For anyone who said Maggiano's doesn't take reservations, yes it does, online no less, Open Table.\r
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That said, we've wanted to try Maggiano's since it was built. The atmosphere is great. The staff was nice. The appetizer was superb. The mixed cocktails were fabulous. That's it. I picked veal marsala and it was very salty. I make better marsala all the time, saute some mushrooms, saute the meat, and then simmer it in marsala (add a smattering of cream if you're feeling special). Not hard. But marsala is my benchmark for Italian. If this easy dish is that bad, how bad is the rest of it? The special menu had mac-n-cheese on it. It's made with cheese, ziti pasta, and bacon. It wasn't creamy at all; it was more of a cheese ""sauce"". Pancetta would've been better. The pasta was al dente, but to me, that's not mac-n-cheese. Call it something else. You would be better armed to understand if it was at least called ""Italian style"" mac-n-cheese. He had something with incredibly tender beef on it that he loved, disliked the sauce and pasta it was on. When he was done he said ""Ok, we've tried it and we never have to come back"". Yep, I agree.\r
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We have decided we'll use the bar and come in for before dinner drinks or after dinner desserts, those were hands-down great.
Pros: ambience, service, cocktails, appetizers
Cons: over salted food, improperly cooked food
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