I treated myself to lunch at the Macaroni Grill Friday. The pleasant atmosphere and strains of jazz standards created a relaxing ambiance. I selected the Scallops and Spinach salad from the lunch menu, one of a dozen or so items containing less than six hundred callories. Seared and succulent scallops perfectly complemented the wilted spinach tossed with aged prosciutto, roasted garlic, lemon and extra virgin olive oil. I prefer my spinach crisp and cool, but the flavorful combination satisfied my lunch palette.
Before my salad, my server brought a large (well, large for one person) warm loaf of bread and provided extra virgin olive oil and fresh ground black pepper. Never one to turn down bread, I ate every last crumb.
My husband and I will have to try this establishment for dinner some time, although it’s a bit far from home for our usual date nights.
Yes, I loved their bread, too, but wished they’d paired it with Italian herbs, rather than just pepper.
When you go back, try their shrimp-Parmesean-pine nuts-fresh spinach over angel hair pasts dish. It’s wonderful. (If it’s not on the current menu, the chef knows how to make it. I got it during a short period it was off menu.)
Wish we had a Macaroni Grill here.