The Pioneer Woman Mercantile

We finally made it to America’s heartland! Dinner in Pawhuska, OK at the Mercantile. Being there during the peak of tornado season last May made it even more exciting. Outstanding order of Chicken Parmesan! The Merc’s version of this chicken parm is a down-home American take on the Italian comfort classic. Topped with red sauce and melted mozzarella, served over a bed of al dente spaghetti. Plus some of the best tasting sweet tea. I was able to get through about 3/4 of this before tapping out.

Italian Cucina

Outstanding chicken parmigiana at Barona Casino’s Italian Cucina!

North Italia

I’ve eaten chicken parmigiana at many fine Italian restaurants throughout SoCal. Probably the best I’ve put in my mouth was at North Italia in El Segundo recently. Their pasta here is house made daily and it tastes like it! The dish here is paired with a nice rigatoni in a garlic cream sauce. Really nice balance to go with the red sauce chicken. I could eat this everyday!

D’Carlos

Chicken Parmesan at D’Carlos! Covered in melted provolone cheese and marinara sauce, served with a side of spaghetti, tasty garlic bread and freshly shaved parmesan cheese, $13.25.

The first thing I noticed was the stunning presentation! The next thing I observed was the naked chicken breast! Traditional chicken parm is made with a breaded chicken breast so this was somewhat of a departure being not breaded. I have to tell you though, the more I ate, the more I liked it. The chicken was grilled to the perfect doneness and was quite juicy and tender. Personally, I prefer a crispy breaded breast, but this one didn’t feel like a lead weight in my gut after eating it. I’m sure it was less calories too for those who care about that sort of thing.

The pasta unfortunately was cooked well past al dente. I was really impressed though with the marinara sauce. In my opinion it would rival any good Italian restaurant within a reasonable driving distance. It was rich, flavorful and robust. Overall a great dish when you want something other than their signature beef or seafood dishes.

Olive Garden

Here’s the so-called light version of Chicken Parmigiana at Olive Garden.  It’s pretty much the same as their full dinner version, but just one piece of chicken instead of two. The dish is pretty tasty but surprisingly the chicken seems overly institutional for OG.  Like it’s from the bottom shelf of the Sysco truck.

Romano’s Macaroni Grill

Outstanding order of chicken parm at Romano’s Macaroni Grill! Most of my visits here are hit and miss on the food. This dish however was excellent.