Macaroni Grill

As long as everyone is so happy talking about Italian "chains", why not add Macaroni Grill to the list. Our family loves their "order-pad" pasta dishes. You are handed a printed note pad with choice of many kinds of pastas, sauces, and long list of items from which you may select three choices! An excellent meal for the price.

And yet another chain which is pretty darn good.

http://www.biaggis.com/

quote:

Originally posted by NebGuy

And yet another chain which is pretty darn good.

http://www.biaggis.com/

So how come my post was moved to fast food franchises? And Carrabba's and Becco's is allowed to stay under "Where shall I eat?"........NO FAIR!

I was wondering the same thing myself.

Maybe they don't know Carrabba's and Becco's are chains?

I explained it elsewhere, but will explain here as well

When this forum was created, there was confusion. The name indicated that it was intended for eateries that were both franchised/chains but also served fast food. To further confuse the issue, the subject description

quote:

While NOT Roadfood, they are an unfortunate reality in the food industry. Post your fast food topics here so the rest of the forums can maintain it's purity."

seemed to indicate only fast food topics were the problem - that the franchise part was not of consequence.

Shortly afterward, in the midst of much discussion, the web admins indicated that discussion of any eatery that was part of a chain, or any eatery that as fast food, or any eatery that was both fast food an a chain, would be relegated to this forum

At that point, it was suggested that the forum be re-named to better reflect what sort of discussions should be located there. There was never an official response to this suggestion.

That said, the handling of this has been uneven, in part because the moderators here are volunteers and sretched to keep up with the traffic of this site, even with the addition of the newly appointed moderators. The uneven-ness translates in part to the fact that some threads get moved while others never get moved.

The one constant is confusion on the part of those who wonder what exactly does and does not belong in the FFF forum, as evidenced by your posts

I posted at he other thread about this but thought of something else. IMHO the FFF forum should be for fast food chains. The other stuff should have to compete with the indavidually owned stuff. In relity they DO have to compete, and by keeping up with what the chains ARE doing right, this should help everyone. Hmmm??? did that make any sense?

I did do a thread about where to post things and I guess I need to find it.
Joe

Ok, the "where to post" thread is back up in the FFF section.

That said..... I have only been to the Macaroni twice, had fun with the folks I went with but can't remember what I ordered. Hmm, migha had toooo much wine?? So, what else are they doing right at the Macaroni Grill?
joe

quote:

Originally posted by PapaJoe8

Ok, the "where to post" thread is back up in the FFF section.

That said..... I have only been to the Macaroni twice, had fun with the folks I went with but can't remember what I ordered. Hmm, migha had toooo much wine?? So, what else are they doing right at the Macaroni Grill?
joe

OK Here is what is great about Macaroni Grill!

1, The server comes over to table and scribbles his name across the paper tablecloth; this immediately delights the horrified children and makes the adults wonder how the server even knows if patrons know how to read.

2. The housewine is swill (no problem to me.....that is what I am used to) and served in a huge tumbler filled to the very top........and it is dirt cheap.

3. They have a menu pad from which you can select your choice of pasta, sauce and toppings..............for under 9 bucks!

4. The food is always served hot and it is really good.

5. You gotta love the service. (The server does not knee down at your table or try to sit with you....}

Hey Greymo, I forgot about that wine jug! maybe thats why I didn't remember so much about my visits there! Oh, and now I remember the, choose your pasta, choose your sauce deal. Sounds like they are doing some things right!
Joe

I like their twice baked lasagna and the wood fired pizza.

MikeS.

My wife and I like it. She is a vegan so she can pick the ingredients she wants on her pasta. I am NOT a vegan and have always enjoyed what I have ordered. There are better Italian places around, but this one works for me.

Macaroni Grill's Penne Rustica is one of the best foods on Earth.

So is their spinach, sauteed quickly in olive oil and garlic, served with parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. I could eat that every day.

MMMM, that spinach does sound great! I bet I could even cook that at home. Is that what Penne Rustica is?
Joe

Here is the recipe for the Penne Rustica.

Macaroni Grill Penne Rustica

First make the sauce.
Gratinata Sauce:
2 Teaspoon Butter
2 Teaspoon chopped garlic
1 Teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 Teaspoon salt
1 Teaspoon chopped rosemary
1 cup marsala wine
1/4 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
8 cups heavy cream

Saute butter, garlic , and rosemary until garlic begins to brown.
Add marsala wine and reduce by one#8722;third. Add remaining ingredients
and reduce by half of original volume. Set aside.



