Romano's Macaroni Grill

While downstate in Ann Arbor for my appointment, well, after the appointment was done and over and we could breathe again, we decided to treat ourselves to a nice dinner. We didn't however feel like driving and weaving through downtown Ann Arbor so we ended up going to Romano's which was right down the street from our hotel.

It is the first time I have been to a Romano's and I wish we had one closer to us in the UP somewhere. The decor was beautiful, using stone and Italian accents, and one of my favorite aspects was that you could see through to part of the kitchen. The lighting was dimmed, which made it feel more romantic and upscale.

With our dinner came a side salad. I chose the Caesar salad and had her crack some fresh pepper on top. . The meal also came with a fresh roll of ciabatta with olive oil to dip in. We both tried a small piece and it was amazing.

My husband ordered the Calabrese steak, which came with Calabrian potatoes and seasonal vegetables. Everything was cooked in a rosemary infused olive oil. The steak was cooked perfectly!

For my main dish, I ordered the "Chicken Under a Brick". The chicken is rubbed in sage and roasted. Mine also came with seasonal vegetables (which happened to be broccolini), and a side of garlic rosemary potatoes. The chicken was moist and had great flavor. The grilled lemon was a great touch and made the chicken even more juicy. I usually don't order chicken that still has the bone in it because I feel like I am doing a lot of work for not a whole lot of meat, but it sounded and was scrumptious.

For dessert, we ordered the Tiramisu to split, which is one of my favorite desserts to order at a restaurant. I also ordered a Cafe Mocha topped with foam. Both were a great way to end a delicious meal. That was some of the best Tiramisu that I have had so far. My drink was slightly on the bitter side, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, since it is made with espresso. (I still drank the entire thing).

The cool part that made me feel like a kid, was the fact that each table is lined with the paper covering. So our waitress, who was amazing (normally I don't remember their names, but she was so nice that I actually remember, thank you and shout out to Jasmine), came over and wrote her name in crayons.....and then LEFT the crayons. Maybe that is the big kid inside me still but I was excited and left them a shout out!

Macaroni Grill, Main Site
Macaroni Grill, Facebook Page

Venice Pub and Pizzeria

I have been very hesitant to eat here again. Before the ownership and name switched over to something new, I wasn't a huge fan of The Venice Supper Club. At one point in time I'm sure it was amazing. You could tell that there used to be a dance floor and half of the inside looked original to when it started. But other than the pizza, which was amazing, there was never really any flavor to the food. Ishpeming has so many Italian restaurants that you really have to have something to make yourself stand out to get people coming back for more. I never had that connection.

Now that it has been a few years since things have changed, we decided to give it a try again. I found the menu on their Facebook Page and we called in and ordered pickup. I didn't get to see how the inside has changed, other than from other people's photos posted on TripAdvisor and Urbanspoon, but the food has definitely changed for the better.

For an appetizer we ordered the Chili Cheese Fries. Oh my goodness.... they were perfect since I was craving something cheesy. The chili wasn't spicy and was loaded with meat and beans. The picture doesn't even do justice to how much cheese was actually melted on top of these. A great way to start off dinner.

For my main meal I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo. I was very skeptical at first before opening the lid because I was expecting to see what you get at most places, which is noddles literally DROWNING in white sauce. This is exactly how it looked when I took the lid off. The Alfredo sauce was so light and buttery that it was just enough to coat the noodles. It was almost more of a butter cheese sauce than a normal Alfredo made with cream or milk that ends up being really heavy.

I have heard many mixed reviews from people about the new menu here and I will have to say, making my own opinion obviously, that they have changed for the better. I will definitely be getting food from here again, and next time I will have to physically go and eat dinner there now that I know that the food is worth going!

A link to their Facebook page is below (I couldn't find, and maybe they don't have a main website yet).

Venice Pub and Pizzeria

The Pasta Shop

Have a hankering for some fresh pasta? The Pasta Shop in Marquette, Michigan is my number one spot for local, fresh pasta. I have been a frequent visitor of this restaurant since I was in middle school (over 15 years ago...yikes!). Not only am I thrilled that they offer fresh pasta (and that you can buy it to take home and make creations of your own), but this is the only Italian place around that doesn't seem overly greasy to me. Nothing is doused in olive oil, and the amount of sauce used in the pasta dishes is enough to coat the pasta, not make it swim. There were four of us that stopped to get dinner here, and since I have literally eaten every dish that was ordered in previous visits, I am going to describe all of them.

