I thought the food was MUCH better than macaroni grill. Like not even comparable. I guess it depends on what you order and what you're expecting. You'll get lots of differing opinions...some people will automatically hate it because it's expensive. Others will love it only because it's expensive so they're getting a lot of $$ for a DDP credit. If you like italian food, try it...but be more adventurous than spaghetti!
We had spicy mussels and sweet and sour meatballs for appetizers, my husband had the pork shank and I had lasagna as entrees. The lasagna noodles were definitely home made - like my grandmother's were - not the think, rubbery ronzoni kind. The pork shank fell off the bone. It's more Italian-Italian than American-Italian. We really liked it a lot and we're going back next month.
As a contrast, the couple next to us was disappointed that Mozzarella sticks, fried calamari, and Chicken Parm were not on the menu. So they ordered spaghetti and meatballs and they did not eat the meatballs because they were made of veal not beef.
Our server was also excellent, though I think she is back in Italy now (she was leaving right after we were there in Dec).