Review - Maggiano's Little Italy

I had a weird craving this past weekend and that was to try an Italian chain restaurant.  I know, I know...not my usual hangout for an elegant weekend dinner, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

I went to Maggiano's Little Italy in Beachwood, Ohio, one of two locations in the entire state of Ohio (the other being in Cincinnati).  I must say I was quite impressed.  The decor was very simple, no frills, and elegant.  White cloths covered each table and the main dining room had a nice mahogany trim. 

First off, your truly decided to visit the restaurant during the hours of high traffic on a Saturday night with no reservation.  As I was walking into the restaurant, I noticed numerous families and couples loitering around and I thought the worst.  I guess that is a mixed sign: good because if the joint is packed, it must have good food; bad: you will be waiting FOREVER for a table.  Despite the crowd, the restaurant was not loud at all.

So I went up to the host and he told me the wait would be 1.5 ours.  GULP!  "Unless..."  he began, "you don't mind siting at the end of the counter in the bar area.  We would be able to sit you right now."  SOLD!  At first, we found the counter to be quite crowded, but we were able to sit across from each other and it turned out to be very cozy.  I was impressed and very happy that the host was able to let us "jump the line" and have a seat without waiting during the weekend dinner rush.

The wine list was pretty good.  There were some nice Italian Chiantis on the list as well as the usual American standbys.  The prices were a little steep, but seemed normal for that part of town.

Together, my girlfriend shared a chicken piccata and chicken marsala plate.  The chicken marsala came with a sauteed chicken breast in red marsala wine sauce and bite sized dark button mushrooms.  The chicken piccata was a sauteed chicken breast with capers and lemon butter.  Each came with a side of angel hair aglio olio in a separate plate.  This reminded me of a quaint bistro I visited in Milano, Italy where your meat dish and pasta side dish each came out on a separate plate.  You are free to mix as much of the pasta with the meat as you'd like.  I don't seem to see this done with many of the mainstream Italian/American restaurants.  Points for Maggiano's. 

All in all, the meals were very good.  The chicken was very tender, moist, and succulent and the mushrooms were very delicately cooked so as not to render them soft and tasteless.  My only complaint about the meal was that it seemed to be slightly too oily or buttery.  I try to keep it healthy, but I guess that goes out the window if you want to eat such a rich pasta meal.  For two people, the bill was around $50 for dinner and a drink each.  Despite that, I highly recommend visiting Maggiano's.  It was an enjoyable experience and I know I will be coming back soon.

Review - Ristorante Ponte Rosso, Milano, Italy

So, let this be my first restaurant review! 

I recently took a trip to Italy this past summer.  It was my second time to Italy in my life.  I mainly focused on the bustling city of Milan, the ambiance of Florence and Tuscany, and then legendary Venice.  It has been 8 years since my last trip to the enchanted peninsula and in those 8 years I have gained a better appreciation for food and travel. 

My main mantra is now "...when in Rome..."  Meaning, when in another country, eat what the locals eat.  It is one of the simplest ways to immerse yourself in any culture.  Italy is renowned for its cuisine and I was preparing my taste buds for an explosion of a italian culinary volcano.

So, one night, my buddies and I found ourselves walking along a small river in a hip district of Milan.  We had just arrived in Milan the day before and were looking to relax, have some fun, and blend in with the locals (as much as a bunch of Americans can!).  Along this river was a plethora of little shops, wine bars, music locales, and of course, ristorantes.  The weather was perfect for a late July evening and we were just trying to soak up as much as we could.

We stumbled upon this little boutique-like restaurant called Ristorante Ponte Rosso.  It had about a dozen indoor tables and a few tables along the sidewalk and river.  They just opened as we were walking by, which was about 8pm.  Yes, I guess the young Milan residents like to eat late.  Who knew?  Anyway, at first look at the menu, we found most of the entrees to be quite expensive.  We wanted to have a nice night out, but not to break the bank.  We soon found that most of the restaurants in that area were quite expensive. 

What sold us on Ponte Rosso was their "discount" menu that offered a 3 course menu with a glass of wine for around 25 Euros.  So, we were able to get a nice table along the river with a good view of all the people scurrying around the area.  The waitress was very good and accommodating to our lack of knowledge of the Italian language.  We were able to order an appetizer, a main course, and a dessert complete with a glass of the house wine.  Being Italy, even the house wine was delicious!  I ordered a caprese salad, risotto alla Milanese, and tiramisu with a glass of house red.  Ever since arriving in Milan, I was dying to try a real risotto alla Milanese and see what all the talk was about.

I would rate the food I ordered here as simple and very good.  The caprese salad was elegantly prepared with a bed of green lettuce topped with mozzarella medallions, basil, and cherry tomatoes.  I like adding on a little bit of olive oil and balsamic vinegar to give it that extra punch.  The risotto was an excellent risotto alla Milanese!  Very creamy, cheesy, and had a great mouth feel.  The rice was very succulent and gave you the right amount of resistance as you devoured a spoonful of the risotto.  A perfectly cooked rice dish.  The tiramisu was a great ending to a nice light meal.  It was very airy, creamy, and definitely had a great coffee/espresso flavor to it. 

