A Pizza my Mind on Maciano's

By: Christian Bottia

Maciano's Pizza & Pastaria


For my evaluation I decided to go with a place that has a lot to offer and that has the ability to impress. Unlike a standard restaurant or pizza place, Maciano’s Pizzeria is meant to have a more prestigious feel to both their food and atmosphere. I took the very short trip to Maciano’s, located in Shorewood on Route 59 in order to see how their establishment functions upon the pedestal they stand on.  

Service and Price

As mentioned before, Maciano’s is not an ordinary pizza chain such as Pizza Hut or Domino's, However, it does not rank as high as a pizzeria you might find in a city like Chicago. As soon as I arrived, I was asked if I was carrying out or dining it. Of course I chose to dine it, but the respond that followed my answer was for me to sit myself wherever I wanted. That didn't bother me much because I was able to have the choice of where I prefer to sit, but it also takes away from having top notch service when they can’t walk you to a table on an idle Tuesday night. I did not really see it as an issue but more of an observation. We were then approaches by our waitress who handed us our menus and asked what we would like to drink. The service was nice and casual, drinks came quick and she gave plenty of time for us to decide on what to get. The prices seem to fit right with the kind of food they offer. For the hand tossed 14” pepperoni and sausage pizza the price was around 16 dollars which appears fair. Along with the pizza we did order some garlic bread as an appetizer. Just like the drinks, there was no delay on the garlic bread reaching the table and the waitress was once again attentive and refilled our cups. 

Atmosphere

The location of the pizzeria is part of a plaza so unfortunately it does not provide its own unique building with an elegant outside to display what the restaurant is about for drivers passing by. However, once you step inside you are able to feel the semi casual, semi formal environment. The

menu that hangs above the counter appears to be written by hand on a chalkboard which is something that gives it an edge on a classy display. The tables and booths are wooden and are simple enough that it does not entirely make you feel as if you’re in a 5 star restaurant which seems adequate for the pizzeria. They also had 2 flat screen televisions hanging on opposite sides of the dining area which both make it feel a lot more causal and entertaining. As a sports fan, I do give them credit for having on ESPN on a Tuesday night. One of the flaws that I experienced was that although there was dim lighting over every table, the light was positioned and directed in such a way that it bright whenever you were to look up.

Cleanliness

For a Tuesday night it wasn't busy at all. There were about three to four tables being used including my table, while there were to servers on duty. Since it was a slow night, there wasn't really too much of a mess overall in the restaurant. The table we sat at was fairly clean but we decided on that table after discovering that our original choice hadn't been cleaned. I gave them the benefit of the doubt that they would get to it eventually but as I kept my eye on the table, it was not touched until we were paying for the bill which means it took approximately 45 minutes for them to get the table clean. Not setting any records with a time like that.  

Food

Now for the most important part of the visit. To start off, the garlic bread that we ordered was very good. The texture of the bread was both toasted and soft which is what I look for when I have garlic bread. The garlic was just right where you were still able to taste it yet it didn't completely overpower the bread, just wish they served more. Now when the pizza arrived it was quite a beauty. It was still smoking as she set it down on the holder and the cheese was glistening in the dim, yet blinding light. Although the pizza was still quite hot, I did not hesitate to grab a slice. The cheese was nice and stringy and the sauce was very smooth. The pepperoni and sausage is a combination that has never let me down and with this pizza it proved its superiority. I do not eat my pizza as some do with a fork and knife, I prefer the hands on approach which causes more of a mess with such a loaded pizza. But I don’t eat pizza for its tidiness. It was quite a delicious pizza but we were unable to finish it, which just meant I was able to take it home and enjoy once more the following day. 

Overall

From my whole experience in Maciano’s I was very satisfied with food and atmosphere. However as I saw on many of costumers reviews on yelp, the service fell far behind the actual food. For such a great place for food, I few tweaks and adjustments from the staff would make this restaurant the best around.