Hey Alfredo, I Need Some More Pasta on Mi Plate!
Written: Aug 13 '01 (Updated Oct 28 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Atmosphere is nice; Dining area is kept clean
Cons: Inconsistency: some of the food isn't so hot
The Bottom Line: Macaroni Grill has some good food selections, but be careful what you select, because some of it ins't that good.
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| Bryan_Carey's Full Review: Romano's Macaroni Grill |
When I’m in the mood for some good Italian food, I usually try to find a small, family owned restaurant to visit in my local area. These family- owned establishments always seem to have the best tasting, and most creative Italian food dishes. They are completely free from corporate ownership, so they don’t have to conform to making food in some pre- determined, mass- production manner.
When I’m with a group of people, or when I’m traveling to other places and I start to feel a little Italian, I don’t always have the luxury of seeking out a mom and pop Italian restaurant. In these instances, I’m forced to look for a popular chain restaurant instead. One of the best- known chain restaurants for Italian cuisine is Romano’s Macaroni Grill, an eatery that was founded in Texas by Phil Romano. It is now owned by Brinker International, a restaurant management company that also owns Chili’s, Cozymel’s, Border Grill and Cantina, and a few other restaurant chains.
Menu Selection:
The only thing you will find at this restaurant is Italian food, so don’t bother dining here unless you’re in the mood for a taste of Italy. The menu has about 40 to 50 main dishes to choose from, with dinner categories like Pasta, Antipasti, Pizza, Stuffed Pasta, Pollame, Insalata, Carni, Bevande, and other Italian food options.
Some of the food items are pretty basic and ordinary, like the Capellini Pomodoro, which is nothing more than angel hair pasta with basil, garlic, and tomato. But most of the dishes served are more exotic and creative. Some examples would include Pollo Portobello, a grilled chicken breast topped with mushrooms, smoked mozzarella cheese, and demi glace, and served with spinach pasta. Another exotic food dish is Insalata Fiorentina, a dish that combines spinach, pasta, grilled chicken, pine nuts, black olives, sun dried tomatoes, capers, garlic, lemon, and parmesan cheese.
In spite of the sophisticated names of many of the food dishes, there are several that are not very tasty. In the pizza section of the menu, there are three options to choose from: Pizza Margherita, Pizza di Pollo Barbacoda, and Pizza Napoli. The names all sound very sophisticated and enticing, don't you think? Well, I have tried the Pizza Napoli, which is topped with pepperoni, banana peppers, tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese, spinach, and roasted garlic. It sounds interesting, but it’s actually rather bland. The problem is with the sauce. There’s not enough of it, and what little they manage to spread on the pizza does not add anything to the flavor. The same can be said of the Lasagna Bolognese. The menu description makes it sound much better than it really is. It’s nothing more than a few pieces of pasta with tomato sauce, meat, and ricotta cheese. I’ve made better tasting lasagna in my own kitchen.
The beverages served at Macaroni Grill place the emphasis on the wine, just like you would expect. They promote their Chianti house wine the most fervently, but there are other choices, too. Altogether, there are about 25 wines on the list to choose from, including red, white, and sparkling. They also offer a few beers, ice tea, soft drinks, coffee, bottled spring water, espresso, and a few others.
Atmosphere/Cleanliness:
Walking into Romano’s Macaroni Grill is like entering into a private dining hall. You walk through a stone arch, where a person greets you and takes you to your table. There are other stone arches, separating the rooms, and the lighting is dimmed, to give the restaurant a more romantic feel. Some locations also have a fireplace, to add to the cozy, warm feeling. On some of the walls, you will see jugs of the house Chianti wine, stacked and on open display. You can visually see the chefs preparing the food, off to the side. In a more casual setting, I don’t mind watching the chefs hard at work, preparing my dinner. But in this type of restaurant, I think it would be better if the food preparation was kept out of sight. It doesn’t fit in that well, with the rest of the atmosphere.
One good thing about Macaroni Grill is that they do keep the place clean and presentable! As soon as guests are finished with their food, the clean- up crew is quick to clear the table, wipe it down, and place napkins and dinner utensils in place for the next round of guests. Presentation and image seem to be very important to this restaurant, and they do a commendable job keeping things looking nice.
Pricing:
This restaurant has prices that vary widely. A pizza (about 10 inch in diameter) sells for only about $7.50, but some of the more exotic dishes demand a much higher price, up to about $17.00. The portions of some items are a little overpriced, in my opinion. Remember the lasagna that I talked about before? Well, it’s priced at about $9.50, for a small, 4- inch square serving with no side dishes.
Final Thoughts:
Romano’s Macaroni grill is an acceptable Italian chain restaurant. The atmosphere is nice and cozy; the service is prompt and courteous, and the dining area is kept clean and presentable. The food, however, is inconsistent in quality. Some of it is interesting and flavorful, while other food items are boring, bland, and priced too high for what you get.
Overall, I’m going to give Macaroni Grill a thumbs- up, but my margin of recommendation is slim. I much prefer a privately owned Italian restaurant to a chain restaurant, because the food is so much more interesting and good- tasting. But as far as chain restaurants go, Macaroni Grill isn’t too bad. It’s better than Olive Garden and it’s a convenient place to dine, with locations in 37 states, usually close to the highway and shopping areas.
Macaroni Grill is the type of place I will dine when I feel like eating Italian food, and there are no other places to go. It’s not bad, but definitely nothing special, either.
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read Reviews of Other Full- Service Restaurants:
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Denny’s
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Italian:
Olive Garden
Carrabba’s
Mexican
Chi- Chi’s
Cozymel’s
Chipotle
Recommended:
Yes
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