The Olive Garden Gave A Great First Impression!
Written: May 18 '01
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great selection, and great prices
Cons: Appetizers are a rip off!
The Bottom Line: I recommend the Olive Garden to anyone. Friends, families, dates. It's a great place for all!
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| Kelamandasmom's Full Review: Olive Garden |
My husband and I recently celebrated our wedding anniversary. With a new baby due any day now, I really don't have the energy to do anything extravagant. I wanted to do what I do best.......eat out! So, my hubby promised to take me out to dinner anywhere I wanted. Having my choice of literally thousands of restaurants in the greater New York area, can you guess where I chose to go for my wedding anniversary?
The Olive Garden??? Why??? My poor husband was once again dumbfounded. I could of chose a great steakhouse, or perhaps a quiet french bistro. But I wanted to go to the Olive Garden, a chain restaurant. My husband was hesitant, but agreed. I have never been to an Olive Garden restaurant before, but had only heard good things about it from family and friends. Even though the quote "It's not REAL Italian" accompanied the praises, I was still interested in going. Why? Who knows. I just like to try something new from time to time.
We decided to go during the week knowing that the wait would be short. We arrived to find a clean waiting area with plenty of comfy benches available. Even though it was a Tuesday at 7pm, there was still a 20 minute wait. Instead of waiting at the bar, we chose to stay in the waiting area and browse there take out menu, and wine lists. While waiting, the hostess brought me a glass of water without me even asking for it. She said I looked thirsty! Being as big as a house, I was very grateful!
When our named was called 15 minutes later, the hostess asked me if I would be more comfortable in a booth, or a table. I guess being with child has some advantages! We opted for a booth, and were promptly seated. The booths were very large, and comfy. I had no trouble squeezing my rather large belly into the seat. My husband, who is no small fry, also was quite comfortable.
We began to browse the menu. The selection was adequate. Along with a basic appetizer selection (fried mozzerella, chicken fingers, toasted ravioli) they offered a nice assortment of pastas, meat dishes, and specials. One of these specials was the main reason I wanted to try the Olive Garden in the first place. Their Tour OF Italy. This is the special advertised in the commercials. A portion of chicken parmesan, meat lasagna, and fettucine alfredo, along with all you can eat salad and breadsticks, for $9.99. I try to be frugal, and this was as frugal as they came. It looked appetizing on TV, so I figured why not?
After our server brought us our salad and breaksticks, we began to feast. The salad, an assortment of mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, black olives, shredded carrots, and purple cabbage, was a meal in itself. Tossed with a light italian dressing, it was pleasingly refreshing. The garlic breadsticks were fresh and hot. Just a tad too garlicky for me, but my tastes are hampered due to the pregnancy. We finished the large bowl of salad, and was promptly brought another. It was at this point our appetizer arrived.
The sampler of fried mozzerella, and fried chicken fingers, was small, and not quite appealing. I guess for the price of $6.50, you really can't complain. The mozzerella was too overcooked, literally frying most of the chees out of the breading. The chicken fingers were ok, nothing fancy. Later on during our meal, a manager came over and asked us how our meal was. My husband explained our dissapointment in the appetizer, and he promptly removed it from our bill! It does help to open your mouth from time to time!
About 10 minutes after we finished our appetizers and salads, our meals arrive. The tour of Italy, as I described earlier, was a nice assortment. The chicken was especially good. Loght, and crispy, it truly made rthe meal. The fettucine alfredo was a nice pasta, dona al dente, with a nice sauce. I honestly didn't try the lasagna till lunch the next day. It was a good combination of cheeses, meat, and pasta. I was pleasantly surprised.
My husband ordered the stuffed chicken parmesan. A very large chicken breast, stuffed with assorted cheeses, was thoughorly enjoyed by my husband, who's quite picky by nature. His tri-colored linguine was untouched. I'm not sure if that was because my husband was full, or because the linguine was tri-colored! As I said, he's a picky one. For $12.95 though, the price, and entree, were just right.
We then decided to splurge on dessert. My husband ordered their "famous" chocolate lasagna. Layers of moist chocolate cake, intertwined with buttercream and chocolate chips, was heavenly. I ordered the black tie tuxedo cake. Dark chocolate mousse, cheesecake, chocolate chips, and a light chocolate crust were well enjoyed. I savored every bite! The desserts were priced from $3.95-$5.00, depending on the dessert. I have to admit, they're worth the price!
All in all, our experience with the Olive garden was a good one. The prices were good, the service was great, and the restaurant was immaculate. All of these factors make me happy! I believe that the Olive Garden will make you happy too!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
Kelamandasmom
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 - Top 1000 |
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Member: Kelly Paulson-Koch
Location: NYC, New York
Reviews written: 67
Trusted by: 109 members
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