Romano's Macaroni Grill

Locations: Everywhere. Go to http://www.macaronigrill.com/

4880 Telephone Road, Ventura, CA 93003

815-477-9925

Hours of Operation:

11:00am - 11:00pm Friday & Saturday

11:00am - 10:00pm  Sunday through Thursday

Catering, Good for large groups.

THE ROOM:

The Macaroni Grill in Ventura  and in most other cities I have visited features a separate bar/lounge area and a large room divided into sections by half walls. The rooms are comfortable and do allow a little bit of privacy in the booths but this is not a place to take someone on that special first date. This is a chain restaurant that caters to large families and groups. The tables are covered with paper so kids can draw with crayons and adults are on the honor system when it comes to the volume of wine they consume. A good place to go for lunch when you are celebrating a staff members birthday and you want fast service, a lot of food, a pleasant atmosphere and you don't want to rob the bank.

THE FOOD;

The menu has an abundant list of choices and the theme is Italian. They offer anitpasti, insalata, soups, pizza, pasta, grilled dishes and classical Italian dishes. They have a full bar. You can be assured that your standards like calamari, bruschetta, crab stuffed mushrooms, mozzarella alla caprese, Italian wedding soup, pizza Margheritta, cannelloni, ravioli, veal marsala, eggplant parmesan, and fettuccini alfredo, to name a few, are readily available. I usually get their "simple salmon" with grilled asparagus and brocolli and it is completely satisying.There is no point in talking about every dish because the food is decent and the service is efficient and friendly.

THE SERVICE:

I like to shy away from restuarants like these on the weekends because they are usually very, very busy and a lot of the time you have to wait, never long mind you, but it is still a wait. Instead I opt to go very early or on weekdays when it is not so crowded and there is less noise. I have never met  unfriendly service staff  and, in their tradition, they do their job and serve you in a timely manner.