Olive Garden

SlobDylan - 11-2-2006 at 09:38 PM

Has anyone ever been to this place? I had never been there before and went for the first time tonight. It's good. Unlimited bread sticks and salad plus good. Honestly, i'm not sure why I am so impressed but it was good. I thought it would be like the TGI Fridays of Italian food but it was good.

upyerbum - 11-2-2006 at 09:57 PM

We have an Italian restaraunt here called Il Mercato that kicks dirt into the face of any Italian restaraunt I have ever eaten in.

Jason the Magnificent - 11-2-2006 at 10:45 PM

Olive Garden gets a bad rap as "fast food italian" by people who want to seem more sophisticated and cultured than they really are. I'm not saying its the best food on earth, but I've been to 4 star Italian restaurants in Chicago and while there's a difference its barely recognizable.

Its not like we're talking the difference between taco bell and a real mexican joint. Its marginal.

Discipline - 11-3-2006 at 12:21 AM

I love Olive Garden. Unfortunately the one near me closed a few years back. I believe they closed all of their Canadian locations. Last time I was in Florida I went to one. Good stuff.

Voodoobillyman - 11-3-2006 at 12:35 AM

Olive garden rocks!!!!!!! fuck spending alot of money in some "authentic" old world joint for the same food.

tireironsaint - 11-3-2006 at 01:57 AM

Guess I'm the only one who thinks that place sucks. I love Italian food, but that's like the IHOP version. Not quite fast food style, but it's got nothing on any decent Italian place I've ever been to and lemme tell youse, I've been to a lot of 'em.

clevohardcore - 11-3-2006 at 08:52 AM

I ahve ate there many a times over the past like 12 years. Awsome eats. The free salad believe it or not is great. Plus they really do have awsome food. Pretty much everything they have is great. Seriously.

I am supprised that you ahven't ate there b4.

BDx13 - 11-3-2006 at 10:51 AM

i haven;t been to one in like 12 years. every time i drive by one, though, it looks like there's 200 people waiting to get in. same with outback and all those other type chains. fuck that.

if you live someplace where there aren't many options, i definitely see the appeal, but SlobDylan, as a new yorker, you have a LOT of delicious options.

XnMeX - 11-3-2006 at 11:05 AM

Olvie Garden is fucking awesome! I mean hell, I will hit up Bostons North End for some real Italian once in a while, but that doesn't mean Olive Garden sucks. They push out some excelent food. I had the "tour of italy" last time which is probably the biggest dish on the menu. It was lasagna, chicken parm, and fetuchine alfredo. Put a fuckin dent in me, thats for sure!

We had went there for the neverending pasta bowl and the stupid waitress had given my gf the drink for the lady at the table behind us and vise versa.... Not a big deal, right? Well, I saw the girl at the other table take a drink for the soda before I got a chance to point out the mixup and when I said to the waitress "I think you mixed the 2 drinks up." she said "Oh, sorry" and swapped the drinks... I then said "Uhhh, I think she had already taken a drink from this." and the stupid cunt said "No she didn't, I was watching her." and I was about to tell her she was a liar when the ladies friend from the other table said "No, he's right, she did take a drink from it already." Fucking waitress said oops, i'll get you new drinks, and never said sorry. Not to mention that this happened when we first got there and the new drinks were brought out after the food was brought out. You think a drink error would be the first thing she would fix.

Well, in the end, we placed a complaint with corperate and got a $40.00 gift card out of the deal

Gooch - 11-3-2006 at 04:05 PM

I use to go a lot, but like D, I haven't been to one in like 10 years. The salad and bread are great, but the meal is so-so. The chicken parm was just chicken figers with sauce and cheese. You're better off just finding a real local Italian joint or have an Italian mother-in-law like I do.

JawnDiablo - 11-3-2006 at 04:17 PM

the one near me is 100% black so this whitey don't got here

Jason the Magnificent - 11-3-2006 at 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Gooch
I use to go a lot, but like D, I haven't been to one in like 10 years. The salad and bread are great, but the meal is so-so. The chicken parm was just chicken figers with sauce and cheese. You're better off just finding a real local Italian joint or have an Italian mother-in-law like I do.

All chicken parm IS, is breaded chicken, sauce and cheese...is it being cut into "fingers" whats makes it bad?

To be honest, I haven't eaten at a OG in probably 6 years or so...Theres too many mom and pop restaurants in Chicago for me to ever go to a chain of any kind. It's wasn't the best food I've ever had...I just don't understand how people could say its not quality.

