Macaroni Grill is one of those restaurants I've only really heard of on TV, like when someone on a game show wins a year's worth of meals. It's a casual Italian restaurant chain that is headquartered in Denver. And, it happened to also be my Christmas dinner recently.



I was traveling and simultaneously wanted to try a new place, but since it was a holiday, options were limited. And since there aren't Macaroni Grills in my neck of the woods, it was the perfect choice. I made a reservation, and I was surprised to see how busy they were. Maybe lots of people had the same idea.



The menu has standard Italian features like pasta and sauce, chicken parmesan, steak, soup, salad, bruschetta and the like. I started with a small rosemary roll with olive oil that was lovely. It tasted fresh and felt special, so it made me excited for my entree.



I made my own pasta dish with fettuccine, roasted garlic cream sauce, shrimp. mushrooms, asparagus and roasted garlic. This creamy, garlicky pasta dish is so tasty with the pop of fresh asparagus. The only thing that would have made it perfect for me was if there was a nice little drizzle of balsamic reduction. Indulgence to the max.