Mario n Wongs

Sadly, Mario n’ Wongs is gone and I never got to try anything new. Good for them for making an effort. Sad to see it didn’t work out since it gave us a little something different in the neighborhood, if only for a while.

I gave in to the curiosity tonight and got delivery from Mario n Wongs. Though their website is
, so I’m now calling it Marion Wongs. :)
I wasn’t sure what to expect, to be honest, but I was pleasantly surprised. I started with the steamed veggie dumplings. Nice texture, generous amount of veggies, and a decent marinara for dipping. Yes, it sounds weird, but somehow, it worked!
We also tried the sausage orzo — delicious! I’m going to have to be like Erika and try all of the versions. I really enjoyed it. Though it’s modeled after fried rice, it’s not heavy or greasy at all. Nice veggies in there too — broccoli, onion, mushroom, red pepper. Solid value and a HUGE portion at $ 8.
Also got the bucatini bowl with pancetta and peas. They no longer offer bucatini, so it was just spaghetti noodles. Though it was nicely spiced (good heat), it wasn’t anything special and I wouldn’t order again.
Overall, I was impressed. Delivery was in about 25 minutes when I placed the call at 5:30, which I couldn’t believe! Usually everything is at least 45 mins. Will definitely get delivery from them in the future. It seems a fairly healthy alternative to pizza, chinese, etc.
*edit* Also highly recommended: the chicken and broccoli. Not recommended: rigatoni a la vodka.

Because we live a block from here, my husband and I waited for MONTHS for this place to open. We were morbidly fascinated by the promise of Chinese-​Italian food.
Since it opened a few months ago we’ve probably eaten Mario N’ Wongs 10 or 11 times. The food is consistently good, albeit weird. The service is good, both dine in and take out. It took them awhile to settle on a menu. Because it is sort of strange we always end up ordering the same two dishes… usually Lo Mein noodles with pepper or as a salad. I occasionally get the tortellini soup if my eyes are bigger than my stomache. It’s also surprisingly easy to find something «healthy-​ish» on the menu. Dinner for two of us comes to $ 15-​$ 20.
The menu can be a bit overwhelming, so I recommend taking a menu home so there is less pressure to decide right away.
The only reason I don’t give it 5 stars is because they are closed at weird times (Sundays and Mondays) and the food is pretty good, but not excellent.
But kudos to Mario N Wongs for trying something different, especially in a strip mall with nothing but chain staples like Starbucks, Quiznos, etc.

Eating here is like accepting a dare. A big dare. A double dog dare.
The place has been open a while and I’ve always been strangely interested in what it had to offer, much the same way I took to wondering how Bring It On could wind up with four movies in a series.
Last night, my husband put my curiosity to rest — he grabbed us dinner from Mario ‘n Wongs.
I’m not even sure how to explain it. I was presented the Rigatoni with Ricotta, but it didn’t taste like Rigatoni with Ricotta. Or maybe it did and it just had a ridiculously strong aftertaste of Chinese food. I couldn’t tell you. I think they use sesame oil for cooking the noodles or something, but I can’t be sure.
Even weirder were the fried sausage dumplings. They were like crab rangoon shell deals encasing pieces of Italian sausage. I thought the whole thing transcended odd and found them thoroughly unappealing. My husband, however, was enthralled by them and inhaled the dumplings with gusto.
I’m frightened. Hold me.
I suppose I have to give them credit for trying something new. And I have a feeling that my husband might eat there again, but he’s strange. I guess I’d recommend this place if you’re feeling adventuresome and want to have bragging rights for attempting such fare.
Me? I think I’ll pass. For now, I think I’m just going to sit in the corner and rock back and forth in fetal position for a bit.