The last day of our holiday has arrived and it has begun like many of the others with a trip to Starbucks. By now I have exhausted the entire pastry menu and opted for a strawberry smoothie to start today. Of all the places that we’ve eaten while in Orlando, Maggiano’s (www.maggianos.com) has become our favourite. Reasonably priced, cooked from scratch, Italian food in a buzzing restaurant that is perfect for catering to large groups or families. On our third and final visit last night I tried out the Rigatoni ‘D’, this is a trademarked dish and I have yet to figure out what the D stands for and when I googled it for an explanation I couldn’t find any but did discover that Maggiano’s is a chain with many fans and there are lots of copycat recipes out there to experiment with when I get home. (the brocolli was a side dish and not part of the recipe). 
Maggiano’s serve fresh, warm bread in baskets and pour a saucer full of olive oil and a good glug of balsamic vinegar at the table. When having a dinner party at home I often overlook the homely comfort of bread in favour of finicky nibbles and bites that take a lot of time to prepare and probably aren’t worth the effort. Another tip I picked up here was from an Italian chain call Pastamore where they serve their basket of fresh bread with a bowl of warmed olive oil. I will be trying that out with a sprinkle of oregano at home.
For now it’s goodbye to Orlando and so long Cookie Monster! Till next time, Sheila
Hey Sheila, LOVING keeping up to date with your culinary adventures. Thanks for putting the photo up of the kids…great to see them but makes me realise how I’m missing out on them growing up – SO BIG!!!
xxxx
aileen