Maggiano's Little Italy, Jacksonville, Florida

Maggiano's Little Italy
10367 Midtown Parkway
St. Johns Town Center
Jacksonville, FL, 32246
(904)642-8339

I heard about Maggiano's via a trade show coupon book. I decided to sign up for their email list, but never got around to visiting. I finally took my parents and my sisters to Maggiano's on Mother's Day this month.

The menu was rather expensive, so we quickly decided on the family style meal. It came with a choice of 2 appetizers, 2 salads, 2 pastas, 2 entrees and 2 desserts. [Your table can get seconds or thirds [no charge] when you run out of whichever dish you've chosen.] It was $25 per person. With tax, tip and drinks, the bill was $157 for five of us. So yeah, it cost a lot. And I won't be eating there every week. But it was definitely worth the price. I've listed our menu choices below and my opinion of them:

Calamari Fritte
Crispy calamari coated in egg whites and seasoned flour, deep fried and served with our marinara sauce.

4 of us found the calamari too chewy. One sister, who absolutely loves calamari, swears it was cooked perfectly.

Stuffed Mushrooms
Jumbo mushroom caps stuffed with spinach and topped with our seasoned breadcrumbs and house cheese; served in a white wine chicken broth.

This appetizer came with 8 large mushrooms and 1/2 a lemon. These were magnificent ! Someone lost a finger reaching for the last one :D We ordered seconds.

Caesar Salad
A traditional Caesar salad of romaine lettuce tossed with Caesar dressing, croutons and shaved Parmesan cheese.

It was very good. The salad had slices of Parmesan instead of the usual grated variety [a huge improvement, in my book]The Caesar dressing had a very pleasant, creamy flavor.

Spinach Salad
Tender leaf spinach tossed with roasted red peppers, sweet roasted onions, Gorgonzola cheese, apple cider vinaigrette and topped with smoked bacon and toasted pine nuts.

We ordered three helpings of the spinach salad. It was just off the charts amazing. The Gorgonzola and apple cider vinaigrette were an excellent pairing.

Four Cheese Ravioli
Ravioli stuffed with ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella, and provolone filling sprinkled with house cheese, then browned in the oven and served in pesto-Alfredo cream sauce with a touch of marinara.

The ravioli was well received. The sauce was thick, creamy and rich.

Mom's Lasagna
Whipped ricotta cheese layered with pasta sheets, crumbled meatballs, Italian sausage and marinara sauce. Topped with provolone cheese and your choice of our meat or marinara sauce

The one disappointment was this lasagna. None of us noticed sausage on the menu listing; otherwise we wouldn't have ordered this. To be blunt, it tasted cheap and gross.

Chicken Parmesan
Lightly breaded chicken breasts fried and topped with provolone cheese and marinara sauce. Served with Parmesan chips.

This was the best chicken Parmesan any of us had ever tasted. This was not the nasty kind made of chicken parm made from spaghetti noodles and a cheap, breaded, frozen patty.

Chicken Marsala
Chicken breasts sauteed with Marsala wine, veal sauce, mushrooms, onions and basil.

The wine sauce and mushrooms were heaven X D We ordered seconds on this, too.

Tiramisu
Ladyfinger cookies soaked in espresso and coffee liqueur layered with mascarpone cheese;dusted with cocoa powder and served with chocolate

The tiramisu merited a second and then third order. Yum!

N.Y. Style Cheesecake, Seasonal Fruit
New York style ricotta cheesecake topped with fresh berries and whipped cream.

Normally I won't order cheesecake in a restaurant. It usually doesn't taste as good as my homemade version. But this ? Totally worth a second order.

Nanny Fran's Meatballs

I came across this recipe in my 125th Anniversary Edition of the Pennsylvania State Grange cookbook. So I decided to make spaghetti and meatballs for lunch. The Parmesan gives the meatballs a delicious taste. Side note: Do not use grated cheese for this recipe. It does not hold up well [and you'll miss out on good flavor !] Also, I made the first batch with Great Value Italian seasoned bread crumbs. That was a mistake. I found the GV bread crumbs lackluster in flavor [read: sawdust in a can] and less durable in the cooking process than other brands. The second batch turned out much better when I used Progresso's Italian bread crumbs.

Yield: 30 Servings
Pan size: Electric Fry Pan

2 lbs hamburger
1 lb ground pork [note: I just used ground turkey instead of those 2 meats]
6 eggs [I reduced it to 2 eggs]
1 clove garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder
1 teaspoon of parsley
1 Tbsp oregano
2 oz Romano grated cheese [I used shredded Parmesan]
1 cup bread crumbs
1 [48 oz] jar spaghetti sauce

Mix all ingredients together except spaghetti sauce. Make into meatballs and brown. Cover meatballs with sauce and simmer for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

Credit: Alice E. Potter, Shermanata #1796

From News of The Weird: Jelly Belly BeanBoozled

"A highlight of this year's Easter promotion by the Jelly Belly company (as additions to its 50 standard flavors) was its surprise BeanBoozled boxes, with odd tastes and non-standard colors. Although garlic beans, buttered-toast beans and cheese pizza beans are no longer available, connoisseurs can sample jelly beans made to taste like pencil shavings, ear wax, moldy cheese and vomit. A Jelly Belly spokeswoman told Newhouse News Service in March, "There are 20 flavors in each little box ... so you don't know what flavor you are tasting ... coconut or baby wipe."

Sources:

Cleveland Plain Dealer, March 22, 2008

News of the Weird,Chuck Shepherd, Column for the week of May 11, 2008

Food Network chef fired after resume fraud

Robert Irvine gets no sympathy from me.

Source: "Food Network chef fired after resume fraud", USA Today,March 10, 2008

Ice Cucumber Pepsi

Has anyone tried Ice Cucumber Pepsi ? I'd love to hear your opinion of it.