BDx13 - 11-3-2006 at 05:34 PM

there's one down near wilmington that we used to go to after hardcore matinees.
usually followed that up with a little mini golf on the way home.
fuckin' hardcore.

crazyfists28 - 11-3-2006 at 05:58 PM

love the o.g. their salad is probably my favorite part. my mom sis and me were supposed to go there last sunday but like already mentioned, the wait was too long so we went elsewhere. its a good place that gives a good portion for a reasonable price

JUICE MAYNE MSHC - 11-3-2006 at 06:09 PM

all of you except TireIron are insane. I fuckin hate Olive Garden. Anyone that has any Italian blood in them and can cook at all should never eat that shit. I ate there for the first time about 3 years ago and the chicken parm tasted like the country fried steak they serve in the cafeteria at my job. Garbage, man. With that said, there's no such thing as a good Italian restaurant in Memphis, TN so Olive Garden is par for my town.

crazyfists28 - 11-3-2006 at 06:58 PM

im not going for a taste of italy or any nonsense. they give you a decent amount of food, it tastes good, the salad kicks ass, endless breadsticks. its just a restaurant, who cares..they probably spit in the food anyways...

JoeBenzon - 11-3-2006 at 07:24 PM

Big fan of Olive Garden

DaveMoral - 11-3-2006 at 09:11 PM

I went to Olive Garden for the first time in like 10 years last Thursday. I was out in Hershey... Now, I'm not splitting hairs about shit being vegan anymore, so I didn't bother to ask. Menu says vegetarian, it's vegetarian. So I got fetuccini and marinara and minestrone... 'twas good for being out in Hershey and not having many options. Better than eating a sandwich at any rate.

tireironsaint - 11-3-2006 at 10:03 PM

Clevo, I'm not sure if your post was directed towards me, but I didn't say I've never been there. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't know just how lame it is and I most certainly know that. It's not so much that it's bad food as it's just the fact that there is absolutely nothing special about it and it's a huge chain restaurant that you can expect to serve the exact same thing whether you're in Boston or L.A. or anywhere in between. What that particular tidbit says to me is that they all get the same frozen shit from the same supplier, probably Sysco or something like that, and that sucks. I'm surprised that with all the threads on here with people taking pride in their local foods and shit, that anyone would be a big fan of this kind of mass marketed shit. I'm sure as fuck not some high roller who only eats at swank ass places, but if I'm going out and looking for a good meal, I'm not going to a place like Olive Garden.

JawnDiablo - 11-3-2006 at 11:03 PM

id rather go to chilies.....
theres this one italian restaurant in s philly on 9th street i think, they have this old lady walking around serving meatballs the size of your fist while you wait for your dinner.. i was there with my ex many years ago. was special to say the least....love me some meatballs

DeathByForce - 11-3-2006 at 11:13 PM

I prefer real Italian cooking.

SlobDylan - 11-4-2006 at 08:29 AM

It's good to have options...I got some good Italian food out here.

crazyfists28 - 11-4-2006 at 07:07 PM

i'll eat out anyday of the week

crazyfists28 - 11-4-2006 at 07:08 PM

that didnt sound too good did it?

clevohardcore - 11-5-2006 at 06:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by tireironsaint
Clevo, I'm not sure if your post was directed towards me, but I didn't say I've never been there. If I hadn't been there I wouldn't know just how lame it is and I most certainly know that. It's not so much that it's bad food as it's just the fact that there is absolutely nothing special about it and it's a huge chain restaurant that you can expect to serve the exact same thing whether you're in Boston or L.A. or anywhere in between. What that particular tidbit says to me is that they all get the same frozen shit from the same supplier, probably Sysco or something like that, and that sucks. I'm surprised that with all the threads on here with people taking pride in their local foods and shit, that anyone would be a big fan of this kind of mass marketed shit. I'm sure as fuck not some high roller who only eats at swank ass places, but if I'm going out and looking for a good meal, I'm not going to a place like Olive Garden.

^^^^^^ It was directed at the thread maker since he had never been there B4 until last night.
Seriously tis a good place. everyone has there preference but it really is good food for the price. They have very talented people come up with those dishes B4 they sell it oin the restaurants. I ahve had many occasion very authentic Italian food and yes its great but Olive Garden is good as well.

gavin - 11-5-2006 at 11:45 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by juandiablo
id rather go to chilies.....
theres this one italian restaurant in s philly on 9th street i think, they have this old lady walking around serving meatballs the size of your fist while you wait for your dinner.. i was there with my ex many years ago. was special to say the least....love me some meatballs

its on 8th actually
its mama ulandas

being in south philly, there are about 7000 better places to go than olive garden

JawnDiablo - 11-5-2006 at 08:40 PM

yes that is the place.
i ate like a mafia kingpin in there.