Venetian Italian Eatery — Restaurant in Maryland

We had a nice night at the Venetian Palace. We had never been before, but had a groupon. Service was excellent, portions were huge, food was good. Definitely will be back.

Service - 6 out of 5. They did a great job taking care of us. The manager and our waitress greeted us at the door. The waitress was very friendly and checked up on us often. She made sure we knew that a groupon was available if we wanted to use it (even though we already had one). Our food was ready before we had finished the apetizers, and instead of just bringing out the food, the waitress checked with us first to make sure we were ready. The manager came over to chat with us after we finished, and he was interested in talking about more than just the meal. Later, when we left the manager stood up and thanked us for coming in. Watching the other waitresses during dinner, it seems like the rest of the staff was also friendly.

Food - 4 (or 5) out of 5. I want to try more things before I give this a final rating. I can't say how everything is yet, but our meals were good. Huge portions. We got the appetizer sampler, and it seemed like the mushrooms, mozerella sticks, onion rings, and zuchinni sticks were hand breaded there. The marinara sauce was a favourite on the spaghetti. The meatballs were large, soft, light, and well seasoned. The manager told us that the marinara and the meatballs were his mama's recipe, but his brother makes them in the kitchen. The chicken carbonara was very good too, with lots and lots of chicken and a ton of bacon. The chicken was strongly seasoned even before it was mixed in the sauce (it seems rare these days to get seasoned chicken). The bacon was not too salty and didn't overpower the dish. The mushrooms were either sauteed or marinated too, and had a good flavor. The sauce was light for a cream sauce, which I think worked well with the other heavy flavors going on. The sauce had a nice mild flavor. I think we had enough food for 5 meals. I know I've had dinner and lunch and still have some pasta left.

Location - 3 out of 5. I feel like I'm nit picking, because it is one of the nicer restaurants in Edgewood, but the decor is getting a bit old inside. The bar is at one end of the dining room, so the place could get really loud if there is a bar crowd. On the plus side, the dining area has a tall ceiling and...

Where to begin..... walking into the establishment, several employees were standing just outside the entrance door smoking. HINT! Non-smokers do not want to walk through your cloud of smoke or want the scent of nicotine on their taste buds, especially before eating.

We ordered drinks from one of the three people that approached our table to take our order, they all seemed competent. Then a forth person was assigned our table with practically zero experience. Please read on....

Our appetizers were fried corn balls (plain) and Maryland Crab soup. It came out with powdered sugar on the corn balls and I got MD cream of crab instead (it had a fishy taste and had to be smothered with Old Bay that took 5 min to arrive upon my request). We then ordered our meals. The server brought out by salad and placed it as far away from me as she could as she did the entire dinner experience, rather strange, but I knew she was new. It came with French dressing...... several minutes later, the honey mustard that I re-ordered arrived.

Then another mystery salad arrived with honey mustard. She looked very confused as to why she had it in her hands. The crab cake and pasta were excellent as were the baked potato.

As my meal arrived I had an mostly empty soda glass and had to ask for a refill. And finally, I asked for the check, it arrived. She came back, grabbed the folder and walked away. She returned and ask how I was paying for it. I told her with the card I just gave her. She opened the folder and replied "What card?". She rooted around in her apron and found it, very intense moment with my new bank card missing. Then she returns, leaves the bill for me to sign, walks away without leaving a pen to sign with.

I am not being harsh and have omitted several other smaller incidents. But when you go out to eat and venture to a place that boasts that they have the BEST CRAB CAKES, you would think they wouldn't have the worst service.

It is my opinion that the owner that approached us a couple times is entirely at fault here and not the untrained server.

Without being said, but I will.... We will never return to the establishment again and will share our experience with...

Updated Review....

Tonight, I had the pleasure of chatting with Paul for a little bit. I love that the owners/managers take time to get to know their customers. I like to feel like it was worth it to spend my money in an establishment, and that's what I feel like when I'm in Venetians. I ordered the fried chicken dinner with noodles (Alfredo sauce) it paired well to me. Antonio was my server tonight, and he was polite and patient. He even listened to me, go on about nothing. Miracle is another awesome server, she came over to acknowledge me and asked about my meal. My food was fresh, hot and ready to order. The chicken was fried well, not real seasoned but that was ok for me. The noodles were cooked to perfection, the Alfredo sauce thick and creamy how I like it. Overall, it was an awesome experience. Tonight makes my third time here this week. Try them out if you haven't already.

I love venetians more and more and more. I was told the owners also own Valentinos & Rosarios (Baltimore, MD). I had a great experience, my waitress was attentive and kind. The prices were as reasonable as they could be considering prices are at a all time high right now. The strawberry cheesecake is delicious, the Italian lemon cake is amazing, as well as the chocolate cake. I love the fish tacos, cheesesteak sub, fries, Alfredo, and mozzarella sticks. They also serve you two bread sticks with marinara sauce and they are always soft and tasty!

I am here often, I order out and dine it! It can be a bit pricy but Linda makes the best drinks which is worth it!!! She knows how to put a cocktail together. I had the gummy bear martini and it was delicious. I ordered a turkey burger and fries this time. I didn't see Paul or Nick during this visit but they're always friendly and will make sure you have an enjoyable experience. They're normally there which is nice to know. You can always speak to someone if you have concerns with your...