CLT Eats – A Charlotte Restaurant Review

View from Booth

Italian restaurants are easy to find. They’re everywhere and most of them are good. It’s hard to screw up Italian food to the point that it’s bad, though I have encountered some that have definitely been spectacular failures. Usually the worst outcome is that it’s just sort of underwhelming. As I’ve mentioned before, I tend to steer clear of chains. Sole proprietors have more blood, sweat, tears and love poured into their food. Chains are usually more dollar oriented and it shows. This isn’t necessarily true but it tends to be a good rule of thumb. Maggiano’s being a chain didn’t bode well, especially being parked at the golden entrance of the vacuous and soulless temple of Charlotte known as South Park Mall. Truth be know I like South Park but it is the home of manufactured reality as opposed to fine craftsmanship.

Like it’s neighbor the Cheesecake Factory, this is one grand looking restaurant on the inside. It’s also quite nicer than it’s neighbor – far classier that the acid trip across the atrium. There was quite a bit of open seating this evening so there wasn’t a wait. There was live music in the bar area which I personally find annoying but if you’re into that kind of thing you may find it appealing. We were able to be seated fairly far away from the music in the bar area so it didn’t really become an issue. Right after being seated bread and olive oil was served. I was disappointed that balsamic vinegar wasn’t included. We were quite hungry so we ordered the Fried Eggplant appetizer which was really quite good. For my main course I ordered the Rigatoni. Again it was solidly good stuff. Service wasn’t bad. Not great but not decent.

When it was all said and done I felt like I’d paid above average prices for average Italian food with below average service. Portofino’s is just down the road and is much better to me personally. Depending on your location, Riccio’s or Villa Francesca would be a better experience as well. If you really want a killer Italian meal then I’d highly recommend Tria Terra. I’m tempted to give a rating of “Recommended” to Maggiano’s but with the plentiful options around town it just doesn’t make sense in light of the local competition.

Pros

• Great Atmosphere
• Decent Service
• Good Food

Cons

• Poor Value
• Good, not Great
• Not Memorable. If you want memorable go to Tria Terra.

Rating: Not Recommended