***** Marcella’s Restaurant & Pizzeria, 12305 Pembroke Road, Pembroke Pines, Florida 33025 (954) 433-1552.

Got a real good-casual “red sauce” Italian joint for you…Marcella’s Restaurant & Pizzeria in Pembrooke Pines. Great looking modern-decor joint with a menu that could literally choke a horse…appetizers, pastas, pizzas, subs, meat/seafood/chicken entrees. Take a look at its website at www.mymarcellas.com for menu/prices/tons of pictures.

A recent “tasting” had me doing veal parmigiana, veal marsala, shrimp scampi, pizza, meat balls & spaghetti… probably as good as your favorite neighborhood “mom & pop” joint. Neighborhood prices/pleasant enough service. The joint has plenty of early-bird deals and meat/chicken/seafood entrees come with soup or salad-pasta side-garlic rolls (as if you didn’t already know).

So…if you live or work near Marcella’s, you now got a real good joint to eat-in/take-out from. By the way, Marcella’s is open Monday-Thursday 11am-10pm, Friday-Saturday 11am-11pm and Sunday noon-10pm.