Italian.
Marrero: 1019 Avenue C. 504-347-8203. Map.
Lunch Tuesday-Friday. Dinner Tuesday-Saturday.
Casual
AE DS MC V
WHY IT'S NOTEWORTHY
Little known outside the West Bank, the Lido has served more-than-decent Italian food in Marrero for a long time. The menu and style will be comfortable for anyone who likes the local style of Italian cooking, from little kids on up. Unchallenging flavors, large portions, low prices.
WHY IT'S GOOD
It's probably not worth a special trip from across the river or farther away, but if you're in the general vicinity with a taste for some fried eggplant, a good red-sauce pasta dish, or some panneed chicken or veal. Seafood is not a strong suit here. The stuffed veal involtini, a specialty since the restaurant's earliest days, remains the most unusual dish on the menu.
BACKSTORY
In 1970, two couples from different Northern Italian towns opened the Lido in an out-of-the-way location in Marrero. Their menu was different enough from the Italian food served around New Orleans in those days that they were able to draw customers from all over. The Lido was, for example, the first restaurant to serve polenta. The two couples split in the 1980s, and one of them opened the Lido Gardens, a now-extinct restaurant with a similar menu, on Airline Highway near Clearview. The Lido kept going, with two changes of ownership, the most recent in 2008. Over the years, the cooking has headed southward in style, and hews closely to what we find in other neighborhood Italian restaurants around town. Meanwhile, the expantion of Wesdt Jefferson Hospital nearby gave the Lido enough of a steady clientele that it continues to thrive.
DINING ROOM
Named for the famous beach off the islands of Venice, the Lido has the look of a New Orleans neighborhood restaurant, but with a distinctly Italian accent. Posters and pictures of well-known Italian sites cover the walls. A small private room off the main room is sometimes used for a la carte dining at busy hours. The servers are young and perform the basics of their jobs well.
ESSENTIAL DISHES
Fried eggplant.
Fried artichoke hearts.
Minestrone.
Crab and corn soup.
Artichoke salad.
Fettuccine Bordelaise.
Lasagna.
Spaghetti with meatballs, Italian sausage, or meat sauce.
Eggplant Parmesan.
Chicken or veal Parmesan.
Chicken or veal Modenese (with prosciutto).
Chicken or veal involtini (stuffed with ham and cheese and sauteed).
Veal piccata.
Seafood platter.
Fried catfish.
Amaretto cheesecake.
Italian ice creams.
FOR BEST RESULTS
Stay with the basics. Be sure to ask exactly what any dish you're thinking of ordering is, because your assumptions may be wrong.
OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT
There is way too much red sauce used here. The seafood side of the menu needs enhancement. How about some Italian orders of fried calamari? Both would fit right into this menu.
FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD
Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter.
- Dining Environment
- Consistency
- Service
- Value +1
- Attitude +1
- Wine and Bar
- Hipness -1
- Local Color
SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES
- Good for business meetings
- Small private room
- Quick, good meal
- Good for children
- Easy, nearby parking
- Reservations accepted
This review was updated with new information on 10/28/2009.