Question about Olive Garden

[Anonymous]

Is the food their authentic???

[Anonymous]

It's authentic Olive Garden food.

[Anonymous]

You're family at OG

[Anonymous]

Authentic what?

[Anonymous]

My MIL is Italian and loves it. But she’s a big meat and carb person all the time. I love their Alfredo…. Dunno if it’s authentic. It’s a chain family restaurant, if you go in knowing that I’ll think you’ll enjoy the food. I also like the fact the kids meals come with real fruit or a vegetable.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You're family at OG

*your

[Anonymous]

I'm not a good cook and the food I make at home tastes better. When my DD was 4 or 5 I told her that for the rest of her life, her job was to remind me that we hate that restaurant and don't want to go there, no matter how desperate we think we might be. She's 19 now, and still reminds me any time we pass by one.

[Anonymous]

I used to love their sundried tomato ravioli. I think every chain restaurant has a hit-the-spot dish or two, and for me, that was the one at the Olive Garden in college. Don't know if they still have it.

I was recently on a very long car ride and the only non fast-fast food was Cracker Barrel. Boy, was I glad to see a Cracker Barrel sign after seeing nothing but the Golden Arches offered for mile after mile. I sure would not have minded a trip to the Olive Garden on that journey! At the very least, you can get a decent bowl of soup and salad at the Olive Garden. A clean restroom and a decent break on a road trip are really nice, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're family at OG

*your

It was correct the first time.

When you're here, you're family!

[Anonymous]

DH and i are pretty food snobby, but OG is our dirty secret. Not really a secret though, because we go so often and everyone knows. I ran into my ever-cool hair stylist there a few months ago and i was mortified, and DH was like "he's here too."

Italian food is italian food. Lots of midrange restaurants in Rome are going to serve things pretty similar to OG food. OG uses way too much salt, but hey, it makes it taste good.

One entertaining story: my mom and i both love the egg parm at OG and had a hilarious convo with the waiter a few years back where he was trying to claim that they make it fresh daily from fresh eggplants. He was describing this elaborate scene where the kitchen is filled top to bottom with salted eggplant slices every day - whereever they have a free countertop. My mom and I, one glass into the cheap house wine, were telling this guy he was full of it, that of course they use frozen pre-breaded cutlets like you buy in the frozen food section at the grocery store. He was insistent though, that they're doing this in house. Yeah right.

Anyhow, i have since had multiple other waiters there incredulously insisting that the eggplant parm is cut, salted, and breaded daily in house. Who would have guessed?? Mom and i were put to shame.

But yeah, we like the OG in our household!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You're family at OG

*your

It was correct the first time.

When you're here, you're family!

<snap>

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I used to love their sundried tomato ravioli. I think every chain restaurant has a hit-the-spot dish or two, and for me, that was the one at the Olive Garden in college. Don't know if they still have it.

I was recently on a very long car ride and the only non fast-fast food was Cracker Barrel. Boy, was I glad to see a Cracker Barrel sign after seeing nothing but the Golden Arches offered for mile after mile. I sure would not have minded a trip to the Olive Garden on that journey! At the very least, you can get a decent bowl of soup and salad at the Olive Garden. A clean restroom and a decent break on a road trip are really nice, actually.

I ate at Cracker Barrel once, and I barely made it to the restroom fast enough when the runs hit me. It didn't even SEEM greasy, but apparently it was.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not a good cook and the food I make at home tastes better. When my DD was 4 or 5 I told her that for the rest of her life, her job was to remind me that we hate that restaurant and don't want to go there, no matter how desperate we think we might be. She's 19 now, and still reminds me any time we pass by one.

I don't believe you can make a better eggplant parm.

(not PP by the way)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I used to love their sundried tomato ravioli. I think every chain restaurant has a hit-the-spot dish or two, and for me, that was the one at the Olive Garden in college. Don't know if they still have it.

I was recently on a very long car ride and the only non fast-fast food was Cracker Barrel. Boy, was I glad to see a Cracker Barrel sign after seeing nothing but the Golden Arches offered for mile after mile. I sure would not have minded a trip to the Olive Garden on that journey! At the very least, you can get a decent bowl of soup and salad at the Olive Garden. A clean restroom and a decent break on a road trip are really nice, actually.

I ate at Cracker Barrel once, and I barely made it to the restroom fast enough when the runs hit me. It didn't even SEEM greasy, but apparently it was.

I always get steamed broccoli as a side, not the green beans--which include bacon and lots of grease. I guess it's what you order but yeah, I can see where there would be grease in even non-greasy foods. For me, I usually get the "four sides" dinner: Dumplings, hash-brown casserole, broccoli, and those awful-ly amazing apples.

[Anonymous]

I loved their spicy arrabbiata sauce, but last time I was there I was told they no longer carry it.