Maggiano's Little Italy
Nashville, TN 37203-1304
Phone: 615-514-0270
04/16/2008 Posted by TJU
Don't show up hungry! For some reason no one seems to be able to get Italian right down south, even in chain restaurants. I was invited to a company dinner with high hopes for Maggiano's after hearing it was decent, but ended the evening sorely disappointed. I ordered a steak medium rare, which to me means it should be red in the middle and warm. What I got was the dark side of medium, COLD and tasteless, as if it had been unseasoned, unattended on the grill, and then sat on some back table waiting to be picked up for 15 minutes. My dish was the last of 9 to arrive to the table so everyone was already eating by the time mine showed up. I would've just eaten it had it been warm but it was borderline boot-leather, so I asked for it to be redone. TWENTY MINUTES later my new dish arrived... cooked MID WELL and barely warm- AGAIN. Keep in mind this was on a Tuesday evening, not exactly a bustling shift. I tried to catch the waiter after 15 minutes of waiting for the second attempt and ask for the order to be cancelled. It was brought to the table by dessert time anyhow but he volunteered to take it off the bill without hesitation. I understand that steak is not a "traditional Italian" meal, but if you fail at steak, why would a customer come back to try anything else? Thus my evening at Maggiano's consisted of sipping a tiny pour of Riesling while nibbling on appetizer salad watching everyone else eat. I will not be back unless another business function forces me to try an encore. Here are the HIGHLIGHTS: attentive waiter, stuffed mushrooms, tiramisu, ambiance. LOW POINTS: flavorless steak, uninteresting menu, lengthy wait times for food, small pours. I'm being generous with 3 stars only because my husband & other dinner companions said their dishes were decent and did not have any issues with their order. According to others, the crabcakes were "okay" and the lasagna was "good".
Pros: Wait staff, stuffed mushrooms, tiramisu
Cons: Flavorless/overcooked steak, wait times for food
Write a review and share your thoughts with others
