Maria's on Manasquan's main drag provides diners with all types of traditional Southern Italian cuisine. Maria's, a permanent fixture on the shore scene, has been packing guests in its dining room for many years. It is not uncommon for patrons to wait up to two hours for a table especially in the summertime. Our wait estimated at 45 minutes turned out to be an hour. A problem with waiting is unless you want to wait out side you will be forced to stand in the tight confines of Maria's bar and packaged goods area. You will get quite a workout jockeying for position between the ice machine and the beer cooler. If I heard a waitress say, "excuse me can I get by" one more time I was going to walk out of this place. Once seated it will take some time to order from the two substantial menus Maria's offers guests. The Specials Menu features very large portions of Maria's signature dishes. Dinner Specials are always accompanied by soup and salad. The regular menu has the run of t ... more

Maria's on Manasquan's main drag provides diners with all types of traditional Southern Italian cuisine. Maria's, a permanent fixture on the shore scene, has been packing guests in its dining room for many years. It is not uncommon for patrons to wait up to two hours for a table especially in the summertime. Our wait estimated at 45 minutes turned out to be an hour. A problem with waiting is unless you want to wait out side you will be forced to stand in the tight confines of Maria's bar and packaged goods area. You will get quite a workout jockeying for position between the ice machine and the beer cooler. If I heard a waitress say, "excuse me can I get by" one more time I was going to walk out of this place. Once seated it will take some time to order from the two substantial menus Maria's offers guests. The Specials Menu features very large portions of Maria's signature dishes. Dinner Specials are always accompanied by soup and salad. The regular menu has the run of the mill Italian favorites like pizza, pasta, veal, and chicken. Dinner items on the regular menu only come with soup or salad. "Sure, punish them because they are not as special as the specials."
After receiving some very cold beers we decided to warm our insides with a medium plain pizza as an appetizer ($8.00). The thin crusted pizza was the perfect remedy for the agonizing hunger we built up dodging the throngs of customers and waitresses scurrying about the bar area. Filling as it was the crust could have been cooked a little less. It was much harder than I expected or wished for. The soups offered this evening were chicken noodle, pasta fagioli, and minestrone. Our table chose the latter two. Although I wasn't fortunate enough to get soup with my humdrum regular menu entrée I heard it was very good. The salad was as simple as salad could get. I don't know if they fled while enroute from the kitchen but their was nary an onion or tomato in sight. I was left with a bed of lettuce suffocated by a mound of Russian dressing. I also was left to stare at the remnants of my salad for some time because our waiter neglected to clear our dishes until the main course was served. Our waiter did a masterful job managing the time between courses but it is important not to leave each course on the table until the next one arrives.
Speaking of courses the main course consisted of two items from the specials side and two from the standard, conventional, common, and regular side. The ladies had the Tortellini Verde ($11.00) and the Rigatoni Amartriciana ($10.50). The men had the Chicken Parmigiana ($12.95) and the Chicken Francaisse ($13.50). The Tortellini Verde consisted of Spinach Tortellini stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese prepared in a light cream sauce. The Rigatoni Amartriciana was a mixture of bacon, onion, and fresh chopped tomatoes cooked in white wine and served over rigatoni pasta topped with grated cheese. The women enjoyed their meals while they staved off invasions by the men stealing forkfuls of pasta. The Chicken Francaisse should be renamed Three Enormous Pieces of Chicken Francaisse. As if the plentiful portion of chicken wasn't enough you also get a side of pasta covered in tomato sauce. I had the Chicken Parmagiana, or at least the alleged Chicken Parmagiana. I enjoyed bite after bite before I realized something was awry. The purported chicken turned out to be veal cleverly disguised under a crisp breading and heap of mozzarella cheese and tomato sauce. "Clever ruse my sly friend, but you can't fool the Man, the Myth " - at least not after I have taken five bites. Although I was disappointed my waiter brought me the wrong dish I was given the opportunity to see how well Maria's prepares difficult meat like veal. If not cooked properly veal easily can become tough. This veal was cooked perfectly. Nice mistake pal, your foul up allowed me to enjoy a quality veal parm at a chicken parm price. Don't worry, your secret is good with me buddy. I won't tell management about the screw up just I like I won't tell them about the extra beer you mistakenly brought our table free of charge.
The overall experience at Maria's was a positive one. You get an unbelievable amount of food for a moderate price. The wait is well worth it and if you are lucky enough to get a haphazard server like we did where the errors weigh in your favor I think you would agree that Maria's is a very good restaurant.
3 ½ stars out of 5 Reviewed: 4/27/02
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