A perfect pizza and pastaria place

Jim and Nancy do not disclose the fact that they will review a restaurant before they attend, ensuring their reviews are unbiased and uninfluenced by their position with the Sun Day.

One night our phone rang and our friends Tom and Linda said they just dined at a restaurant we recently reviewed. This reminded them that we haven’t seen each other for a while and suggested we get together. Tom suggested trying a new restaurant that neither one of us has been to. The wheels started turning in Nancy’s head, smoke came out of her ears, and I watched as the light bulb over her noggin suddenly lit up. She remembered that a few readers recommended a little place in Elgin called Maciano’s Pizza and Pastaria.

After cruising the parking lot a few times while telling several drivers what we thought of their ancestors, we finally found a parking spot. Maciano’s is a small strip mall restaurant with eight booths and approximately eight tables. Linda tried making reservations for our Saturday night get together, but we were surprised to learn that they don’t accept reservations. Since it is such a small venue, you have to ask yourself, “Do you feel lucky”? We were, when we got the last available table in the restaurant.

The décor was surprisingly elegant from the entry hallway with windows looking into the dining room, to the mural accenting one wall, and the wooden wine rack by the hostess area. This is obviously a family friendly restaurant judging from all the little bambinos in high chairs gnawing on pasta.

We’re really trying to be good and stick to our diet, so we decided to pass on the appetizers. This ended up to be a good thing after tasting the warm loaves of bread that our waitress brought over. We couldn’t stop breaking bread with our friends and dipping it into the oil and pungent grated cheese.

On to the entrees…Nancy spotted the Shrimp Alla Maciano ($15.09), which was five shrimp sautéed in a white wine garlic butter sauce and baked parmigiana style on a bed of linguini. Since none of the meals are served with any sides, she ordered the house salad for a $3.49 upcharge.

Tonight Jim wanted to start with a salad. “OMG he’s eating healthy,” or so I thought. He got excited when he saw an Antipasto Salad on the menu. He ordered this as a side for $6.49. This was Mortadella, Cappicola, Genoa Salami, cheese, tomatoes, pepperoncini, and olives served over lettuce with the house balsamic vinegar dressing. I couldn’t believe it when he ate the deli meats and all the other goodies and left the lettuce! What kind of moron orders a salad and doesn’t eat the lettuce? Welcome to my world, people… If I knew that he wasn’t going to eat the lettuce, I wouldn’t have ordered a side salad because I could have had his.

Since we have heard so many good things about their pizzas, Jim tried the Pick 4 Thin Crust Pizza ($17.69). He chose sausage, bacon, green pepper and onion and when it arrived everyone at the table wanted a piece. I said, “Stop pouting Jim. So what if it went from a 12-inch pizza to a 10-inch? You’ll still be taking leftovers home”. The pizza was great and proved to be the hit of the evening.

Nancy had a sweet tooth tonight so we had to order the Tiramisu ($6.49). The menu said it would serve two, but it was large enough to feed the four of us. This version was different than most since they added mini biscotti’s (4) on top of the cake. That was a nice touch and made it especially yummy.

The price for this friendly get together was $58.70, mangia!

FYI: Handicap accessible.

Good food, good friends, and a good time was had by all. It’s nice to have an Italian restaurant close to home.

Jim’s take: My pizza was great, just ask EVERYONE at the table. Maciano’s wasn’t skimpy with the toppings. I loved my “salad”…

Nancy’s take: Jim won this evening with his pizza. The tiramisu was delicious and the biscotti was the crowning touch!

Have comments or restaurant suggestions for the Dining Duo? Send them an email at thediningduo@gmail.com

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