We had been wanting to try out macaroni grill for quite a while and the opportunity finally presented itself! Amanda, Brendan and I were headed over to the South County Center Mall and there sat Macaroni Grill right at the Entrance! The ambiance is perfect for whatever you are out and about for. Whether it's a bite to eat after a long day of shopping, a casual dinner, or a romantic date night with your hunny you will feel right at home here.
They keep the Olive Oil right on your table for you to refill at your convenience if you have soaked up all of that yumminess with the free loaf of bread they bring to your table upon arrival. If you run out of bread they will be more than happy to replenish! Our waitress, who unfortunately I can't remember her name but she was very nice, added some fresh ground black pepper to the oil. If I had thought about it at the time I would have also asked her to grate some cheese into the oil as well!
They had a special on their menu, two appetizers for $9, so Amanda picked the fried mac n cheese and zucchini frites, which is fried zucchini. The mac n cheese bites were amazing! They come with a cheese sauce to dip the yummy squares in which makes them even more delectable. I only was able to eat one because since my surgery my tummy can only hold a small amount of food and I had to save room for my main entree, but it took everything I had not to gobble up more! I really liked the zucchini as well. My only complaint is the description doesn't tell you it is served with arribiata sauce so my mouth wasn't exactly prepared for the heat! I did request some plain red sauce which was quite runny, but better on the buds!
For my entree I chose the eggplant parmesan. It was accompanied by cappelini pasta with marinara sauce. This was soo delicious! The eggplant was well done just how I like it, crispy on the outside and tender in the middle. The sauce was very tasty and paired well with the eggplant and pasta. I would definitely order this again! The portion was huge. With two good size portions of the eggplant, one could share with a friend and be quite satisfied.
For $3 you can add either a field green salad or ceasar to your meal. Amanda and I both opted for the field green salad with ranch dressing. The salad was good, however, I am not very fond of bitter raddichio which was part of the salad. I would order again though!
Amanda went for the Carmella's Chicken, rigatoni pasta topped with grilled chicken, fresh mushrooms, caramelized onions and a creamy marsala wine sauce. I tried a bite of the rigatoni and it too was very good! I would order this for myself, but minus the rooms.
Brendan had the kids chicken strips and fries. I guess they couldn't make an adult entree with chicken strips so he ended up with three strips and a small amount of fries. Luckily he had bread to help fill him up.
We did not order dessert, but maybe next time! Overall I really liked the Macaroni Grill. My only complaint is that the Olive Garden has me spolied with the salad that comes with the meal as opposed to paying extra for it so I wish MRG also offered a complimentary salad.
