I'm 100% Italian, so it's very hard for me to find an Italian restaurant that I like.  It's hard for any restaurant to compare to my family's home made cooking.  Usually, the tomato sauce doesn't taste good, or the restaurant uses way too much garlic for my liking.   I have only been to Maggiano's a few times, but I have loved everything that I've eaten.  The pasta dishes are good, the appetizers are awesome, and the meat dishes are also very tastey.  I was hghly impressed the first time I went, and I made sure to go back with my husband and other friends.  It's not much more expensive...