Originally uploaded by dynamist.
It’s a chain, but not one I’d been to until Friday. The venue itself is huge and gorgeously appointed, with the plush leather banquettes being the highlight for me. I adore booths and banquettes to an almost unreasonable degree.
For $1, you can add a cup of soup or a side salad version of their larger salads to your sandwich order. I had minestrone, which was thicker than I prefer but still quite good. Even though it was only a cup of soup, it was substantial enough that I struggled to eat half of my meatball sandwich. This also came with parmesan crisps (potato crisps with parmesan, I was relieved to find, not those fried parmesan shavings). The waiter boxed and bagged the remaining half sandwich and crisps for me, and I had them for dinner with some salted edamame. Not a bad result for $15 (including soft drink and tip).
[...] My father and stepmother came to see me on Sunday. It was a special occasion for a couple of different reasons, so I took them out to dinner at Maggiano’s Little Italy, which I first wrote about a couple of weeks ago. I love this place, despite the fact that it is a chain, because: [...]