Maggiano's in Atlanta, GA
Written: Aug 14 '00 (Updated Jan 15 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Nice atmosphere, romantic, large portions
Cons: A little noisy. Group tables were large, 2 seaters a bit cramped.
The Bottom Line: I found the most charming thing about this restaurant to be the romantic atmosphere. The portions are huge.
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| msmorvay's Full Review: Maggiano's Little Italy |
Note: This space previously contained a review of the Maggiano's in Schaumburg, IL but it was misplaced. This is a review of the proper restaurant for this particular Epinions location. If you are looking for information on the Schaumburg, IL Maggiano's you will find it here:
http://www.epinions.com/content_304256618116
Since my husband and I enjoyed dining at Maggiono's Little Italy, close to where we live we decided to check out another one while on our recent vacation. We were on our way to Florida but were of course driving through Georgia and happened to notice the restuarant close to our hotel.
Location
There are actually 3 Maggiono's Little Italys in Atlanta. The one I am reviewing is located at: 3368 Peachtree Rd. Atlanta, GA 30326-1009. The Restaurant is located across from the Lenox Mall.
The Atmosphere
When you see the outside of the restaurant you immediately feel its old world appeal. The restaurant reminds you of a small village type restaurant with its gables, and Italian trim. This is not to say that the restaurant is small. It is actually fairly large. Since we had reservations we were directed to our table immediately. Our seat for two was at a small table planted directly next to the wall. The table was covered with a crisp white table linen over a red checkerboard type cloth. A small lamp was located on our table. Just like at the location by my home the tables for two are planted up agains the wall, this makes elbow room on one side a little cramped. The wait staff is dressed in very impressive uniforms. There are lots of large Italian paintings on the wall.
The Menu
There is a large choice of appetizers a majority of them are seafood based, and most of them I think would appeal to grown ups and probably not very much to children, although you will find Mozzarella Marinara which is a lot like your typical Mozzarella Sticks, and Thin Crust Pizza. For a sampling of a few different items on their appetizer menu you could get the Bombalina Platter which has An assortment of our favorite Appetizers, including Stuffed Mushrooms, Crispy Zucchini, Bruschetta, and Spinach Artichoke Al Alforno.
Be warned though you don't need to get an appetizer unless you plan on bringing most of your entree home, since the portions of the entree's are very large. You will walk out full weather you get an appetizer or not.
If you like salads there is a good variety to choose from including a regular dinner salad, a chopped salad, ceazer salad, they also have a couple of more unique salads including the Italian saldad which consists of: Crisp iceberg and romaine lettuce tossed in an Italian vinaigrette with plum tomatoes, provolone cheese, broccoli, red onion, garbanzo beans, pepperoncini, roasted red peppers and croutons. and the Maggiano's Salad which consists of: Iceberg and romaine lettuce, crumbled bleu cheese, crispy Prosciutto, red onions, tossed in our signature House Dressing.
There not quite as many soups, but there is of course Minestrone Soup.
A variety of pastas with your choice of sauces one of them being a lower sodium choice. I can not remember the name of their special sauce but the waitress explained it as a thinner sauce with chunks of tomatoes. There were also steaks, chicken veal, pork chops and sea food. The pasta dishes ranged from $12.95 to 16.95 and the steak and meat dishes were around $21.95 and $24.95. All of the dishes come ala carte so you must pay for your soup or salad extra.
There is also a Maggiano's House Specialties Menu. These are signature dishes and all Italian, mostly pasta but there is at least one combination dish. There were also daily specials when we were there, and they were very nicely priced.
If you still have any room left, which you probably won't unless you have half your meal packed in a doggy bag, you will find a variety of decadent desserts. Of course you will find Tiramisu on the menu along with Maggiano's Signature Spumoni (if you like Spumoni I highly recommend this). There is also cheesecake, lemon cookies, as well as some other wonderful chocolate choices, and other items.
Beverages
There was of course a wine list. You can get wine by the bottle or by the glass. There are aproximately 18 different wines to choose from. For those who like mixed drinks they have a fairly good Martini selection. They also have a couple of signature frozen drinks and after dinner coffees, as well as your regular soft drinks, etc.
The Food
They put bread on the table when you arrive. It is a small basket with two slices of each of three different types of bread. The salad portions were very large. We both ordered pasta and both meals came in large bowls. The portions were huge, and neither of us were able to finish.
The food was good, not the best food I have ever had but definately good. My husband had the Chicken & Spinach Manicotti, Maggiano's Style: Savory crepes filled with chicken, ricotta cheese, fresh spinach and asiago cheese, topped with alfredo and baked until bubbling and golden.
In case you are wondering I was taking notes all through the dinner. I am always thinking about Epinions.
I had the Lasagna with Meat Sauce from the specialty menu. It consisted of: Whipped ricotta cheese layered with pasta sheets, crumbled meatballs, Italian sausage and marinara sauce. Topped with provolone cheese and your choice of our meat or marinara sauce. Keep in mind I copied this off of the menu, I did not memorize every ingredient.
I liked my husbands better than mine, it was a little more creative, and a very nice taste.
For desert we got the Spumoni, and the tarimisu and we shared them both. Both were wonderful. We actually planned ahead for dessert and made sure we didn't fill up on our salads and entree. We had plenty of food left over for a filling lunch the next day.
Kids
There is a kids menu and it consists mostly of pasta items, but there are also chicken fingers, and chicken breast. There is also a children's ice cream for dessert.
The Service
The service was very good. I wouldn't say overly friendly, but very efficient, and polite. The task at hand seemed to be to serve you well and do everything as quickly as possible. They were willing to make suggestions, and help you choose your menu items, but after that everything was strictly business. I have no problem with this. We were served quickly, and our water glasses were never empty.
I also didn't feel that push from the wait staff raise my bill by tempting me with stuff that I really wasn't looking for in the first place. My husband took me to a different restaurant for my last birthday and that waiter talked us in to about $30 worth of extras, of course when he was talking these things up he failed to mention the prices of these little extras. This did not happen here, and for that I am grateful.
Banquet Rooms
I should also mention that Maggiano's at this location has 6 banquet rooms that can hold up to 150 people.
Conclusion
I would have to say that this was an over all good experience. The food was good, and plentiful. The service was good. The atmospere was very nice and I found it to be fairly romantic. It got a little noisy but it was OK. The table was a tiny bit cramped but since they were very good about removing empty plates, etc. it worked out just fine. I really found little that was not pleasant and have no real complaints about the restaurant. We had a good time and walked out full, and still had plenty to eat the next day. The prices were reasonable considering the portions, and I was certainly not disappointed at all. This was a nice experience, that I would recommend.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
msmorvay
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 - Top 500 |
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Member: Rae
Location: Illinois
Reviews written: 689
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