Mention big-chain eateries, and I cringe like a vampire having a rope of garlic heads shaken in his face. I don't think these places are bad. I just prefer independent restaurants that struggle like an indie film for a share of the spotlight to corporate-backed eatery clones cluttering up our island's culinary landscape.

But the crowds at Romano's Macaroni Grill, which opened in Ala Moana Center in November, piqued my interest. On my first attempt to dine at the chain restaurant, a two-hour wait and a hungry-looking throng confronted me. I gave up.

A few weeks later, I found out what all the hoo-ha was about. Just before 5 p.m., friends and I slipped into a 322-seat mega-dining room decorated a la Tuscan farmhouse. It was like sneaking into a club by way of dinner and staying without paying cover. The early-bird tactic worked. We got a comfortable booth with a view of the open kitchen and as the evening progressed we watched tables fill up and a mob grow beyond the doors.

Aside from a cozy fire pit at the bar and the relief of finding macaroni only on the kids' menu, what impressed me were reasonably priced dishes with popular, tasty appeal — a sort of California Pizza Kitchen kicked up a notch. Except the company behind these Italian-inspired arches is Dallas-based Brinker International Inc., the second-leading casual-dining restaurant operator in the nation. The company's other name brands include Chili's Grill & Bar, On the Border Mexican Grill & Cantina, Maggiano's Little Italy and Rockfish Seafood Grill.

CEO and founder Randy Schoch of Arizona-based Desert Island Restaurants, which operates three Ruth's Chris Steak Houses in Hawai'i and is the local franchisee of Romano's, plans to open another four Macaroni Grills here.

Ancient Romans figured out that panem et circenses — bread and circuses — please the masses, and apparently people's tastes haven't changed much. Romano's successfully capitalizes on our endless love of starch and our desire to be entertained.

Italian language lessons echo in the restrooms. The waitstaff greets you by writing their names upside-down with crayons on the butcher paper covering tables. While low-carb gasps its last breath in the public arena (Atkins Nutritionals filed for bankruptcy last summer), Romano's, with more than 230 outlets in the United States and abroad, has proven that pasta has risen victoriously once again.

The chain avoids the hackneyed red-and-white checkered tablecloths, dining rooms reeking of Kraft Parmesan and low-grade Italian-American cuisine. Instead, it relies on a more grown-up formula that packages drinks and professional service in a simple, casually elegant interior. The semblance of fine dining without fuss mimics the Cheesecake Factory model, settling into a mid-scale niche between upscale Italian restaurants and kid-driven family pizza joints.

The whole operation tries to please. A waitress sang "Happy Birthday" in Italian. Food arrived fairly quickly as cooks and servers were spurred on by occasional shouts of "Andiamo!" in the kitchen.

You can have the adult version of a Slurpee in a Bellini cocktail ($5.50) to go with chicken Marsala ($13.99) cloaked in a rich wine sauce sweetly hinting of caramel and accented by roasted garlic cloves in their skins and slices of portobello mushroom. Even though the accompanying capellini was a touch soft, it still outdid a lot of O'ahu pasta plates in taste and portion size.

It would be difficult to leave Romano's without leftovers (wrapped East-Coast-style in aluminum containers resembling pie pans). Finishing off twin slabs of perfectly grilled pork chops ($15.99) coated in a tangy rosemary-balsamic glaze was a challenge better suited for two. Flecks of the fresh herb added a faint, woodsy aroma to the sauce. The side of wild mushroom risotto was a meal in itself.

And the picky food snob in me appreciated the create-your-own-pasta concept (begins at $8.99). Choose from several types of pasta and seven sauces, ranging from traditional bolognese to a delectable house specialty of roasted-garlic cream. There's even a spicy, red arrabbiata. Then pick up to three ingredients from a list that includes roasted red peppers and sliced artichokes. Those wanting more protein can try imported buffalo mozzarella ($2), meatballs (2 for $3) or shrimp (4 for $4) among other options.

Colorful, entree-sized salads also got my attention. The insalata blu's delicate Bibb lettuce ($8.99) was dressed in a mild balsamic vinaigrette with smoky blue cheese counterbalancing slightly tart, pickled red onions. The chicken Florentine salad's ($10.99) chopped spinach and orzo, tossed in a garlic-lemon vinaigrette with capers, black olives and pine nuts were an appetizing, nicely textured mix.

The candy-bar allure of the dessert ravioli ($5.29) won unanimous approval at our table. Chocolate ganache, peanuts and caramel wrapped in dough, then deep-fried, went especially well with vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce.

Romano's Macaroni Grill is no top-notch trattoria, but it shows how far America has come from Ragœ in a jar. The Mainland chain poses stiff competition for many of the island's indie Italian restaurants.

Reach Helen Wu at hwu@honoluluadvertiser.com.