the pesto was bland, it really needs a kick; instead of being a rich, spicy pesto, it was literally just crushed black olives. Thankfully, they did not use Americanized black olives. Otherwise, the salad was about what I expected, a generous helping of blanched spinach and a nicely grilled piece of salmon. The salmon was a tad generic and could have used some pep. The Lemon and Herb Chicken was simple, probably a little too simple. It tasted more like something I could do at home vs getting something interesting and "correctly" done at a restaurant. The lettuce was a bit sparse, so the Lemon Chicken salad was not as filling.

Wine selection was fine, some good choices, a tad overpriced on the per glass side.

Granted, the M & I's sign says an American & Italian Restaurant, but if you are looking for an Italian experience, then M & I is not the place. But, they appear to have some good dishes and given the other restaurants in Belmar, it is nice diversion, but nothing to get excited about. Service definitely needs improvement. Prices are not bad.

Rating, 2.5 out of 5.