ALONG COMES MARY

Last weekend, my man treated a bunch of us to a lunch at Maggiano’s Little Italy in Woodland Hills. Maggiano’s has become one of the leading Italian food chains & with locations throughout 22 states, they must be doing something right!

I really liked the atmosphere & ambiance compared to other Italian restaurants I have been to, I also enjoyed that the wait staff was not only attentive & helpful, but more REAL than at other eateries; no possibly fake accents here 😉

Of course, the main thing on my mind was: Are they gluten-free friendly?? Which they are. For an additional $2, they can substitute their wheat pasta for corn-based penne pasta, as well as omitting flour in the prep of some meat items, like salmon & chicken. I had their alfredo sauce over penne pasta, which was excellent. Our waitress was kind enough to have our chef visit our table, where we learned that all sauces are now gluten-free as well.

And, you cannot beat their current promotion: If you buy one of their classic pastas at $12.95, you get to take home a 2nd pasta dish of your choice. Awesome, right?! I do wish I had chosen another helping of the alfredo; I decided to take home the penne pasta with marinara sauce (aka–spaghetti). There’s something about marinara sauce not on spaghetti noodles…just not as satisfying. I also hope they decide to one day offer a separate gluten-free menu, instead of asking if a dish you’re interested in can be made gluten-free.

Despite those little inconveniences, Maggiano’s is still a great choice for everyone in your party, & make sure to check out their cocktails & desserts, too! 🙂 xo

(*Disclosure: This is not a sponsored or endorsed post. All opinions are my own & I have yet to work with Maggiano’s)