Restaurant Review of The Olive Garden Goes Viral
- Thread starter kleenex
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone that enjoys cooking.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
jabbur
Master Chef
I've never been disappointed with the food. We even had them cater a dinner for the band parents! Just another example of the food snobs trying to take over IMO.
Rocklobster
Master Chef
I agree. If you like it, who's buisness is it, anyway? Some people need to put others down to feel superior. Talking about love of food isn't enough for these people. They need to feel superior about everything in their lives. I know a few people like that. They are too busy complaining about things to actually experience any simple pleasures.
Here is a funny, but true video about foodies.
FOODIES on Vimeo
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/02/srsly-a-video-about-how-food-s.html
Here is a funny, but true video about foodies.
FOODIES on Vimeo
http://www.bonappetit.com/blogsandforums/blogs/badaily/2012/02/srsly-a-video-about-how-food-s.html
Last edited:
I wouldn't go so far as saying that Olive Garden is gourmet food, but it IS good and, from what we've experienced, a well-run business.
The Olive Garden restaurants I've been to have all been clean, pleasant and well-managed. The food, with one exception, was very good and as Mrs. Hagerty said, generous serving-wise. The one exception was one that served somewhat mediocre food. Don't know what happened, but the "spark" just wasn't there. That restaurant was in a 'burb of Washington, DC and it's unlikely I'll ever be back that way again so I won't know if there's been any change/improvement.
As with anything else, if you don't like what they offer...go somewhere else. It's not like we don't have plentiful restaurant choices in this country.
The Olive Garden restaurants I've been to have all been clean, pleasant and well-managed. The food, with one exception, was very good and as Mrs. Hagerty said, generous serving-wise. The one exception was one that served somewhat mediocre food. Don't know what happened, but the "spark" just wasn't there. That restaurant was in a 'burb of Washington, DC and it's unlikely I'll ever be back that way again so I won't know if there's been any change/improvement.
As with anything else, if you don't like what they offer...go somewhere else. It's not like we don't have plentiful restaurant choices in this country.
marigeorge
Senior Cook
The ones around here have gone downhill, they are not very clean and the food has been mediocre at best. When they first opened they were excellent.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i think olive garden sucks, but then it's being compared to a dozen different mom and pop italian resraurants in my area that are excellent.
dw convinced me to go to the olive garden a few times when we at a mall, so it's not like i didn't give it a go. what makes me think they suck was that the first time, i ordered pork cubes in a wine sauce and not only was the pork bad (it smelled and tasted off), but there was a sliver of plastic in the sauce that the waiter admitted was from the bag that the sauce comes in. another time i ordered chicken parm. the chicken cutlet was pounded so thin and so badly overfried that it was like a wood chip. how can you screw up chicken parm?
so no thanks for me. dw knows better than to ask me to go again.
dw convinced me to go to the olive garden a few times when we at a mall, so it's not like i didn't give it a go. what makes me think they suck was that the first time, i ordered pork cubes in a wine sauce and not only was the pork bad (it smelled and tasted off), but there was a sliver of plastic in the sauce that the waiter admitted was from the bag that the sauce comes in. another time i ordered chicken parm. the chicken cutlet was pounded so thin and so badly overfried that it was like a wood chip. how can you screw up chicken parm?
so no thanks for me. dw knows better than to ask me to go again.
Kayelle
Chef Extraordinaire
I'm with you, Bucky. I've been to olive garden several times. I was underwhelmed to say the least, and it's sure not because I'm a food snob, considering my favorite local place for Italian Food is a small local chain called "Presto Pasta", where the meals are a real bargain and down right delicious.
Welcome to Presto Pasta
Welcome to Presto Pasta
Andy M.
Certified Pretend Chef
We've eaten at OG several times. We have not experienced badly cooked or adulterated foods. The meals we've had were tasty and reasonable. When someone is looking for authentic Italian, I don't recommend OG. I also don't recommend the locally owned place. It's not very good either. Crappy food is not limited to chain restaurants.
We have Johnny Carino's here, not bad...the best place is still my kitchen.
I am in this camp.
Olive garden is to Italian, what McDonalds is to burgers.
Maybe I should be happy Olive garden has never opened here...
babetoo
Chef Extraordinaire
i have eaten there several times. i usually get the sample plate and salad. both are good and filling.
bakechef
Executive Chef
I don't consider OG to be great food, but it is usually tasty and consistent. I am also in an area where there are no great local places, I've looked but so far have come up dry.
For many it might be the best option that they have for Italian type food. My favorite Italian chain is Maggiano's.
For many it might be the best option that they have for Italian type food. My favorite Italian chain is Maggiano's.
GB
Chief Eating Officer
Make room for my tent too please.
I have no problem with people liking OG (or McD's for that matter). I would never put someone down for liking what they like. But for me I find OG inedible for the most part. I have had soup there that I actually really enjoyed and I think the bite of chicken parm that my wife gave me was not bad, but aside from I have not eaten anything else there that I would ever serve. The amount of salt they use it beyond insane. I am not someone who goes super light with salt, but of the 4 times I have eaten at an OG, 3 I have physically not been able to continue eating because it was too salty.
buckytom
Chef Extraordinaire
i mentioned this thread to my wife and she said, " well, it's ok if you only eat the salad, breadsticks, and a simple pasta dish. it's not really italian..."
when i replied about how greasy and salty the breadsticks were, she mentioned that they were the diet breaking part of going there, but it was ok because it's only every once in a long while.
i don't know. if i'm going to eat something "sinfully" diet breaking, it's not gonna be breadsticks.
when i replied about how greasy and salty the breadsticks were, she mentioned that they were the diet breaking part of going there, but it was ok because it's only every once in a long while.
i don't know. if i'm going to eat something "sinfully" diet breaking, it's not gonna be breadsticks.
Steve Kroll
Wine Guy
I'm not going to say OG sucks. It's far from authentic, but okay as far as chain restaurants go. And if it's the only Italian option you have in your town, then so be it.
I live in a large metro area with a lot of diverse mom & pop restaurants. When my wife and I go out to dinner, those are the kind of places we tend to like. They usually have personality. Just my opinion, but with chains, the food can sometimes taste a little like it came off a conveyor belt.
I live in a large metro area with a lot of diverse mom & pop restaurants. When my wife and I go out to dinner, those are the kind of places we tend to like. They usually have personality. Just my opinion, but with chains, the food can sometimes taste a little like it came off a conveyor belt.
Similar threads
