Review By: Christine LaFave, Restaurants & Institutions, October 2007

Cameron Mitchell does Tuscany in Columbus with the opening of small-plates-centric Marcella’s

BENVENUTO, OHIO: Cameron Mitchell, president of Columbus, Ohio-based Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, modeled Marcella’s after the family-run restaurants he and his family enjoy in Tuscany. “You step off the sidewalk and you’re in Europe,” he says. “It’s got a little romance attached to it.” Closely spaced tables and long banquettes add to a convivial atmosphere.

SHARE THE LOVE: Eschewing the Stateside interpretation of Italian as “big huge plates” of sauced-up food, Marcella’s focuses on simple preparations of shareable dishes and favorite Tuscan entrées. Apple and truffle honey balance pecorino’s pungent profile in a hot small plate that suggests an Italian spin on queso fundido. A braised lamb shank, at $18, is complimented by white-bean ragù and house-made pancetta.

HOME SWEET HOME: Smaller in size than Cameron Mitchell’s other concepts, Marcella’s already is No. 1 in sales per square foot.