From Deseret News archives:

Dining out: Maurilio's

Published: Friday, March 21, 2008 1:34 a.m. MDT
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It's never good when you have to describe your restaurant's location as "behind Winger's," but such is the dilemma facing Maurilio's.

Wedged in behind both the aforementioned national chain AND a Mexican place, Maurilio's is easy to overlook, despite a fairly good location just south of Redwood Road and 9000 South.

But I hope people find their way to Maurilio's; if they do, they'll enjoy a good Italian meal with some homey touches.

We visited Maurilio's on a perfect evening for warm, comforting Italian food: It was windy, cold and alternately raining and snowing. A server greeted us at the door and quickly showed us to a table in the smallish dining space, which is a nice blend of casual — metal chairs, tile floor, a big front counter — and elegant — white tablecloths, high ceilings and art-bedecked walls in buttery and chocolate shades.

The food is a nice blend, too: reasonably priced, good quality and with portion sizes that are filling but don't make diners feel stuffed.

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We started with the shrimp scampi and grilled chicken pizza. The scampi was six big, tender shrimp, sauteed in butter and white wine and served in a ramekin. It was not quite as hot as I like, but it was delicious. Even my husband enjoyed it, and he usually sticks to breaded shrimp.

The pizza, flavorful and just unusual enough to be interesting, had a chewy crust and was topped with pesto, loads of caramelized onions, cheese and a quartered tomato wedge on each slice.

My oldest daughter ordered lasagna from the regular menu, receiving a four-inch square of layered pasta, meat and cheese. Our 7-year-old had a plate of round, pillowy cheese ravioli topped with both marinara and Alfredo sauces, a nice touch that gave each bite a different blend of flavors. Our youngest daughter had aromatic, chunky pasta e fagioli soup and finished the whole bowl.

My husband, a man of simple tastes, had the chicken Alfredo, its creamy and meaty flavors well balanced by the addition of peas and bright-green broccoli. I had the chicken canneloni, a nice presentation with pasta tubes gently filled with a straightforward, beautifully seasoned mixture of chicken, mushrooms and ricotta cheese.

With each pasta dish, instead of bread, we all got a crusty roll, split, grilled and buttered. I liked this unique touch.

For dessert, Maurilio's has a decent selection that the server assured us was made on site. Besides tiramisu, which I never can pass up at an Italian restaurant, we had rich, steaming chocolate bread pudding studded with nuts and cranberries and a silky-textured, triple-chocolate mousse that went from white on top to darkest brown on the bottom.

Recent comments

My family loves Maurilio's. We dine there several times a year. The...

Joni | May 29, 2009 at 11:07 p.m.

Worst food I have ever ate. Would never recommend this restuarant....

JEN | May 29, 2009 at 10:21 p.m.

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