126 replies to this topic

[nuke'em ttg]

Man they have alot of servers, really ontop of it without buggin the chit outta ya

[irish]

I absolutely love the Olive Garden.  It's one of my favorite places to eat!  Salad and breadsticks all the way.

[detlef]

Best of all, the parking is free.

[Bier Meister]

detlef, on 7/26/11 8:07am, said:

Best of all, the parking is free.

but they charge for silverware

[SEC=UGA]

I bet I haven't been to an Olive Garden in well over 14 years.

[loaf]

with all the local establishments that serve Italian around here, and some damn fine, it never ceases to amaze how packed the OG's parking lot is.
It's been years since I've been and will probably be years more...

[nuke'em ttg]

detlef, on 7/26/11 10:07am, said:

Best of all, the parking is free.

Yes, and if yer a big brother or Big sister by design you eat for free

[Furd]

detlef, on 7/26/11 11:07am, said:

Best of all, the parking is free.

I get it.

[Hugh B Tool]

Italian baby food. No spices, no undertones, which is so easy to do with Italian. Just there really. Service has always been top notch so maybe that is why they are always packed. Go maybe once or twice  a year when my MIL comes to visit. Now if dem bitches would park my car I would go a lot more.

[nuke'em ttg]

and askin if ya want breadsticks ta go, nice foil bag

[The Holy Roller]

irish, on 7/26/11 9:56am, said:

I absolutely love the Olive Garden.  It's one of my favorite places to eat!  Salad and breadsticks all the way.

Don't forget the soup!  Once a year, just to remind myself.

[Zooty]

Hugh B Tool, on 7/26/11 10:14pm, said:

Italian baby food. No spices, no undertones, which is so easy to do with Italian. Just there really. Service has always been top notch so maybe that is why they are always packed. Go maybe once or twice  a year when my MIL comes to visit. Now if dem bitches would park my car I would go a lot more.

+1

The one by us is always packed and has over an hour wait.  I'll never understand why anyone would wait an hour for glorified Chefboy-Are-D.  Waiting an hour just for all you can eat breadsticks and salad?

[irish]

loaf, on 7/26/11 1:28pm, said:

with all the local establishments that serve Italian around here, and some damn fine, it never ceases to amaze how packed the OG's parking lot is.
It's been years since I've been and will probably be years more...

Missing out.

The Holy Roller, on 7/27/11 8:15pm, said:

Don't forget the soup!  Once a year, just to remind myself.

Yeah, i thought about the soup after i posted.

[i_am_the_swammi]

detlef, on 7/26/11 11:07am, said:

Best of all, the parking is free.

...and they grow their own veggies out front

[Furd]

Olive Garden is the pseudo-Eyetalian version of Applebee's. If you like to eat there, you don't really appreciate food.

[Kid Cid]

Furd, on 7/28/11 8:15am, said:

Olive Garden is the pseudo-Eyetalian version of Applebee's. If you like to eat there, you don't really appreciate food.

This.

[nuke'em ttg]

Furd, on 7/28/11 7:15am, said:

Olive Garden is the pseudo-Eyetalian version of Applebee's. If you like to eat there, you don't really appreciate food.

yer cruel, i thought i was finally eatin italian that applebees shot was un called for, you you dick

[Furd]

nuke'em ttg, on 7/28/11 8:55am, said:

yer cruel, i thought i was finally eatin italian that applebees shot was un called for, you you dick

[detlef]

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret.  You know why some random pasta dish at Olive Garden is "so much tastier" than just boiling some noodles at home and opening a can of ragu?  Because places like that melt a ton of butter into every portion.  

So, here's how to make a meal just as delicious as Olive Garden without leaving your home.  

Today we're going to make "Zesty Shrimp Penne".  I'm just guessing there's a dish called that on the menu.

Go to Costco.  Buy a bag of peeled and deveined shrimp, some butter, a huge box of pasta (don't forget, this is Olive Garden, so the bowl is endless), and 3-pack of whatever gourmet tomato sauce they're selling.  If you want to pretend that this is Shrimp Penne a la Vodka, grab some cream as well.  

Boil the noodles and heat up everything else up in a pan.  Mix them together.  Add lots of salt.  If it's going to be "zesty", add some chili flakes.  Enjoy.  Again, make plenty, because the bowl is endless.  None the less, you'll have enough to repeat this inspired repast a few more times before you have to go back to Costco.  

In the event that you actually want Italian food, go to an Italian restaurant.

[Zooty]

irish, on 7/27/11 11:11pm, said:

Missing out.

not really, I can open a can of "Olive Garden" anytime

Soooo many better real Italian places to but alas they don't have endless bread and lettuce  

detlef, on 7/28/11 10:41am, said:

I'm going to let you all in on a little secret.  You know why some random pasta dish at Olive Garden is "so much tastier" than just boiling some noodles at home and opening a can of ragu?  Because places like that melt a ton of butter into every portion.  

So, here's how to make a meal just as delicious as Olive Garden without leaving your home.  

Today we're going to make "Zesty Shrimp Penne".  I'm just guessing there's a dish called that on the menu.

