It's Official, It's Open

Yup, you are reading it here first, the first of the three new restaurants making up Northern New Jersey's restaurant row is officially open. Maggianos opened this week at the Shops of Riverside and I recently went to see how this upscale chain is holding up.
The restaurant itself is very nice. It has a casual sophisticated ambiance. They also have a nice bar area with some TVs. I looked at the drink menu and there were some really nice fun drinks as well as a good selection of wines.
For my meal I started with the mozzarella marinara which was essentially just a big mozzarella stick. It was good but not ground breaking.
They also give you bread here. It is rather plain but heated so it makes it nice. They also serve it with a oil and balsamic vinegar. It is good but again not ground breaking. They should add some garlic or something to it.
For my entree I got the chicken pesto pasta. I substituted the linguine for whole wheat penne. I love that you have the option to do that. I ordered the 1/2 portion which was more than enough for a big meal. I was very happy with the dish. The chicken was good and the sauce was tasty. I also sampled the Chicken Marsala which was delicious! Only annoying thing is that it does not come with a side. Next time I go I would order that and share it with someone that is getting a pasta dish. You get 3 big cutlets so it is more than enough to share. I also tried the Chicken Fontina which was a nice choice and the Rigatoni D. I liked it, but the person who ordered it thought it was a bit on the bland side. I thought it had a nice refreshing taste. Another dish that I would really like to try is the 4 cheese ravioli. I have come to really like ravioli in my old age.
I did not order desserts but saw them being brought out to other tables. Everything looked really good especially the chocolate cake the these homemade profiteroles (pastry things) with ice cream all around it.
One last thing to note, they also offer a family style menu that allows you to sample a bit of everything. I would do that if I went with a large party and a big appetite.