A Birthday Brunch at Maggiano's in Bellevue

This year my birthday fell on a Sunday. So Sunday Brunch is how I chose to celebrate. There was a Seahawks game in downtown Seattle so we wanted to avoid that area. It would have been impossible to find parking and all of the restaurants would have been packed. So I decided on the eastside in Bellevue at Maggiano's Little Italy. We had never dined there and their brunch menu looked really decent. Plus the have a kid's menu with a lot of choices our sons would like. And I won't lie, the $5 Bloody Mary and $2 Mimosa caught our eye.

The size of the restaurant was huge and that was just the main dining room. There were also quite a few banquet rooms down a long hallway. We were seated at a nice sized leather booth and I instantly felt transported to New York. The style is Little Italy and they got it just right. When we told our server it was our first time in, he happily welcomed us in. Then to our surprise the Executive Chef arrived at our table with a complimentary plate of Bruschetta since it was our first visit. I was impressed with the attention and service all the way through our brunch.

They brought fresh bread right away with oil and vinegar for dipping. I started with a Mimosa and my husband had a Bloody Mary. We nibbled on the Bruschetta while we waited for our entrees. I ordered the Chef's Featured Pancakes which were Chocolate Pistachio Pancakes with a Cannoli on top. They were fancy and unique. They tasted really chocolaty and rich and the little Cannoli on top was tasty, too. I could only manage a few bites because of all of the other food. It also came with a side of Italian Sausage. It was so flavorful and I loved every bite. The seasonings were on point. I ate half and had the rest when I got home. My husband had the Smoked Salmon and Spinach. He enjoyed every bite. It was cooked perfectly and seasoned just right. Our sons shared the kid's Ziti Pasta with butter and had some of my pancakes.

Then they presented me with a plate of Vera's Lemon Cookies with three tall candles. Our sons each also got some cookies as part of their meal. I felt special and taken care of and that's how every birthday should be! Then we walked around Bellevue Square so the boys could play in the kid's area. I ended up purchasing a happy birthday cupcake from Pinkabella. The frosting was super thick and the cake part was soft and sweet. I shared with my boys since I was full. Another successful birthday in the books!