Maggianos Little Italy

Hello hello people! It’s Tuesday! Have you been enjoying the heat and the spring forward time? I’m actually enjoying it because that means there’s more sunlight which allows you to get more errands done and the dark mornings are great.

Over the weekend, my bf took me to Maggianos Little Italy Restaurant where they serve authentic Italian dishes. I thought I’ve never been here before but once I took a glance at the to go bag, I knew immediately that I came here for my friend’s birthday few years back. If I can recall, I ordered a creamy pasta dish. Maggianos Little Italy just reminded me of the time I was in Baltimore MD and I was walking in Little Italy.

I like Maggianos even though it’s a chain restaurant. It’s more authentic compared to Olive Garden and Bucca De Peppo for sure.

My bf and I arrived when it was peak hours so in order to get seated right away, we took the patio seating which was outside. Luckily it wasn’t cold so it was a nice change to sit outside for a romantic dinner. It was time to order the drinks and the waiter suggested that the bartender makes great mixed drink like the pomegranate. My selective hearing took over and only heard pomegranate and that’s why I just had to order it. It was a refreshing drink with a bit of kick to it. You can taste the pomegranate and it also had a familiar taste I just can’t describe.

All the items on the appetizer section sounded amazing such as the Spinach & Artichoke al Forno, Bruschetta, Tomato Caprese, and the Stuffed Mushrooms, but in the end we agreed that we can’t go wrong on the spinach & artichoke dish. What was great about the appetizer was that it wasn’t a really big portion. A not so think layer of the dip was baked to where the Asiago cheese, alfredo sauce and artichoke was golden brown and the Focaccia bread was served thin and crispy.

There was a dinner special where you order a pasta and take the other one home. I was thinking that we order one dish and get the 2nd dish on the same sitting. I was already getting full from the appetizer and my order of the Mushroom Ravioli al Forno which is Ravioli stuffed with mushrooms served with alfredo sauce.

My take home order was the Four-Cheese Ravioli which is Ravioli stuffed with Ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella and Provolone. Served in a pesto-alfredo cream sauce with a touch of marinara. It was perfect since we can have that for the next day’s dinner.

“G” ordered the Gnocchi & Italian Sausage made of Ricotta pasta simmered in a tomato cream sauce, finished with vodka, roasted garlic and sliced Italian sausage. I have never tried the Gnocchi nor heard of it but I sampled off my bf’s dish as always and really liked it! I bit into the Gnocchi and it was a oval shaped pasta with what seemed like mashed potato filling.

I did a bit of research on the Gnocchi since my food curiosity took over and I learned that it’s made from senolina, wheat flour, flour, egg, cheese, potato, breadcrumbs, or similar ingredients. Tada! I was right, I knew I tasted potato and I knew that because of the potato texture on the inside of the potato.

The waiter got “G” a cool looking beer cup since he ordered a specific kind of beer and Maggianos was having a deal that if you order a glass of that beer, you get to take home the cup from that brewery. The waiter suggested dessert but we were just too stuffed and we also got 2 coupons for when we sign up, we get a $10 off our next visit, a complementary birthday and anniversary dinner. WE are definitely going to come back for another visit.

Maggianos is located at three areas. We went to the one located at Costa Mesa CA.