Romano’s Macaroni Grill revamps menuRomano’s Macaroni Grill revamps menu

Romano’s Macaroni Grill has revamped its menu, adding 11 permanent items and bringing back four dishes from older menus as limited-time offers, the Denver-based company said.

The new menu comes four months after the chain emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in February as a leaner concept with 86 company-owned locations in 22 states and 21 franchised locations in the United States and seven other countries.

The new permanent menu items include two salads:

Italian Chopped: Roasted chicken, romaine lettuce, smoked buffalo mozzarella, Roma tomatoes, artichokes, chopped pepperoni, feta, cucumber, Parmesan cheese and Oreganata dressing, $12.99

Crunchy Lombardi: Kale, arugula, apple, dates, Parmesan, pickled red onions and blood orange vinaigrette, $10.49

The casual-dining chain also introduced two new antipasti:

Stuffed Mushrooms: Mushroom caps filled with sausage, goat cheese, ricotta-spinach blend and crispy parsley, $10.49

Spinach & Artichoke Dip: Spinach, artichokes, Parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, white wine and spices served with garlic-brushed rosemary bread, $9.99, also available with shrimp for an additional $2

Three new pasta dishes are on the menu:

Pasta Milano: Rigatoni with roasted chicken, sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms in roasted garlic cream sauce, $15.99

Pomodoro Pansotti: Four-cheese ravioli with imported Pomodorina tomato sauce and charred tomatoes, $17.99

Sausage Rigatoni: Rigatoni with Italian sausage, mushrooms, Romano cheese and Alfredo sauce $12.99

Two meat entrées and one seafood entrée have been added, too:

Steak & Potatoes: Ten-ounce sirloin, roasted Parmesan potatoes, sautéed broccolini and choice of Oreganata sauce or rosemary butter, $24.99

Grilled Pork Chop: Bone-in pork chop with Chianti balsamic demiglace and wild mushroom & snap pea risotto, $22.99

Grilled Salmon: Salmon fillet with Calabrian honey pepper glaze and orzo with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, $21.49

The chain also added a tomato basil soup for $5.49.

Chianti Steak and Salmon Piccata

Additionally, Macaroni Grill is bringing back four dishes from the chain’s 30-year history on a special Chef’s Favorites menu that’s available for an unspecified limited time.

The special menu says, “Throughout the years, we have found recipes that remain near and dear to our hearts. It brings us great pleasure to serve these time-honored favorites to you once again, just as you remember.”

They are:

Salmon Piccata: Grilled salmon fillet with capellini pasta, capers, lemon juice, artichokes, mushrooms and lemon butter, $23.99

Seafood Cioppino: Seafood stew of mussels, scallops, shrimp, white fish, Arrabbiata sauce, white wine and basil, served with garlic-brushed rosemary bread, $24.99

San Marino Chicken: Grilled chicken breast with mustard cream sauce, shrimp skewers glazed with Calabrian pepper and honey, and orzo with spinach and sun-dried tomatoes, $19.99

Chianti Steak: 10-ounce grilled sirloin, Chianti balsamic demiglace, spinach-gorgonzola fettuccini and crispy prosciutto, $27.99

“At Macaroni Grill, we are committed to our tradition of providing guests with authentic Italian food that truly represents our Italian heritage and featuring key ingredients sourced from Italy. Our goal is to provide guests with an experience that combines great tasting food with a lively and intimate atmosphere unlike any other,” vice president of marketing Holly Wagstaff-Bellomo said in a statement. “Everything we do is centered around both our origin and our roots, and we can’t wait for our guests to discover their new Italian favorites and flavors on our core menu or revel in old traditions.”

The new menu comes as the casual-dining segment as a whole struggles with stagnant traffic and sales. According to NRN’s latest Top 200 data, Macaroni Grill’s sales declined by more than 15 percent in 2017 as it closed 37 units over the course of the year.

Contact Bret Thorn at [email protected] 

Follow him on Twitter: @foodwriterdiary