Mardini's: Satisfying Food In A Setting That's Special

----------------- RESTAURANT REVIEW -----------------

Mardini's Restaurant, 1001 First St., Snohomish. Open daily for lunch and dinner, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Full liquor, major credit cards. 568-8080.

Walking into Mardini's is almost like entering a huge bouquet, some sort of exotic potpourri.

The fragrance is, of course, the food, not dried flowers. But the colors are all pinks and roses, accented by rich green plants and the deep browns of the antique furniture. There's an other-world charm, a turn-of-the-century feel to the high-ceilinged room.

That isn't surprising, since half of Snohomish, particularly the Old Town area, is by nature and design almost entirely antiques and collectibles. But Mardini's isn't a dusty museum. It's fresh and vibrant.

What of the food?

Simply summed up: very satisfying. The menu has a little something for every taste without being cluttered, prices are more than reasonable, the presentation is good and it tastes wonderful. Full spices on the pastas, and meat and vegetable mixes that don't skimp on either ingredient.

Mardini's is the domain of Zouhair Mardini, who studied in Beirut and has been a practicing chef and restaurateur for 20 years. He's in the kitchen when Mardini's opens and there when it closes. He brings an exotic edge to dishes that are commonplace elsewhere.

The menu is divided into soups, salad, sandwiches, pasta and entrees. There's a daily seafood special (on our last visit it was mahi mahi) as well as daily soup (steak soup the last time through). A small Romaine or spinach salad goes for $1.95 at lunch. The entree spinach is $5.95. Sandwich items include the croque madame - turkey, bacon and swiss on a French roll - and the Safiha - ground lamb and tomato broiled and served on pita bread. The lunch pasta dishes start at $5.50 for fettucine in a rich cream and garlic sauce to $6.50 for the tortellini - pasta stuffed with Italian sausage and sauced in garlic and cream.

The chicken almondine - $6.50 for lunch, $10.25 at dinner - is an abundant saute of strips of chicken breast, zucchini, tomato, pepper, red onion and, of course, sliced almonds. The sauce has a nice wine splash without being overwhelming, and it's quite filling.

Another favorite is the fettucine with shrimp and mushrooms for $10.95. Again, it's a heavy cream and garlic sauce but not so overpowering as to mask the seafood or mushrooms. There's also a fresh Dungeness crab fettucine at $13.95, probably the priciest item in the house.

Mardini's also offers Cajun-style dishes, and at lunch you can keep it as simple as fish and chips for a mere $5.95.

Neighborhood Eats is a regular feature of The Seattle Times. Reviewers visit restaurants unannounced and pay in full for all their meals. When they interview members of the restaurant management and staff, they do so only after the meals and services have been appraised.