Restaurant and Take-Out Menus

From the Patriot Ledger

THE GARLIC

It’s always exciting when a new restaurant opens for business, and a new restaurant with an indicative name like “The Garlic” is even more intriguing. Having driven by on several weekend trips to Green Harbor in Marshfield, we greatly anticipated the first weekend of service. They were smart to put that sign up before finishing construction.

Outside, The Garlic Italian Country Grill is colorful. The interior is dark and woody, with grape vines, knots of garlic and wine bottles on every shelf and trellis, assimilating a family-style Tuscan theme.

We had to wait several minutes before a hostess greeted us, but once seated, we were comfortable.

Warm, crusty garlic bread was brought to the table, with basil and pepper olive oil for dipping.

We ordered the Harlot’s Cheese ($6.99, hand-rolled and breaded fried mozzarella) served with puttanesca sauce, and the house bruschetta ($6.99) for starters.

The sugo puttanesca was superb. This tomato-based sauce was thick and spicy, with scents of garlic and basil melding well with the anchovies, pepperoncini and capers.

We found ourselves dipping the bruschetta into the sauce when our fried cheese ran out, and then finishing what was left in the ramekin with our spoons. It was unusual to see green olives in this sauce, as the standard Napolitano recipe contains strictly black olives. But then again, the Toscana region is a good 200 miles from Napoli, and I like when a chef tries something out of the ordinary. I wanted more.

Fortunately, I had ordered the equally rich and fragrant spuntitori ($21.99). Served country-style (all together in a large bowl on top of the pasta), the meatballs were delicious and the roast pork (on the bone) was melt-in-your-mouth tender.

This sauce was tangy and full of fresh individual tastes that could easily be discerned from one another, a true palette for the palate.

Brian’s baked haddock aragosta was a treat as well. Aragosta means lobster in Italian, and this sauce is much like a bisque, light pink and briny, and positively full of lobster flavor. The portion of haddock was rather small, and it was served without a vegetable, but because it was one of the items on the early bird specials list, the dish was only $11.99 at that time.

The skin-in mashed potatoes that accompanied it were also very good.

There were only two stumbling blocks here, and both are easily remedied. The first was the children’s menu, which had only two items: chicken fingers and pasta (each $6.99), and did not include a drink or dessert. The pasta did accommodate a variety of children’s tastes; they could order ziti or linguine, topped with red sauce, Alfredo sauce, or plain with butter. It did not include a meatball.

As I watched my daughter finish her linguine, I couldn’t help but think if I had two or three kids with me, as many families do, then three simple bowls of spaghetti with butter would be $21.

The other problem that night was the service. They were short-staffed, which seemed strange for a place opened only three weeks ago.

The servers seemed busy, flailing around in the dining room often, but without a direct path, like a life-sized ant farm. Even the owner was buzzing about nervously, greeting customers and trying to be accommodating.

Our server was friendly and pleasant, but was woefully unacquainted with the items on the menu. To her credit, she did introduce herself with the mea culpa greeting, “This is my first night. I’m usually a bartender.”

On the bright side, the executive chef is experienced and talented, and he has created some solid dishes that should carry The Garlic well into their venture. The house Chianti ($8, Melini) is excellent. There are several nice items on the early bird menu ($11.99, available from 4 to 5:30 p.m.). The dessert tray was enticing. The tiramisu ($5.99) was delicious, with a firm texture and fresh, creamy mascarpone. The handmade lamps and bright Italian ceramics were fun to look at. Even the napkins were soft and thick, unusual for disposable cloths.

Dining at The Garlic is not inexpensive; most entrées range from $15 to $28. Dinner for two after 5:30 with one appetizer and a decent bottle of wine will cost around $75, not including the tip. They do not open until 4 p.m. (even on Sundays), and they do not take reservations.

But if you want to take a nice ride near the ocean some evening for a satisfying, stick-to-your-ribs Tuscan meal in a colorful roadside tavern, and you’re willing to be patient, then you should give The Garlic in Marshfield a try.

The weekly restaurant review, ‘‘Taste & Tell,’’ is written after anonymous visits to local restaurants by Patriot Ledger food critics Christine Ordway, Mimi Claffey and Jen Wagner.

REVIEW

The Garlic Italian Country Grill

93 Careswell St., Marshfield; 781-834-4414

Price: Most entrees are $15-$28.

Hours: Open daily at 4 p.m.

Parking: Parking available in private lot

Credit cards: All major credit cards accepted

Handicapped accessible