Monday, May 6, 2013.
The Not-So-Good Side Of Macaroni Grill.
An unusually busy radio show brought in much news about the Jazz Festival and its food. Nobody had a new discovery to share. The comments boiled down to the observation that all the food was the same as in previous years. I seem to be the only person troubled by that. But only a little.
The Boy returned to his dorm room for exams this week. Mary Leigh filled the gap by asking me to take her to dinner. We wound up at the only New Orleans-area outpost of the Macaroni Grill, an ubiquitous American chain. This is one of the few chains I find reasonably good. They do a lot of things which, twenty years ago, only the best Italian restaurants did--if then. They make their own pasta, have a wood-burning oven for the very good pizza, and make sauces with balance and character. They're even reasonably adept at seafood, although for the most part it's standard farm-raised fish on the menu.
Perhaps the most appealing aspect of the Macaroni Grill is that it smells terrific. The kitchen is open to the dining room, and the aromas of the bubbling red sauce and olive oil, with herbs and garlic in the background, can't help but perk up one's appetite. This is an idea that very few restaurants have ever attempted to implement, to their detriment.
We began with an order of bruschetta. The bread part is sliced too thick, and so is hard to eat. I got a laugh from ML when an attempt at taking a bite resulted in an explosion of diced, olive-oil-coated tomatoes.
The waiter tried to steer me away from a new dish called quadratini--like macaroni, but square in cross-section instead of round. This is an innovation that serves no known need. The sauce sounded good, though: tomatoes (not far from whole), chili peppers, spinach, and Italian sausage (but not a very good one). I ate almost all of it--good fresh flavor. But I don't think I'd order this again.
Mary Leigh was delivered a salad of parmesan-encrusted chicken that looked good, but which was so overwhelmed by the balsamic vinaigrette as to verge on disagreeable.
The high point of the evening was a dessert tart--almost a cobbler--of peach and ginger. It tasted as good as it looked. The waiter was engaging and helpful, too--something I find pretty consistent at the Mac Grill. And even though the wine is just passable, the idea of leaving a bottle of red on the table and allowing you to help yourself on the honor system is brilliant. The message of welcome to the diners is hard not to like.
Romano's Macaroni Grill. Mandeville: 3410 US Hwy 190. 985-727-1998.
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