Maggiano’s, Little Italy, Nashville, TN

Maggiano’s Little Italy, located in Nashville, Tennessee has always been one of our favorite Italian restaurants. My go-to dish is the Ziti while my wife's favorite is the lasagna. Both are great and you will not go wrong by choosing either of these great Italian dishes. Maggiano’s is consistent; they use the perfect amount of flavorful Italian sausage and fresh tomato sauce in both dishes. 

Based on my experience, if you dine at Maggiano’s you will not leave hungry. If you do get hungry later, no worries, you will likely have a take-home portion riding home in the back seat. For years, the taken home portion was included in the price of your entrée. I am sad to say that the days of the free lunch are gone. Maggiano’s now charges five dollars for the take-home portion but it is still a great value. 

Maggiano's Taylor Street Baked Ziti

As our appetizers, we chose the calamari and stuffed mushrooms. I have had better calamari but the mushrooms were just short of being a delicacy. Speaking of delicacies, Maggiano’s offers a dessert sampler that allows you to choose five smaller portioned desserts. I highly recommend the sampler. My family of five split these up and in the end; I was able to try the crème brulee and the butter cake. Both of these desserts were delicious but I think I prefer the butter cake a little more.

 

If you have not tried Maggiano’s in Nashville, please do yourself a favor and make a reservation today!

The Bent Rod Restaurant, McClellanville, SC

We were on our way back to North Myrtle Beach from Charleston, SC. We had spent the entire day at Patriots Point and by this time we were starving. The Bent Rod, located in McClellanville, SC, was the first eatery that showed on Google maps. McClellanville is a small fishing community with a population of approximately five hundred. The town sits directly on the east coast just north of Bulls Bay, and currently, it was our next stop.

The place looks small from the outside and it doesn't particularly stand out from its surroundings. In fact, if you aren’t paying attention then you may drive by and miss the place all together. On the inside, the owners have done a fantastic job of creating a cool vibe and an enjoyable atmosphere with limited space. They have also incorporated an open-air bar and added patio seating to maximize capacity.

When we arrived, I asked our server if they serve local seafood, I was assured that they do. Our server said that they purchase the bulk of their seafood from a local marina Just around the corner. This is the trend along the entire east coast, where there are several small fishing communities and a lot of great local restaurants. As a result, it is in this area that you can find some of the freshest and best seafood in the world. In my opinion of course.  

We started with the truffle fries; they were good but too oily for my taste. One of the locals overheard our conversation and recommended the shrimp his wife recommended the flounder. In the end, my wife ordered the shrimp, and I chose the flounder, so that we could try both. The portions were large, and everything was cooked perfectly. We had more than enough to eat and even left a few bites on our plates.

The Bent Rod is a wonderful place to stop and have some authentic local dishes. I also get the feeling that this would be a great place to enjoy a beer and try some local bar foods. If you are traveling along highway 17, the Bent Rod is worth a visit.


The Bent Rod