Maggiano's Little Italy

Image borrowed from The Atlanta Food Critic: a nice, more traditional food critic.

I was out shopping with my mother and a sudden strike of hunger hit me at Perimeter Mall. Thinking I was doomed, my mother suggests Maggiano's. I'm thinking, Italian, you've got to be out of your mind! In my mind it was a nightmare of glutinous doom and I was just setting myself up for disappointment and frustration. Boy am I glad I listened to my mother!

My mother grew up in an Italian neighborhood in Brooklyn, NY where she learned to cook some of the best Italian food. Growing up in the south, an "Italian Restaurant" was just a joke. In this case, Gluten wasn't the only thing that could ruin a good meal. The sauce is usually the first sign of a meal gone tragically wrong whether there is gluten involved or not.

Upon arrival, my mother tells the hostess party of two, provided they had a gluten free selection. The hostess says "We sure do" and we were seated. Our waiter John was so helpful and understanding and had the Chef come out and discuss my dietary requirements and answer any questions I had. Boy did I have questions, and boy was I impressed.



The "Kitchen Manager", Dave, came out and I grilled him. They offered a Gluten-Free pasta as a substitute, so of course I wanted to know what the pasta was made of, if they just had one type of pasta or if they had the gluten free linguine, lasagna, manicotti, or cannelloni. I wanted to know if they had a substitute for the gnocchi, because I so love gnocchi. Dave the "Kitchen Manager" proactively listed the sauces that were safe, and I wanted to know if the parmesan cheese was safe. He answered all of my questions confidently and with an understanding of my needs. He was unsure of the cheese inquiry, but he went back in the kitchen and verified that it was safe.

Maggiano's offers a corn based rotini as their substitute pasta. No lasagna or manicotti for me, but they do offer a ziti, which is a nice substitute for lasagna-I actually prefer it. Anything that has a linguine or pene, or non-stuffed/layering pasta could be substituted. They also had a wide variety of other items that are naturally gluten free, just be sure they know of your situation so they do not cross contaminate with glutenous products, or use unsafe seasonings. The sauces offered as safe included, and were limited to, their red sauce, meat sauce, and alfredo. And alas, the gnocchi is not gluten free (my hopes were not up for that one but it was worth a try ;).

Of course I ended up with more questions as I continued to view the increasingly delicious menu. I spotted a Sausage and Pepper appetizer. Mmmm, my comfort food! But is a potentially dangerous item in a restaurant. Sometimes, glutenous products are used as a filler. Our awesome waiter, John, ran off to check. He said that the sausage was safe, but the sauce was not. I believe they grill the sausage and peppers and thicken the drippings as a sauce. We were able to have it served with the safe meat sauce instead. This was a fantastic opportunity to test the sauce-which again, is the most important part of any Italian cuisine.
The sausage had a mild to sweet basil flavor with a thin casing. It was not at all greasy even with the meat sauce. The meat sauce was fresh, and dare I say it, better then my mom's "company sauce." Don't worry, she said it first. The caramelized onions and sweet red peppers were incorporated into the meat sauce and it was down right DELICIOUS!!! They did an excellent job of keeping the acidity of the sauce to a minimum. As I get older, the agita (heartburn) will get me every time, but not this time! Not just gluten free, agita free!

As an entree, the Rigatoni "D" on the Chef's favorites caught my attention. It includes herb roasted chicken, mushrooms, and caramelized onion with a marsala cream sauce served on a bed of pasta. Again, I had to ask about the sauce because it was not mentioned as a safe sauce, but potentially could be. Turns out, it was not recommended by the chef as a gluten free item. I was able to have it served with Alfredo instead.
I'm not really of fan of Alfredo, but this was just exquisite. It was rich and creamy with a subtle garlic undertone. The chicken was tender and had brilliant flavor, and the mushrooms were a perfect texture and had the same brilliant flavor as the chicken.
The Pasta was fantastic! It was perfectly al dente, which I can't seem to get right with gluten free pasta. I love that it was a corn based pasta, because the rice based ones are grainy and disgusting. It tasted and felt like real, normal pasta!

I can't thank Maggiano's Little Italy at Perimeter Mall enough for the most wonderful meal I have had in years. I went in there apprehensive and worried that I would be frustrated like every other place that offers "gluten free substitutes." The staff made me feel confident that they knew what they were doing and really cared that I had a fantastic meal. My anxiety lessened as I was not limited to what was on the menu, they made the menu work for me. My food selection was exciting and enjoyable for once. The only thing frustrating was that I had one stomach and endless possibilities.

If that wasn't the best part of my experience, the way I felt the rest of the day was priceless. I was able to shop the rest of the day and enjoy being in public afterward because I had no pain, and no "bathroom emergency."

If you are looking for the best gluten free meal for a reasonable price, I would highly recommend Maggiano's Little Italy.