Food tip

La Marea Ristorante

732 Middlesex Turnpike, Old Saybrook

La Marea is just off Route 9, on a rather nondescript stretch of the Middlesex Turnpike in Old Saybrook. But the location might be the only unexceptional thing about the place. The interior is lovely, the service is solid (at least on my visit), and the food is delectable. I had the Tagliolini al Limone con Aragosta ($28), which consisted of luscious lobster and house-made tagliolini pasta, all in a lemon, brandy cream sauce. One friend of mine had the scallop special and another had the Tagliata di Lombo ($16), with skirt steak, lettuce, cukes and onions tossed in a Calabrian chili-pepper dressing — but here’s the part that caught my attention: it was served in a house-made Parmigiano bowl. My new philosophy: EVERYTHING should be served in a house-made Parmigiano bowl.