Macaroni Grill

Went to Macaroni Grill last night on a whim. I had not been there in years and my wife had a yearning for it, so off we went with the boy in tow. The dining room always strikes me as odd at this place, becuase it is open. Completely open. i don't mind the company of other people, but this is kinda weird. The kid in me loves the tables though, which are covered in paper and complete with crayons to let your imagination run wild...which may get me thrown out of there if I get carried away.
The first part of the meal is my favorite: the bread. Fantastic bread. I could eat 5 loaves of this crusty on the outside, warm and soft on the inside, herb-flavored bread. This was also the first place that I ever had the now-popular bread bread dip with olive oil and balsamic vinegar, and it is still as good as ever. A perfect compliment to the bread.
The entrees were a bit of a mixed bag, however. I ordered my favorite here, Penne Rustica, which is consists of 3 huge shrimp, generous helpings of chicken and smoked prosciutto, and a parmesean cream sauce. All of this is tossed with penne and then baked together to form one scrumptious heart attack on a plate! This dish (and the bread) is the reason I go back, because the rest of the menu just seems average. Last night, the Penne Rustica was nothing to complain about, but didn't quite live up to the lofty expectations I have had from former visits. My wife ordered Capellini Pomodoro and she and I both found it to be just OK. The tomatoes were a bit overcooked, whereas good Pomodoro keeps the full flavor of the tomatoes by letting off just a little. Because we were in a celebratory mood due to some good news earlier in the day, I thought a beverage might be in order. After perusing the drink menu I decided on the Italian Margarita, which was supposed to have substituted Italian Gran Gala for Grand Marnier. Makes sense, they are both essentailly the same thing. What they should have said is, "We have substituted Sprite for Grand Marnier" because that it what it tasted like. Terrible drink...but at least there was still some bread left to finish the night off right.