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