The amazing mouth-watering pizza bread. This is one of the best pizza breads I have ever had. The white soft fluffy bread is coated with a thin layer of sauce, topped with pepperoni and smothered in cheese. I recently found out that the bread is from Togo's, a local sub shop that makes the bread fresh every day!

Two great pasta dishes are the cheese and meat ravioli. Each ravioli pocket is packed full with filling. The cheese ravioli is one of my personal favorites on the menu. You can't go wrong with mix and matching the types of ravioli to the sauces they can be tossed in. Each and every combination works and is just as amazing as the next.

The pasta with chicken is always a great choice. The chicken is a nice golden brown before tossed in with the pasta. This combination is the fettuccine with cheese sauce, and also topped with grated Parmesan and herbs. 

 And now, for MY ultimate favorite of all time.....the Pasta Primavera! Starting of course with the homemade pasta, coated with the Alfredo sauce and mixed with broccoli, carrots and cauliflower. Yum!

No matter what you get on the menu, or whether you eat in the tiny little hole-in-the-wall restaurant or get takeout, you will NOT be disappointed in choosing the Pasta Shop. A link to their main website that lists the menu, and to their Facebook page is below.

The Pasta Shop

The Pasta Shop, Facebook Page

Casa Calabria Italian Restaurant

Before moving out of the city of Marquette, MI, Casa is what I grew up with and knew as good Italian food. Realizing now that there are many other choices surrounding the area that serve Italian, this is still not a bad choice when you have a craving for greasy Italian food (not necessarily a bad thing). Casa is one of three Italian restaurants in Michigan that is owned and operated by the Johnson, Barbiere and Fernandez families (they also own 19 restaurants in Wisconsin). That is why if you have ever been to the Villa in Marquette, or Mama Mia's in Ishpeming, you may have noticed some taste similarities.

Many people go for the garlic bread that is freshly baked everyday and then literally dunked in melted butter... (shiver). I am not personally a fan of the garlic bread, but there are a few select dishes that I seem to always revert back to when I order from there. We ended up getting takeout, which is why all of the pictures show the meal in to-go containers.

The Pasta Milano is my absolute favorite pasta dish from Casa. The bow tie pasta is tossed in an Asiago garlic cream sauce and topped with grilled chicken, ham, mushrooms and green onion. It is unbelievable. The cream sauce which is on the rich side goes perfectly with the salty ham and the mild onion flavor from the green onions.

My husband ended up ordering my other two favorite items, which would be the Italian Tenderloin Tips and the Penne pasta with meat sauce. The beef, which I don't normally eat often, is seasoned and marinated in an Italian dressing, and comes in a 7 ounce or 14 ounce portion (the picture above is 7 oz.). It looks like it is grilled with a skewer, and then taken off of the skewer for serving purposes. The steak gets a great char on the outside which makes it juicy on the inside. 

My only complaint (that I forget about every time I order from here) is this.....

Most people probably see a pretty standard  antipasto salad. I see wilted lettuce, DRENCHED in house dressing. I'm sure if you asked they would put the dressing on the side, but it always slips my mind. The texture just becomes chewy and the longer it sits the worse it gets.

I don't have too many complaints versus all of the great food that the Casa is serving up. If you are a steak lover, try the Italian Tenderloin tips. If you love chicken, you need to try the Pasta Milano. And if you don't like or eat meat in general, try the Three-Cheese Shells with the Marinara sauce. There is definitely something here for everyone.

The link to their Facebook page as well as their main website are below:

Casa Calabria, Facebook Page

Casa Calabria Main Site

Ralph's Italian Deli

Ralph's Italian Deli is located in Ishpeming, MI across from the Ski Hall of Fame. Growing up working in the family business that was right around the corner, I ate here all of the time. It is wonderful old school Italian food and has been given praise by many different magazines, books, and various articles. Not to mention by word of mouth from everyone who has eaten here. It has been family owned and operated for over 50 years, and hopefully will have many more years of business to come.

