Restaurant Review: Maggiano's Little Italy in Jacksonville, FL

In the heart of Jacksonville's St John's Town Center, rests an upscale Italian restaurant: Maggiano's Little Italy. It is beautifully located in the center of the town square just beyond the koi ponds and wooden bridges. My husband and I went one warm evening and opted to dine al fresco at a small table on their patio overlooking the picturesque setting.

We were seated quickly by the friendly hostess and greeted moments later by our server, who took our drink orders and suggested an appetizer while we ate bread dipped in herb olive oil. We started with the bruschetta, which we thoroughly enjoyed while sipping our drinks and watching passersby. As we were finishing our appetizer, our salad arrived. We ordered one side salad to share and we got enough to feed four people easily.

For our main courses, my husband ordered the gnocci and I, the Rigatoni D. We opted to just order half-sized portions and share, which proved to be more than enough food since the portion sizes were so generous. We could easily have ordered open half of one meal and shared that, with some to spare. The gnocci was perfectly cooked and the sauce was deliciously creamy. The Rigatoni D, described as " Rigatoni pasta, herb roasted boneless chicken, mushrooms and onions, tossed in a light Marsala cream sauce." was also phenomenal. We were very pleased with both meals, but sadly had no room left for dessert.

As an added bonus, this restaurant, although picturesque and somewhat upscale, does not boast high prices and is very affordable with meals in the $10-$20 range and large portion sizes that can be boxed up to take home and enjoy again later.

We were very pleased with our choice of restaurants that evening, and plan to make it a regular dinner destination. Because they also serve family style, I think next time we will bring the whole family!