Olive Garden

[TimC]

You know who was seen eating at Olive Garden last week? Yep, Hitler.

[Bier Meister]

disagree az... you give me a chicken parm from a local joint and og, there is going to be a difference in quality of ingredients........ and that shows on the palette. if someone has no other options or wants quick and cheap, i get it.... but i can't rationalize choosing them with other informal italian options available.

 

 

 

edit: you will also notice a difference between superstar asian in denver vs panda express, as you should

Edited July 29, 2011 by Bier Meister

[Azazello1313]

disagree az... you give me a chicken parm from a local joint and og, there is going to be a difference in quality of ingredients........

 

well, I don't know because I've never had chicken parm from an olive garden. but I have had some pretty crappy dishes, chicken parm among them, from "local joints".

 

I think this is one of those prejudices foodies have -- the idea that independently owned places are almost per se better than chains. there may actually be more consistency of quality at some of the chains. also, in my experience, many of the most popular and successful local joints cater to the same mundane tastes as the chains do. obviously, chefs are going to hate chains, because who would want to work at a place where the menu comes down from some corporate office. and people who take some pride in insider knowledge of "the good places" don't like chains because, well, chains are anathema to that insider knowledge and chains are never going to be hip.

 

now I know you well enough to know that you aren't close to being some kind of fundamentalist on this issue, and that you eat at and enjoy plenty of chains. and you know me well enough to know that the places I really like to eat most are, in fact, independently owned. so I don't think we really disagree on this.

[twiley]

I thought this was going to be a thread about growing olives.

[matt770]

while the olive garden isn't a place I'm ever going to choose (unless I'm in a small town in kansas and the other choices are pizza hut and denny's)

I'll tell you what, smartphones are awesome for this dilemma. We were driving down to Atlanta a couple weeks back, approaching Greensboro, NC and I decided I was in the mood for Mexican. If we just watched the signs showing the chain restaurants, we would have ended up at On the Border, if we could even find that. Instead my wife got on her iPhone, Googled "best Mexican Greensboro NC" and found a little place called Kiosco, freaking outstanding place, a little out of the way but completely worth it. We are going back on our next trip down.

[Bier Meister]

Exactly. I don't believe every chain is bad, nor every mom-n-pop good (I would take a panda express over the local chinese I had in the mountains), but do think there is a sign difference in ingredients and quality accross the board.

 

 

Og is my mcdonalds ofr italian.... mac grill, carrabas, etc are better for chains

[Yukon Cornelius]

NO to OG's

[detlef]

To clarify, you can recommend wine/beer pairings all you want based on increased wine knowledge than the average diner. I do it in every club I have been at. If they disagree, God bless. It isnt my place to look down on them for what they prefer, that is their right and everyone has a different palette. Celebrate your preferences all you want, but when you turn it into looking down on someone becasue they like something that is SOOO generic and mainstream, it goes to a level of douchebaggery. There are no right and wrong answers when it comes to food and beverage, just suggestions and preferences. This isnt like solving an algebra equation.

 

Lead the horse to water, do whatever you can to educate based on your experiences when asked for your advice, and what happens, happens. Getting obstinate and looking down on people that like Olive Garden may give you a false sense of superiority, nothing more. Keep in mind that peoiple not in our business may just not care as much as we do. If you want to have a discussion about celebrating mediocrity, I recommend the "American Idol" thread.

 

That eing said, my wife likes Olive Garden so we go there occasionally with the kids. It is consistent, and unsurprising, but by no means "bad". If you like and prefer it God bless . . . that means that it should be easier for me to get a table at a restaurant I really want to go to.

For starters, it should be said that this whole thing got started because someone said "Olive Garden is great" and a few people said, "Meh, there's too much good Italian for me to eat that." That was what inspired Darin's bit about, "don't tell another guy what is and isn't good." Just curious, are we not supposed to say anything? I didn't realize the adage "if you don't have something nice to say..." has ever applied to the huddle. People have been challenged on far more touchy subjects here than free bread sticks.

 

Secondly, I would argue that few would actually "prefer" Olive Garden or Yellowtail to more genuine versions of the same if they'd actually try them side by side. This is not about sending someone to some legit Italian joint that makes the greatest Tuscan-style tripe you've ever had. Nor is it about saying that if you don't drink Burgundy instead of fabricated Shiraz you're a putz. Rather, taking the opportunity, in a forum where it seems anything goes, to tell someone that they're stopping short. Good job on going out for "Italian". Next time, why not try Italian?

