Most Old Town Italian comes from a restaurant group’s spreadsheet. Marcellino comes from a marriage: Roman-born chef Marcellino Verzino makes the pasta by hand every day and cooks it every night, while his wife Sima runs the room on Stetson Drive like a standing dinner party.
The pasta list changes with the chef’s mood and the market, so there is no fixed signature — just ask what he made today and order that.
When to go: Thursday or Saturday for live jazz, Tuesday or Wednesday for a quiet table. It’s dinner only, Tuesday through Saturday, and weekends book up in season.