Review of Giovanni Rana Tagliatelle Grilled Chicken & Portobello Mushroom Sauce

Normally, when my wife and I make a Costco run (like we did this past Sunday), it's not unusual for me to see something interesting on the shelf and throw it into the cart as a spur-of-the-moment purchase.

However, that was not the case with this particular product. Instead, I happened to see this in the monthly flyer we receive as part of our membership and, thinking it looked good, purposely looked for it when we were shopping. And, after I saw it was just $6.99 (it's normally $9.99), I decided to buy it for dinner. After having it last night, I have to say I was pleased with this decision.

I'm always a little skeptical when it comes to pre-packaged meals like this one (which is found in the refrigerator section). Most offer relatively decent convenience but very few offer quality as well. This was one of the few that did offer both.

When I first looked at the package, I wasn't sure if it would be as convenient as I hoped it would be because, at least from the picture, it looked like it was going to be complicated to prepare. That, however, was not the case. The main package had three separate packages inside, one for the pasta, one for the sauce and another for the meat. All I had to do to prepare this meal was open those packages and combine them. After that, I just needed to heat the dinner up in the microwave. In total, it took me about 10 minutes.

The quality was what really surprised me though. I won't say it was as good as homemade. But, I do think it was at least as good as what I've had at some chain restaurants (and this was considerably less expensive). The sauce had a good flavor to it and there was an abundance of grilled chicken, much more than I was expecting.

I also thought the product offered a decent quantity. There was enough for my wife and I to each have seconds and we still had enough leftover for lunch. The fact I was able to get two meals out of it only added to what I already thought was a great value.

As a result of this, even though I'm not sure this is a product I would buy on a regular basis (at least at full price), I would definitely consider purchasing this and making it for dinner again. If you have an opportunity to try it, I do recommend it.

My Grade: A