Dario's, Garden City

- 53% 

The pasta dishes are a bit too bland for our tastes - Not much sauce and the meatballs are hard. more»

Seated promptly ; nice interior and exterior , but the service and the food were horrendous. more»

Terrible service , our waitress did n't even know what was on the menu. more»

The atmosphere is light and airy. more»

For years, Dave Valdivia, co-owner of Dario's Italian Eatery, has dreamed of opening a new location. In late summer, he got his wish as Dario's moved from its spot at Cherry Hill and Henry Ruff in Inkster to its new digs at 32293 Ford in Garden City. The new location seats twice as many people. The maximum capacity of the main dining room is 110, while the banquet room seats 60.

"Several suppliers have told me they've never seen a new restaurant open and be so busy without any advertising," said Valdivia, 42, of Canton Township, who co-owns Dario's with his wife, Mary Valdivia, 39. "We opened up and were as busy as a national chain would be opening weekend. We have a solid reputation."

Chef Peter Risatti agreed. "It was a bit crazy when we first opened up," Risatti said. "It was a zoo -- everyone was flying by the seat of their pants -- but we did fine." Added Mary: "Everyone's more organized now and knows their places. Business is steadier now. We're especially busy on the weekends. It's usually a 15-20 minute wait on the weekends. Sunday through Thursday, people get seated very quickly. Valdivia's family has a long history with Dario's. His father, Sy, who previously owned a barbershop (the neon sign is prominently displayed in the new restaurant), bought Dario's 25 years ago. "It was something we talked about as a family several times. Buying the restaurant was more beneficial to us as a family," said Valdivia. "We decided not to change the name because Dario's has a good reputation. We doubled business within a year and a half." Mary's children Mary, 18, Andrew, 17, and Rachel, 16, also work at the restaurant. "Owning a restaurant is round-the-clock hard work," she said. "We do it because we like people. We work with our families. We grew up working with our folks, now our kids are working here with us." Mary pointed out that Dario's makes its food from scratch -- they don't use preservatives