MAGGIANO'S LITTLE ITALY - CHICAGO, IL

CHICAGO ON A FRIDAY NIGHT

After a 3 1/2 hour drive and the gridlock of downtown Chicago on a Friday night, we were looking forward to a good Italian dinner after we checked into the hotel.  We have a Maggiano's nearly in Indianapolis but with it on the opposite side of town from where we live, we had never tried it.

I loved the Old World feel as we walked in the door.  We got there about 8:00 and was told there would be a lengthy wait for the dining room, but if we wanted to eat in the bar it wouldn't be quite as long, which was fine with us.  We were seated within 15-20 minutes which I thought was great for a Saturday night.

It took awhile for our server to bring us menus and water and another lengthy wait for the drinks we ordered from when she first came to the table.  I decided on the Chicken Parm and my husband had Chicken Marsala.  We both started with a Caesar salad which was just the right size and very good but again another long wait and my husband was growing impatient.  They really needed more staff and our waitress seemed a little frazzled at times.  Finally, the entrées were presented but it wasn't the dish my husband ordered, so back it went.  I have to applaud the server, as he suggested mine go back, as well, to make sure we dined together and could be kept warm.

The chicken was breaded well but the sauce needed a bit of something to spice it up just a little and make it more memorable.  The serving size was large and I left quite a bit on my plate.  My husband said the Marsala was comparable to most places.  The cost was very reasonable.  Our two entrées along with the salads and drinks ran around $55.

MAGIANNO'S 
516 N Clark St,  
Chicago, IL 60654-7102
Visited 2/22/14