Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Mother's Day Dinner

For Mother's Day we went to dinner at Romano's Macaroni Grill.

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We had a fantastic, super-nice server, Jarod.

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Jarod is the type of server who asks if you want the Meditteranean olives with your bread, and you find yourself happily ordering them even though you'd have never thought of it yourself. (They were yummy!)

Jarod is also a sci-fi geek. (And you all should know by now, "geek" is a compliment around these parts.) Despite the hustle and bustle of the Mother's Day crowd, Jarod still managed to find a couple of minutes to chat with us about science fiction. The Engineer and I loved meeting someone who wasn't confused...or amused...that we like the old show Babylon 5. (Jarod, you're even cooler than the Vorlons!)

All four of us had juice to drink.

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(The grown-ups' juice was of the fermented variety.)

My lasagna was really good. I loved the fresh basil on top. I think I may need to do that next time I make lasagna.

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Macaroni Grill is really a good place to bring children (though our kids would have preferred McDonalds!) Zoodle had cheese pizza, and Chickie ate an impressive amount of spaghetti (both from the kids' menu.) Gelato kept them content while The Engineer and I had chocolate cake. The kids were happy through most of the meal.

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Macaroni Grill has paper covering the tables, so kids (or creative adults) can draw with crayons while waiting for food. The Engineer noticed the Italian food-themed hue names of the Crayolas.

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With a 4-year-old and a 2-year-old, dinners at restaurants without playscapes can be dicey. So it was a treat that we all actually enjoyed this Mother's Day meal. I hadn't been to Romano's Macaroni Grill in a few years, and I hope we don't wait so long until our next visit!

Disclaimer: Romano's Macaroni Grill didn't pay me anything to write this blog post. But Jared did comp the decaf coffee I had with my chocolate cake. He said he comped the coffee because we were being so awesome, but I think it's because
he's so awesome. Thanks, Jared!

8 comments:

Unknown said...

That sounds like a wonderful dinner out. Isn't it great when you have a server that really goes above and beyond to make you feel welcome! It makes a world of difference, especially when you have kids dining with you.

Eternal Lizdom said...

I love Macaroni Grill!! I don't go often- it's usually a business lunch location for me.

So glad you had such a fantastic dinner and a fantastic server!!

Laurel said...

Yummy post, I mean great post. I also liked the pictures. You should do more restaurant reviews :-)!!. Speaking of which, we need to get together soon :-).

Call Me Cate said...

Yay for Jared! And yay for happy children! I'm a big fan of Macaroni Grill as well though we haven't eaten there in a really long time. We did takeout last time we were there I think.

And now, I want those crayons.

Heidi said...

My Macaroni Grill cravings usually center around the rosemary bread! Dipped in olive oil and balsamic . . . YUMMY!!!

I'm glad you had an enjoyable Mother's Day dinner, friend

Amanda said...

The Hubbs and I were just remeniscing about our first date at Macaroni grill 7 years ago this month when we drove by. Sounds like you had a great time :)

Megan Fletcher said...

After our breakfast at Cracker Barrel on Mother's Day and having an awesome waitress named Heather, I have to say I think that they make or break the dining out experience. She was incredibly sweet and brought everything we needed, with a huge smile. When I mentioned how much Asa liked the orange slices (which are usually a garnish) and that he shared with his sisters, she brought all three of my kids their very own oranges in a little to-go cup with lid. So sweet! Bless her heart for being a working mom who was serving others on that special day. She made mine start off wonderfully!

Mellodee said...

Macaroni Grill is one of my favorites too. Their menu changes fairly often which is good in some ways and not in others! It doesn't get boring, but some of your favs end up going away! But the build your own pasta thing goes on forever! Yay!