All in all, this was a good find.  It was in a great district with lots of people walking around, lots of wine shops, lots of good night life.  After dinner, we walked around a little bit and hit up a couple bars along the same strip.  I would not say it was the best restaurant in town, but it did offer a great "ma and pa" restaurant feel.  It was quite expensive, but if you order off the "discount" menu, it is more reasonable and you won't be disappointed. 

For those of you who are traveling to Milan, I would certainly give this place a shot.  Here is the address:

Ripa di Porta Ticinese, 23
20142 - Milano (MI)

Easy Deep Dish Pizza

Welcome to my Food Blog!  I first want to introduce myself, I am Niko.  I have been a home cook for the past 5 years.  I love going to various kitchen and cooking stores and walking the aisles of amazing gadgets that will help me improve my cooking.  The Food Network is always on my DVR list, and it seems like I see the world through my stomach.  I would just stop if I saw a food show or saw a kitchen supply store while window shopping.  Just looking at food made my mouth water and my neurons fire with ideas for recipes.  I have traveled to Europe, Australia, and New Zealand in search of cuisine that is both delicious and unique.  I am from Ohio and Ohio is not exactly the center of the American culinary experience.  Nonetheless, Ohio does have an awesome Autumn and great harvests.  I hope to bring you my culinary experiences with this blog.

I am 100% slovenian.  If you don't know where that is, it borders Italy to the east, Austria to the south, Croatia to the north, and Hungary to the west.  It was the northernmost republic of the former Yugoslavia.  As in every ethnic family, I grew up enjoying the smell of homemade bread, fresh vegetables, sausages, succulent meats, and sweat desserts.  I remember every Christmas we would have potica on the table.  Potica is an authentic slovenian nut and raisin roll that could be served as a dessert or even breakfast coffee cake.  I learned how to appreciate different tastes and foods from my grandmother's and mother's cooking over the years.  I hope I can bring you back to the ethnic kitchen with my postings.

I never knew where my culinary curiosity would take me.  I simply thought that I would just make dinners for me and my girlfriend (who is amazing by the way).  Yet, I yearned for more.  I sincerely believed that my food experiences and creations were worthy of sharing with my friends and family.  So here I am today.  I hope to share some of my delicious recipes, restaurant reviews, travels, and general food discussion with you.  I want this to be an open blog, so please give me your feedback.

To capture your eyes for my first post, I want to talk about an easy way to make deep dish pizza.  I have been to Chicago several times and absolutely love the deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Due.  I remember going up to Chicago for Labor Day weekend one year.  I drove up with my friends from Columbus, OH and it took FOREVER. We got a hotel right in downtown close to the Michigan Mile and Pizzeria Uno.  I told my friend that I've never had REAL deep dish pizza and he knew right where to take me.  We waited for a good 40 mins before we got our pizza but it was well worth the wait.  When I got back to Ohio, I was OBSESSED with finding the perfect deep dish pizza receipe to replicate that Pizzeria Due experience.  Here is what I came up with:

I would say start with store bought pizza dough.  I know, I know....I would rather make dough from scratch, and believe me, it is a delicious experience to have your own dough.  But, if you are like me and you just want a hands off, quick deep dish pizza, that is the way to go.  My lovely girlfriend told me once "I don't want you to spend all weekend in the kitchen..."  I believe she had a good point and that point was the foundation of this recipe.  Keep in mind, everything about this recipe is about "feel."  Think Italian grandmother.  Every recipe is in her head and never written down.  Every seasoning is added based on feel and taste.  That is crucial because you are making this pizza to YOUR tastes.  Not mine, not anyone else's.  Make your pizza however you'd like.  If you like onions, add onions.  If you like garlic, go ahead with the garlic!

Here's my recipe:

1 package store bought dough
1 package shredded mozzarella cheese
1lb. ground italian sausage, browned
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 spanish/white onion diced
1 jar of favorite pasta sauce
salt, pepper
cornmeal for dusting


I started with a 10'' round non-stick cake pan with cornmeal sprinkled on the bottom.  Next. added enough store bought dough to make thin walls all the way around.  Next, add your shredded mozzarella cheese along the bottom. Again, to taste.  Add as much cheese as you like.  I usually go with 2/3 of 1 package of store bought shredded cheese.  Next, add your browned italian sausage.  Then pile on your diced pepper and onion.  Finally, pour over your favorite pasta sauce until the pan is filled.  It may not be the entire jar, so you can save some for later.  Then, pop it in a 425 degree oven for 40-50 minutes, until the crust and top of pizza starts to brown.  See picture below.  This is completely easy and for those 40 minutes you can spend doing other things, like watching the game or entertaining your significant other.

You can pair this pizza with any dry red wine, but I suggest sangiovese/chianti.  I LOVE that wine and it is a great addition to any pizza.  Very italian, very Tuscan. 

I hope you enjoyed my blog thus far.  There is much more to come, so please join me on this culinary journey of delicious foods and great experiences!  Until next time, boun appetito.