 

Which is, by the way, a far cry from looking down at one's customers for their tastes. Something that I certainly don't do. But I still don't agree with your blase attitude about there being "no right and wrong". That is true only to the extent that we are all free to choose what we want, including making incorrect choices. However, people are emboldened by that notion to the extent that they resist any suggestion, regardless of how informed because "I know what I like"

 

Do you? Because one can only "know" anything by pondering or exploring alternatives and then arriving at a preference. I know what New Zealand Sauv Blanc I like, because over the last few months, I've tried like 30 of them. I may have had my favorite, and then had that favorite displaced a number of times. One can't "know" one's preference if you try one thing, like it well enough, and stop right there. One can only settle for "OK". So, no, I'm not saying food pros need to brow-beat their customers into letting them choose their meals. I'm saying the US needs to get over it's "you're not the boss of me" schtick long enough to let someone who knows what the hell he's talking about help guide them into something that is almost certain to be a far more delicious combo than they might have arrived on their own. After all, the real irony is that those who really do know are the ones most likely to walk into a restaurant, give you a few constraints if any and say, "you know what you've got better than I do, make it happen." And that's a guy who, left to his own devices actually could put together a damned inspired combo.

 

As for the bit about dogging Olive Garden propping my ego and nothing else. That's not the case and I said so. There's a war going on, and the big boys are happily joining the fight. As I detailed quite clearly with the Big Beer example and the fact that they're homogenizing the US food scene. There's only so many food dollars to go around and I"m fighting back.

[detlef]

Another bit about the "there's no wrong, only preference".

 

I used to work at a winery tasting room and this happened all the time. We'd get there in the morning, taste through the wines, and line them up in a way that made the most sense in terms of what should follow what.

 

Some dude would come in and I'd try to start them out with the lightest wine, say the Sauv Blanc.

 

"I'll try the Cab."

 

"Is that all you want to taste, because if you want to try them all, I'd like to start you with the Sauv Blanc."

 

"Just pour me the Cab."

 

"Very well."

 

"OK, now I'd like to try the Pinot."

 

And so on, genius commandeering the tasting, eventually going through basically the whole line-up in his "preferred" order, virtually insuring that all but the first wine tasted as bad as it possibly could.

 

That's because there is an order you should try those wines. Not a vague suggestion meekly made that should step aside the second anyone has any inclination otherwise. But a correct order and an incorrect order. But, emboldened by our nature to "not take any crap from anyone", dude just wasted his and my time and then walked away saying, "Meh, the Cab was good but I didn't much like anything else."

 

Probably on Yelp.

[Kid Cid]

for the sake of brevity- agree with det, furd, sec, and matt.

 

 

oh...OG sucks

What this guy said.

[bpwallace49]

For starters, it should be said that this whole thing got started because someone said "Olive Garden is great" and a few people said, "Meh, there's too much good Italian for me to eat that." That was what inspired Darin's bit about, "don't tell another guy what is and isn't good." Just curious, are we not supposed to say anything? I didn't realize the adage "if you don't have something nice to say..." has ever applied to the huddle. People have been challenged on far more touchy subjects here than free bread sticks.

 

Secondly, I would argue that few would actually "prefer" Olive Garden or Yellowtail to more genuine versions of the same if they'd actually try them side by side. This is not about sending someone to some legit Italian joint that makes the greatest Tuscan-style tripe you've ever had. Nor is it about saying that if you don't drink Burgundy instead of fabricated Shiraz you're a putz. Rather, taking the opportunity, in a forum where it seems anything goes, to tell someone that they're stopping short. Good job on going out for "Italian". Next time, why not try Italian?

 

Which is, by the way, a far cry from looking down at one's customers for their tastes. Something that I certainly don't do. But I still don't agree with your blase attitude about there being "no right and wrong". That is true only to the extent that we are all free to choose what we want, including making incorrect choices. However, people are emboldened by that notion to the extent that they resist any suggestion, regardless of how informed because "I know what I like"

 

Do you? Because one can only "know" anything by pondering or exploring alternatives and then arriving at a preference. I know what New Zealand Sauv Blanc I like, because over the last few months, I've tried like 30 of them. I may have had my favorite, and then had that favorite displaced a number of times. One can't "know" one's preference if you try one thing, like it well enough, and stop right there. One can only settle for "OK". So, no, I'm not saying food pros need to brow-beat their customers into letting them choose their meals. I'm saying the US needs to get over it's "you're not the boss of me" schtick long enough to let someone who knows what the hell he's talking about help guide them into something that is almost certain to be a far more delicious combo than they might have arrived on their own. After all, the real irony is that those who really do know are the ones most likely to walk into a restaurant, give you a few constraints if any and say, "you know what you've got better than I do, make it happen." And that's a guy who, left to his own devices actually could put together a damned inspired combo.