1 Ounce pancetta or bacon
18 each shrimp peeled and devained
12 Ounce grilled chicken breast, sliced
4.5 cups of granita sauce
1 pound Penne Pasta, cooked
3 Teaspoon pimentos
6 Ounce butter
1 Teaspoon chopped shallots
1 pinch of salt and pepper
1 cups parmesan cheese
1/2 Teaspoon paprika
sprigs of fresh rosemary

Saute pancette until begins to brown. Add butter, shallots, and shrimp. Cook
until shrimp are evenly pick but still translucent. Add chicken, salt,
pepper, and mix thoroughly. Add granita sauce and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese
and simmer until sauce thickens. In a large bowl, combine shrimp and chicken
mixture with precooked pasta. Place this mixture a large casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese and pimentos and sprinkle with paprika. Bake at 475 for 10#8722;15 minutes. Remove and garnish with fresh rosemary.

Macaroni Grill is a wee step above Olive Garden. I'd eat my fingers before eating at either place.

Thanks for the recipes Greymo!

Sounds like Short's spinach is something diff.
Joe

quote:

Originally posted by saps

Macaroni Grill is a wee step above Olive Garden. I'd eat my fingers before eating at either place.

I doubt it. pb

quote:

Originally posted by saps

Macaroni Grill is a wee step above Olive Garden. I'd eat my fingers before eating at either place.

I consider myself a real critic on Italian food and to even compare the Olive Garden to Macaroni Grill is a joke...........Macaroni Grill will put together a pasta, sauce and extras of your choice. In my opinion, Olive Garden sticks the menu item you select in a microwave. But It is fun to read different opinions.

Ok Greymo, what's a good sauce, pasta, and extra to put together at MG? I'm meeting a freind there for lunch soon.
Joe

Has Romano's Macaroni Grill changed its practices recently? The reason that I ask is that someone noted the following items that were not in evidence at the one in Edison, NJ on this past Friday night:

*"The housewine is...served in a huge tumbler filled to the very top........and it is dirt cheap."

*"They have a menu pad from which you can select your choice of pasta, sauce and toppings..............for under 9 bucks!"

Also, while the server was a pretty, friendly, and fairly efficient young woman, I did not experience the following:

"The server comes over to table and scribbles his name across the paper tablecloth"
I don't really care about this last factor, but the Romano's that I was in just doesn't sound very similar to the descriptions above.

The most important thing was that the food was actually pretty good, even if the sodium content was so high that it could probably give virtually anyone abnormally high blood pressure!

quote:

Originally posted by Tedbear

The most important thing was that the food was actually pretty good, even if the sodium content was so high that it could probably give virtually anyone abnormally high blood pressure!

If the food was any good, they wouldn't need to add that much sodium! As a person with high blood pressure already, I can't eat at places like this. They make all their sauces ahead of time, so you can't request something with lower sodium, and I refuse to pay $8 for a salad.

Since my daughter, Bushiette, is a server at Macaroni Grill, we've started eating there more often. They have some good stuff, and some that's not so good. Their recent Seafood Pasta offering was great, but it was temporary. You can't go wrong with the "create your own pasta", and they have a salad with walnuts and blue cheese that's really tasty.

I've always liked that they set the wine bottle on your table and let you pour your own. Not the best chianti I've had, but it's not terrible.

Mrs. Bushie and I get the VIP treatment since we're parents of the very popular Bushiette, so that's a good reason for us to go!

Been a while since I've been to R's MG.
Anyone care to list the sauce choices for make-your-own pasta. Online menu only lists the premade pastas below...

Pasta Milano
Sausage & Pepper Classico
Spaghetti & Meat Sauce  
Spaghetti & Meatballs
Fettuccine Alfredo
Penne Rustica
Shrimp Diavolo   
Carmela's Chicken Rigatoni

TIA.

Place is ok but I wouldn't make a u-turn to there.

We will meet there with extended family get-togethers in Scottsdale because they have pleanty of room and fairly tasty food for the price. Love the jug-o-wine idea...how many glasses did I have, again?

The one we go to has singing wait staff, usually very talented tenors. [|)] Is it this way elsewhere???

quote:

Since my daughter, Bushiette, is a server at Macaroni Grill

I'd sooner cut off my own head and feed it to the dog then let my child serve food at a chain!

quote:

Originally posted by Theedge

quote:

Since my daughter, Bushiette, is a server at Macaroni Grill

I'd sooner cut off my own head and feed it to the dog then let my child serve food at a chain!

I doubt it. pb

quote:

Originally posted by porkbeaks

quote:

Originally posted by Theedge

quote:

Since my daughter, Bushiette, is a server at Macaroni Grill

I'd sooner cut off my own head and feed it to the dog then let my child serve food at a chain!

I doubt it. pb

I doubt this bit of hyperbole also. Mostly, however, I am wondering how this person would be able to serve anything after severing his own head. Unlike chickens and some other animals that are lower down on the evolutionary scale, humans are not capable of doing anything after decapitation other than bleeding.

Macaroni Grill has good warm bread, and we like the olive oil dipping mix.
Bushie, please don't take us there in February. I'm looking for roadfood.