Review: Marco's New York Italian, Kenilworth

I don't often venture out of Birmingham for food so I was pleased to be invited to try the food at the new Marco's Italian in Kenilworth.

Kenilworth is a pretty little town with a castle and some nice pubs, about 35 minutes out of Birmingham city centre. The new Marco's is at the Holiday Inn right in the centre. It's not the most glamorous of buildings from the outside.

But the team have done a good job of kitting out the restaurant to make it chic, comfortable and inviting. Myself and a group of bloggers sat down at a long table and set about choosing drinks and food from the menu.

A 'New York Italian' is apparently a more relaxed and casual dining experience so the emphasis is on hearty, satisfying food. Think steak and pasta! 

As I was driving, I chose a mocktail. This was a 'mojito' made with refreshing fruit juices and mint. It went down well and I hardly even missed the alcohol...!

While we were choosing, we shared some bread, oil and olives. I was a big fan of the crusty bread dipped in rich tasty oil.

They suggested going for a sharer plate to start. I chose something different but I had a good nose at what was one the Antipasto platter. The colourful sharer contained bruschetta, meats, roasted vegetables, garlic mushrooms and Caprese salad. The bloggers who tried it really enjoyed it and weren't too full after.

I went for Garlic and Lemon prawns. I love prawns and always have to try them in a new place. The prawns were juicy and well cooked and the sauce was buttery with the clean garlic and lemon cutting through perfectly. I loved that the bread had soaked up the sauce. This was a real treat.

For my main, I chose chicken rather than steak. I'm not a huge fan of steak. I find it a bit boring after a while, unless it's a surf and turf or similar. I picked the Chicken Saltimbocca which was chicken stuffed with ricotta, wrapped in pancetta. It was served with wilted spinach, rosemary potatoes and a lemon butter sauce. The taste was beautiful and I loved having the greens on the plate keeping it fresh. I felt it was a little dry and needed more of the sauce.

Others at the table who had the chicken also felt it was a little dry. It wasn't enough to make it terrible but it was noticeable. The flavours, the potatoes and the spinach were excellent however. Other bloggers went for steak and salmon. The steak seemed to be the most popular from what I heard!

If you're in Kenilworth looking for a nice place for lunch or dinner you will be very happy at Marco's New York Italian. Get yourself a sharing board and a steak and a mocktail. You can expect to pay up to £30 for a steak but other mains are priced between £10 and £20. They also have a 3 course lunch option for £19.95.

http://www.marcoskenilworth.co.uk/

Thanks to Marco's Kenilworth and the Ed James group for inviting me to try the food at no cost.