Go to Costco.  Buy a bag of peeled and deveined shrimp, some butter, a huge box of pasta (don't forget, this is Olive Garden, so the bowl is endless), and 3-pack of whatever gourmet tomato sauce they're selling.  If you want to pretend that this is Shrimp Penne a la Vodka, grab some cream as well.  

Boil the noodles and heat up everything else up in a pan.  Mix them together.  Add lots of salt. If it's going to be "zesty", add some chili flakes.  Enjoy.  Again, make plenty, because the bowl is endless.  None the less, you'll have enough to repeat this inspired repast a few more times before you have to go back to Costco.  

In the event that you actually want Italian food, go to an Italian restaurant.

God how did I forget about the salt?  Good thing they have endless glasses of water too.

Edited by Zooty, 28 July 2011 - 08:32 PM.

[irish]

Zooty, on 7/28/11 9:32pm, said:

not really, I can open a can of "Olive Garden" anytime

Soooo many better real Italian places to but alas they don't have endless bread and lettuce  

I understand that this is the way that many feel and I get the point about wanting "real Italian" food.  However, I love their food regardless of how simple it is to prepare, how it doesn't rank with the "top notch" places and many agree as there's always a wait at that place.  I've also eaten at a place called Maggiano's and their food is terrific.

[The Holy Roller]

I eat Italian everyday. Married one and she can cook her ass off (could start with nothing but a plain paper bag and still make it delicious!). I don't go to Olive Garden to eat REAL Italian. I go to give her a break and because she likes it.

[darin3]

I figured it wouldn't be long until the food snobs start here.  I can't think of the last time I was at an Olive Garden, and I've probably eaten at 'em less than 5 times total, but hey, to each his own.  If the food tastes good to you, then go for it.  

A sommelier  once told my wife - at a wine tasting - that "the best tasting wine in the word is simply the one you think tastes the best regardless of price".  

I'm sure the snobbies will tear that statement apart too.  

I'm a hugh Italian food fan.  I'd even consider myself a Italian food snob.  But I won't sit here and rip on you for liking something.

[detlef]

darin3, on 7/29/11 9:30am, said:

I figured it wouldn't be long until the food snobs start here.  I can't think of the last time I was at an Olive Garden, and I've probably eaten at 'em less than 5 times total, but hey, to each his own.  If the food tastes good to you, then go for it.  

A sommelier  once told my wife - at a wine tasting - that "the best tasting wine in the word is simply the one you think tastes the best regardless of price".  

I'm sure the snobbies will tear that statement apart too.  

I'm a hugh Italian food fan.  I'd even consider myself a Italian food snob.  But I won't sit here and rip on you for liking something.

I get that, but there's another side to it.  For a country that likes to think it champions excellence and achievement, we sure have a hard time ever recognizing that everyone is not an expert.  Which, by the way, is oddly similar to the mantras of the Khmer Rouge and Mao and such.  All the "elite" were rounded up because they dared to think that, since they'd actually bothered to learn about something, they had anymore to say about a topic than the normal guy.

Now, that is not to say that we should all be free to like what we want.  Absolutely.  I completely get than and remind my staff, each and every day that, while part of our job is to turn people on to cool new things, it is first and foremost to just bring people what they want (within reason, of course).  

However, the attitude of "you're your own expert" has morphed into people wearing their lack of knowledge like a badge of honor.  There are food blogs written by people who are really, really picky eaters (like 8 year old level picky) who go around scrutinizing restaurants on how well they accommodate their hang-ups.  More than that, things like Yelp give people with absolutely no credentials power to publicly critique a place.  So, for a guy like me, who puts a ton of energy into putting something truly special out.  Who rewards winemakers and brewers who do the same by promoting their craft, I do dig my heals in a bit against the, "hey, you're your own expert".  At least in terms of people promoting that.  Again, I'm not saying you're free to like what you want nor that you have to shut up about it.  But I also see no reason why someone should be free from critique if they promote a place like this.  Sure, eat what you want, but this is a message board where more sacred things to people than free breadsticks are attacked, so I don't see why this should be any different.

And part of this is because the big boys aren't playing fair.  They're taking shots at me, so I'm going to take shots at them.  Big beer promotes the idea that wanting to drink a beer that's actually made from what beer is supposed to be made of as being snobby and effeminate.  That a real American drinks the piss they're making by cutting every corner they possibly can.  They go further by making fake versions of craft beer that either suck on purpose or by accident and cost a buck or two less than what they're pretending to be which essentially punishes anyone who's tempted to think they're "checking out what everyone has been talking about".  So that guy just goes back to Bud.  

Other restaurants who make real food from scratch are not my competition, they're my colleagues, so I'm not going to take shots at them or who eats there.  Olive Garden and company are absolutely my competition.  Because I do think they're misleading the public and undermining the idea of individuality, craftsmanship, and regional community.  There was a time when each town had it's own flavor.  Now each town has an Olive Garden, a Starbucks, a Cheesecake Factory, and so on.  And I find that very unfortunate.  And something worth fighting against.  Because not doing so rewards mediocrity, and that seems contrary to what America allegedly stands for.

[darin3]

I'm sorry, but I'm not going to read a five freakin' paragraph long response about Olive Garden.