Hello and happy (late) Thanksgiving! This year, Scotty's family decided to have Thanksgiving brunch in Los Angeles! The review on the blog today is for Maggiano's Little Italy near The Grove shopping center. I have to admit that I am not big on traditional Thanksgiving foods so when I learned that we would be eating Italian for Thanksgiving I definitely got in the spirit. I hope you find the information below useful! Let me know if you decide to try Maggiano's next year for Thanksgiving!
Maggiano's Little Italy for Thanksgiving
Location: Maggiano's Little Italy in Los Angeles, California
Address: 189 The Grove Dr, Suite Z80, Los Angeles, CA 90036
Cost: $44.95 per person
Arrival
I highly recommend getting a reservation, especially if you have a large party. Our reservation was at noon, the restaurant didn't seem that busy when we arrived but it did start filling up closer to 1:00 pm. There are different rooms to sit in: the lower inside, outside terrace, and upstairs private rooms.
The Setting
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| Outside Terrace |
We got seated in the outside terrace. As you can see, there are a few empty seats. This picture was taken as soon as we arrived (noon) and the tables began filling up a little while later. We had a bread basket on our table along with a bowl of olive oil with balsamic vinegar.
The Menu
First Course
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| Bruschettas |
On the left is the Artichoke and Roasted Pepper Bruschetta and on the right is the Classic Tomato Bruschetta. We got a platter full enough for our party of 6. We knew we wanted to save room for the real deal (pasta and turkey) so we didn't go past one platter of the first course.
Second Course
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| Maggiano's Salad |
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| Cesar Salad |
We chose the Maggiano's Salad and the Cesar Salad for our second course. The Maggiano's Salad was my favorite and the Cesar Salad tasted just like another Cesar Salad. They were good but again we were mostly anxious for the main course.
Third Course
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| Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia with Sage, Lemons, & Tomatoes |
This is where the fun begins! Our choices for this course were the Traditional Roast Turkey Breast with Gravy and the Parmesan-Crusted Tilapia. I apologize because due to the excitement/hunger I was not able to get a picture of the turkey.
The plating consisted of turkey slices with some gravy. While the plating was nothing out of this world, the taste was incredible! The meat was extremely tender and delicious. I notice (as I am writing this post) that the turkey already comes with gravy AND stuffing... We ordered stuffing as a side but in the future, I would not do this so that we can have two different sides plus the stuffing that is already included. I am an advocate of more bang for your buck!
The tilapia was nice. I was definitely more blown away with the turkey, which surprised me as I am not a big meat or poultry eater. Whatever your preference is, if you are looking for a traditional Thanksgiving meal, get the turkey. A cranberry sauce is included as well which is nice!
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| Focaccia Sausage Stuffing |
The stuffing (pictured) was delicious! The addition of sausage was a nice touch and added to the hartiness of the meal. Stuffing is always my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner/meal.
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| Garlic Mashed Potatoes |
The mashed potatoes were good. They weren't anything special but looking back at the picture I took, they sure look good.
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| Gnocchi & Italian Sausage |
I want to take a second to highlight the gnocchi because it was my favorite item on the menu. Just looking at the picture makes my mouth water! I knew going into this meal my favorite part would be the pasta because Maggiano's specializes in Italian cuisine. The gnocchi has bits of sausage that add to the overall flavor and the pasta has amazing consistency! We definitely ordered about 4 or 5 of this plate and I recommend getting this if you are thinking of having your next Thanksgiving dinner at Maggiano's.
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| Pasta of the Day |
We picked the pasta of the day because our server described it so deliciously, we couldn't help ourselves. Essentially, it is a giant tortellini stuffed with cheese and chicken on some white sauce. I wasn't a fan. It really wasn't that great and we actually had a couple left over. Now I'm kicking myself because the Cheese Raviolis sounded so good! So conclusion: I would choose a different option. Maybe have the raviolis and I can live bi-curiously through you.
Fourth Course
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| Warm Apple Crostada |
I have a personal motto: There is always room for dessert. In this case, there is always room for two desserts, the warm apple crostada and tiramisu. My favorite dessert is tiramisu and I will have to say I liked the flavor of the crostada more.
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| Tiramisu |
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| Cappuccino |
Although I enjoyed the flavor of the crostada more, I love the experience of having coffee with my tiramisu. I ordered a cappuccino and it took a little while for it to arrive at our table, but it wasn't a big deal as I understood more people were arriving and the feast is so complete that I can imagine the servers were very busy.
I think setting our reservation at noon was smart because we were attended to very nicely and received our food with perfect timing. More on the service later below.
The Service
Part of having a positive restaurant experience is the service that comes with it. Our server was very attentive to our needs and brought us extra gravy (a bowlful) and cranberry sauce. He was on top of our drink needs and we didn't have to wait long for refills. As the restaurant started filling up around 1:30 service did become slower but at that point we didn't need as much attention and we were happy to just sit at the table and talk. I really appreciated how my plate was removed and replaced after the second course. My favorite part of this whole experience is being able to take home leftovers. Scotty and I have been indulging on Maggiano's for the past 2 days and it has been glorious!
Extra
If you indeed decided to dine at Maggiano's (this particular location) for your next Thanksgiving meal, I have some parking recommendations that we wish we had known. Maggiano's validates parking at The Grove's parking structure for two hours. If you plan on arriving and eating within this time frame, this is the best option for you. If you want to spend some time around the area (The Grove is a nice shopping mall with a movie theatre), then I recommend paying for valet parking in front of Maggiano's for $10. Otherwise, parking at The Grove's parking structure will cost $24.
The Takeaway
Once again, I have managed to write a very long post. I like to hit the details in case someone is interested and when it comes to an important decision like choosing your Thanksgiving meal, I believe details are important.
So here are the major points to know about:
- Your menu consists of Thanksgiving foods with classic Italian options
- Cost per person is $44.95
- You get to pick 2 items per course and it is unlimited food refills for only those 2 items
- Arrive early for fast food and little service wait time
- Park at The Grove parking structure if you plan to spend less than 2 hours at Maggiano's- valet park for +2 hours
- Leftovers for days
This concludes the first review on Sand Soul and Spirits! I really enjoyed our Thanksgiving brunch and being able to spend time with Scotty's family. I recommend Maggiano's for your next Thanksgiving venture and hope you found this review helpful. Maggiano's has many locations all over the USA, you can find the nearest one to you here.
How did you and your family spend Thanksgiving? Have you gone to Maggiano's for their Thanksgiving menu? What did you think of it? Or did this review help you decide what you'll do for next year? I would love to read your opinions below, leave a comment! Thanks for reading today's post!
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