For Fathers Day I had the pleasure of taking my Dad to Romano’s Macaroni Grill. I have to say I was a little reluctant to go there as my previous visit, which took place six months ago as disappointing. The service was slow and the food was average at best. My friend Mary, who shares my love of dining out on occasion, says it well: “I am picky about the food especially when I go out to eat. I am a good cook so I need to be wowed. I’m constantly making dinner for the family so when I go out I expect it to be a nice experience with the service and for the food to be great.” It was my hope that this experience would live up to my high expectations.
This is not to say that I’m a food snob. In fact, I usually take my kids with me when I go out which limits the places I can go. This means that our most frequent stops are places like Chuck E Cheese, Soup Plantation, or HomeTown Buffet. Don’t let this fool you as my palate is refined, having grown up in a home with two Italian cooks – my Grandmother who cooks every meal from scratch and my mother who set the standard with her spaghetti and sausage.
So back to Father’s Day. I wanted to take my father somewhere that was nice, kid friendly, and that didn’t require me to carry a tray to get my meal. Before making my reservation, I called and asked if things had changed in the last six months. I was told that they had and they apologized for anything that happened during my last visit. They promised that if I were to come in and try it again, I would be pleasantly surprised. That was enough to convince me to make the reservation, pick up my father and go.
When we arrived we were greeted as if we were family, and taken to our table. They even provided Jake with crayons so that he could draw on the paper tablecloth, which thrilled him to no end. Meanwhile, I got my own pleasant surprise when they informed me that their wine bottles are 50% off this month.
We started off with Tapas and found it nearly impossible to choose between the mouthwatering options. After a bit of consultation with our amazingly attentive and knowledgeable waiter, my father finally opted for the Goat Cheese Peppadew Peppers. They were so delicious that I could easily have eaten them all – then I quickly remembered it was Father’s Day so I politely had one.
As for the main course, I had the pasta special where you can add things that you wanted. I had penne pasta, with a garlic olive oil, shrimp, sun dried tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms, and artichoke hearts. It was delicious.
My father had the King Salmon and it was, indeed, fit for a King!
Another pleasant surprise was watching members of the wait staff stand on a chair and sing Italian arias. It was like being at the opera! I also learned that you can ask to have them come to your table to sing.
I’ve never been to Italy (though I hope to go one day to visit the vineyard that my family used to own), but my guess is that the experience will be as amazing as my visit to Macaroni Grill. The food was amazing, the service was wonderful and the prices were more than reasonable. You can bet that I’ll be a frequent visitor.
