Maggiano's has been my go to for casual Italian dining for many years, so when I heard a new Summerlin location opened, I knew I had to check it out. My first impression was that this location lacked the charm of the other Maggiano's I've dined at in the past. Instead of the typical dark, old-school vibe of the past, the restaurant has a casual feel with lots of square tables in an open dining room that seems to span the entire restaurant. Although the large windows throughout are a nice touch, I personally didn't care for the open feel of this particular Maggiano's.
We were lucky enough to be seated in one of the restaurant's very few booths, but overall, the ambiance was still lacking. The food was great; the visiting Chef from Costa Mesa really went above and beyond by making gluten-free, vegan fried zucchini from scratch (cornstarch slurry then coated with crushed potato chips--very highly recommended!). Because I have not dined while the resident Chef is overseeing the kitchen, I cannot generalize whether the food is as excellent when the visiting Chef was there. I would still expect you can't go wrong with the Downtown Summerlin location since Maggiano's food tends to be very consistent across their many locations.