Anonymous
Post 08/12/2021 12:37     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:My 16yo considers Olive Garden the pinnacle of great restaurants. It cracks me up, we are all pretty adventurous eaters and she's not a picky kid, but something at that place just lights her up. It's always her birthday dinner pick, so last year we surprised her with takeout and even though it was lukewarm and suffering from being poured into to-go boxes, it brought her the kind of pure joy that was worth three times the price.


Sweet
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2021 11:36     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
My 16yo considers Olive Garden the pinnacle of great restaurants. It cracks me up, we are all pretty adventurous eaters and she's not a picky kid, but something at that place just lights her up. It's always her birthday dinner pick, so last year we surprised her with takeout and even though it was lukewarm and suffering from being poured into to-go boxes, it brought her the kind of pure joy that was worth three times the price.
Anonymous
Post 08/12/2021 08:32     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:OP reporting. We are going. I think my order is salad and breadsticks with 5 cheese marinara, fettuccine Alfredo, and maybe the zeppoli or white chocolate raspberry cheesecake


OP you are living my dream. Let us know how it goes.


It was good!! The menu has changed a little. The white chocolate raspberry cheesecake is sadly gone as is the stuffed chicken Marsala my husband liked. He got regular chicken Marsala instead. My 7 yo had never been and seriously loved it.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 20:26     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
My husband and daughter love OG. I do not. I occasionally will go with them to appease.

I do think Maggianos is just a better version.

If you are from the Raleigh area you might know about Ragazzi's - the NC version of OG. Now when my husband and I were broke and dating in high school, we would go and eat just several rounds of salad and breadsticks and then take our entire entree home in boxes. Two meals for the price of one!
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 20:22     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
Shrimp scampi yes biiitch!
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 20:19     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Once in a while it hits the spot. DH and I will split an entree that comes with a salad and then order the soup/salad combo. Two huge salads, plenty of breadsticks, soup and a pasta to share. It can work.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 19:56     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:OP reporting. We are going. I think my order is salad and breadsticks with 5 cheese marinara, fettuccine Alfredo, and maybe the zeppoli or white chocolate raspberry cheesecake


OP you are living my dream. Let us know how it goes.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 19:47     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:Zuppa toscana, salad, breadsticks…perfection!


yes yes yes
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 19:35     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
I love making copycat soups. I, too, remember when it was new and not everywhere are my grandmother loved to take us. It does not taste as good now as I remember it from then
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 18:01     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:Our family did a sabbatical semester in Milan and traveled throughout Italy. We’ve been to some great Italian restaurants throughout the US. And, I’m a pretty darned good cook. But our oldest son volunteered to help drive his younger sister to college in Massachusetts in a couple of weeks if we can stop at OG on the way home.


I think of it like this: my husband can definitely grill a great quality burger. But sometimes I just want McDonald’s.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 17:56     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
Our family did a sabbatical semester in Milan and traveled throughout Italy. We’ve been to some great Italian restaurants throughout the US. And, I’m a pretty darned good cook. But our oldest son volunteered to help drive his younger sister to college in Massachusetts in a couple of weeks if we can stop at OG on the way home.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 17:16     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Best experience was in an OG restaurant just outside Disneyworld. So many amazing new dishes that I never again in any other OGs. I think they test new dishes in places like Disney World because so many type of visitors from around the country and the world come there.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 17:11     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
OP reporting. We are going. I think my order is salad and breadsticks with 5 cheese marinara, fettuccine Alfredo, and maybe the zeppoli or white chocolate raspberry cheesecake
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 17:03     Subject: Re:Craving Olive Garden
Anonymous wrote:I come from a very simple family with very simple tastes. And then my older brother went off to college. And he came home from a break and was like "Holy sh*tballs you guys, I found out about this AWESOME new restaurant with Italian food! We HAVE to go!" And so we went out to Olive Garden. And it was Very Exciting. We ate at this new, fancy Italian restaurant, and a great time was had by all. WE DRESSED UP for this dinner outing!

Ahh, I look back at those days and laugh at our naiveté.
This is a great story.
Anonymous
Post 08/11/2021 17:03     Subject: Craving Olive Garden
Hmmm I'm pregnant and deciding on my last meal (before delivery) and Olive Garden does sound really good. Calamari, mushroom pasta and that salad! I rarely see calamari on menus. It's been at least a decade since I've been there