 

As for the bit about dogging Olive Garden propping my ego and nothing else. That's not the case and I said so. There's a war going on, and the big boys are happily joining the fight. As I detailed quite clearly with the Big Beer example and the fact that they're homogenizing the US food scene. There's only so many food dollars to go around and I"m fighting back.

 

Fair points . . .

 

But if people frequent Olive Garden, I severely doubt they think they are magically being transported to Tuscany. It is a chain, that establishes their menu in accordance to what people will eat and what is very easy to prepare. Most people that go to Olive Garden may not be interested in trying a side by side comparison, becasue they simply dont care enough about the subject at hand.

 

Det, you I, and others here are IN THE INDUSTRY, so we may place a much higher value due to the wide experiences we have had with food and beverage. In the context of what they are offering Olive Garden IS great! How do I measure that? They are always busy as hell, so it aint a far cry to say they know what they are doing. If you are attempting to compare their food to an authentic mom and pop 10 table restaurant where they just stepped off the boat from Italay, well lo and behold! The Mom and Pop place would win! Shocking!

 

You are applying a higher level of comparison for something that really doesnt need to be over-analyzed. Some people like Olive Garden (or any other chain for that matter) for WHAT IT IS, family friendly, convienent, consistent "italian" food. If I place it next to a gourmet Italian place, now it looks terrible . . well no chit sherlock. It is just like saying "I like wine X" and you replying, "well you dont know chit becasue you havent tried every other wine in that category to develop a true range of appreciation for that varietla so you are an uncouth savage".

 

I wear I fossil watch. Next to a Rolex, it looks like chit. And at the the end of the day you kow what? It still tells time so I dont give a chit it aint a rolex.

[detlef]

Fair points . . .

 

But if people frequent Olive Garden, I severely doubt they think they are magically being transported to Tuscany. It is a chain, that establishes their menu in accordance to what people will eat and what is very easy to prepare. Most people that go to Olive Garden may not be interested in trying a side by side comparison, becasue they simply dont care enough about the subject at hand.

 

Det, you I, and others here are IN THE INDUSTRY, so we may place a much higher value due to the wide experiences we have had with food and beverage. In the context of what they are offering Olive Garden IS great! How do I measure that? They are always busy as hell, so it aint a far cry to say they know what they are doing. If you are attempting to compare their food to an authentic mom and pop 10 table restaurant where they just stepped off the boat from Italay, well lo and behold! The Mom and Pop place would win! Shocking!

 

You are applying a higher level of comparison for something that really doesnt need to be over-analyzed. Some people like Olive Garden (or any other chain for that matter) for WHAT IT IS, family friendly, convienent, consistent "italian" food. If I place it next to a gourmet Italian place, now it looks terrible . . well no chit sherlock. It is just like saying "I like wine X" and you replying, "well you dont know chit becasue you havent tried every other wine in that category to develop a true range of appreciation for that varietla so you are an uncouth savage".

 

I wear I fossil watch. Next to a Rolex, it looks like chit. And at the the end of the day you kow what? It still tells time so I dont give a chit it aint a rolex.

I realize all that. However, the closest thing to an insult that was lobbed towards the pro Olive Garden crowd here before Darin came in with "people can like what they want" (which, again, is totally valid even if it does inspire people needlessly shelter themselves), was the bit about, "If you like Olive Garden, you don't really appreciate food." And that's actually a fair statement. Sure, it could be worded more delicately.

 

But all we had was people saying they liked it and others saying they didn't and why they didn't.

 

So, there was no "you don't know chight".

 

My whole tirade was directed at the notion of overdoing the bit about "hey we all know what we like best". Because, again, maybe you do, and maybe you don't. You know what, among those things that you've tried, what you like best. You also, depending on how adventurous you are, may know that you have no interest in trying certain things.

 

Here's an example. How many of you guys like short ribs? I mean, who doesn't like short ribs? Well, some of you may not know this, but beef or veal cheeks have almost the same flavor and texture. But, it's cheek, so I can't sell it for chight to anyone whose not a food geek. Because people "know" they won't like it. And the strange thing, is that it's not even from a weird place on the cow. We eat ham, which is the ass. We eat tenderloin which is almost the groin. But for some reason, eating a muscle that comes from the face is taboo? I get that some people don't like offal because it's pretty strong. I get that some people don't like tongue because sometimes you can notice the little bumps that are the taste buds. And I also get that, even if it was the sweetest and tastiest meat imaginable, grilled bull dicks would never sell. Because it's a freaking dick. But, the uninformed have "decided" that eating meat from the cheek, just another muscle on the animal, is weird and gross. Is that a "preference" even if they've never tried it and there's no real logical reason other than that it's not been a popular cut of meat for decades to be weirded out by it?