My husband and I ordered some of our favorite choices the other night for dinner (we usually get it to go). My absolute favorite thing to get from here is the meatball sub. Their meatballs are out of this world. Instead of getting it in sandwich form, I ordered the "snack meatballs", which is two meatballs that come in sauce.

If that wasn't enough (considering it comes with garlic bread and a house salad), I also ordered the cheese ravioli in meat sauce. I am not a fan of the consistency of ricotta usually, but these ravioli are mouth watering.
I personally suggest taking a bite of meatball and ravioli at the same time.

If you are looking for some great Italian food, this is one of the top places in Marquette County that I would suggest going to. If you are in a rush, you can do what my husband and I do and grab some takeout. If you do have a minute to stop and sit, they have a small dining room in the building, along with a small grocery store filled with all of the Italian staples. And if you have a hankering for dessert, be sure and grab a cinnamon roll!

A link to their Facebook page, main website and menu are at the links below:

Ralph's Facebook Page

Ralph's Main Site

Ralph's Menu

Mama Mia's Italian Restaurant

When we moved to Ishpeming from Negaunee, I didn't even know this place existed! The restaurant looks tiny from the street, but when you walk in it goes back for what seems like a mile. I have eaten here about 3 or 4 times in the actual restaurant, but most of the time we just get takeout to eat at home (which is why if all of the pictures of the food look like they were taken in my kitchen on my counter...they were). 

My husband claims that this is one of the best Minestrone soups he has ever had. It definitely isn't bad, I'm just not a huge soup person.

For an appetizer, we usually get the Spinach and Artichoke dip. It is rich, creamy, packed with spinach, and topped with grated Parmesan. It is amazing! Instead of serving it with the grease-dipped huge pieces of garlic bread that they give you as a side with your meal (which most love, I am not a big fan of) they give you small bite size pieces of garlic bread. The bread doesn't seem as greasy, but still tastes the same as the bigger slices. 

This is my husbands number one choice. It is the baked Cod Parmesan. He usually gets it with a side of rice pilaf. Remember me, the one who hates fish? Yeah well.....I could eat a whole piece of this thing. The center melts in your mouth, and the outside has a great crunchy exterior from the Parmesan and bread coating. And of course, it is served with a side of lemons. It may sound like a strange combination, since they say not to pair fish with cheese products, but you need to try it. 

This has become my favorite so far. The Stuffed Rigatoni with Chicken is cheese filled pasta, served with perfectly cooked strips of chicken, and smothered in Alfredo sauce. Not too great for the waistline, but delicious on the taste buds. (Sorry the picture isn't great....it's hard to make it look pretty on the plate when you dump it out of a to-go container!)

If you have a hankering for good Italian food, in more of a formal setting (or take-out) this is the place in Ishpeming to stop. It is one of two of my favorite Italian restaurants here. I was also told that they have great pizza.....but that will be for another blog post :-) . A link to the menu, and their Facebook page is below:

Mama Mia's Menu

Mama Mia's Facebook Page

Mama Russo's, the convenience of Italian food at home

I believe before, that I had mentioned that I lived in a U.P. town full of Italian restaurants (which is not at all a terrible thing, since I do love Italian food). In every local grocery store, and even some gas stations, they have Mama Russo's in the frozen department. In fact, the gas station closest to my house in Ishpeming, is attached to the building where everything is made.

Now, they do cater weddings and events and have a huge catering menu on their website. When my sister got married a few years ago, for the rehearsal dinner they catered from Mama Russo's and everything tasted amazing. If you do get a chance to host or attend an event where they are catering, you NEED to try the famous Italian Baked Chicken.  I personally love the convenience of their frozen products. They may be frozen, but once you cook them it tastes and smells like it was just whipped up in your own kitchen. The lasagna, pictured below, will put Stouffer's lasagna to shame.

If you live in the area, you should definitely pick up a pan from your local grocery store.  They also usually have Gnocchi, Rotini, Spaghetti, Mostaccioli, and of course, meatballs. You can also buy Cudighi, Italian sausage and their spaghetti sauce right off of their website on the link below.

Mama Russo's