 

The heartbreaking part of it is that, often times, these places are barely cheaper. They're just "easier". So, somewhere in your town, there's a guy making sauce from scratch and cooking up delicious versions of similar versions of Olive Garden dishes, and you're handing your money over to some chain as opposed to keeping in the community and supporting what we like to say is the backbone of our country, a small businessman.

[WashingtonD]

Let's not pretend some of this is not about access

 

I love good local food as much as the next guy, but when I visit my folks in middle tennessee, aside from two local joints, one which serves below average sushi and one that does a nice Southern/Euro blend, the best dinner food in the area is Red Lobster and Olive Garden. Now because of that we almost always eat at home when we visit them, but occasionally I like to take my folks out and those are the options.

 

Factually, there isn't good local food in every town in America...OG and the ilk fill a space in those areas.

 

That said, all dining dies with local artisans/chefs/craftsmen and women who push the envelop on the food we eat and the beverages we consume. That new 11.95 entree your considering at Applebees more than likely had its origins at a small restaurant somewhere in the world, caught on there, was copied and replicated and borrowed at more restaurants until it became main stream enough to go mass market.

[The Holy Roller]

My jailbird son wants to be a chef. If he develops half the passion Det has I will be happy.

[detlef]

My jailbird son wants to be a chef. If he develops half the passion Det has I will be happy.

If he's a derelict, the restaurant world will welcome him with open arms.

 

There's an old joke:

 

They're doing a psyche experiment with three professionals, an architect, an archeologist, and a chef. They give them each a pile of bones and tell them each to do whatever they want with them.

 

The architect stacks them up into an elaborate but sturdy tower.

The archeologist studies them to figure out how old they are.

The chef grinds up all of them but one, snorts that, and tries to violate the other two with the remaining bone.

[bpwallace49]

the sweetest and tastiest meat imaginable, grilled bull dicks .

 

Because it's a freaking dick.

 

Gotcha det . . .

 

Your biggest problem is the usage of the word "preference". I gotcha. We can end this tirade now . . .

Edited July 29, 2011 by bpwallace49

[detlef]

Gotcha det . . .

 

You are biggest problem is the usage of the word "preference". I gotcha. We can end this tirade now . . .

Nice edit. And rather damning just below my last post.

[bpwallace49]

Nice edit. And rather damning just below my last post.

 

I didnt see that other post when I was sending mine . .

[TDFFFreak]

You know who was seen eating at Olive Garden last week? Yep, Hitler.

I thought that was him, but he shaved the mustache so it was hard to tell...

[darin3]

[Azazello1313]

I honestly can't remember the last time I ate at an olive garden. got takeout from there this past mother's day (my mom and sister came up with that plan), and I don't really remember it. I remember a chicken-gnocchi soup that was ok, but salty. I think we got a lasagna? now I am feeling like I need to eat there this weekend and do some recon. I think we may even have a gift card...

[matt770]

The battered bull-dick poppers is actually one dish Olive Garden does really well. Get 'em with honey mustard.

[Chavez]

My lone OG story from the last, oh, 12 or 13 yrs (actually, I've been in OGs PLENTY of times but haven't eaten there for awhile)...

 

Mom and Grandma come to visit. We're sitting there and I ask "what would you like to do for dinner?" Normally, this is a simple question, but not for my mother and grandmother.

 

"Ohhh, I don't know. What do you have here?"

 

"Mom, we're the 30th largest city in the country. What DON'T we have is the question."

 

"Well, like what?"

 

"Uh, Peruvian, West African, Indian, Paki...."

 

"Oh, yuck...do you have an Olive Garden?"

 

Now, my mother didn't know this, but my friend's family owns a very nice Sicilian place..."Mom, I know a place BETTER than the OG. As a matter of fact, I'm friends with the chef. Let's go."

 

So we get to this nice little Sicilian place, sit down, order a bottle of wine, my mom looks at the menu and says "there's a lot of fish on here. I don't like fish."

[Chavez]

The battered bull-dick poppers is actually one dish Olive Garden does really well. Get 'em with honey mustard.

 

 

I prefer them with white sauce.

[Clubfoothead]

I love tortellini bolognese. There's a place in the strip mall about a mile from the house. I've got not problem with Olive Garden but never get pastthe other place.

 

I love the cheese biscuts at Red Lobster.