Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.

I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.

We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.

George L

On 10/12/2014 1:17 PM, George Leppla wrote:
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
> George L

I'm happy to hear the food wasn't horrific. As with any chain
restaurant I'm sure it has to do with management and staff. You might
have stopped at one an hour further away and hated it.

Jill

"jmcquown" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/12/2014 1:17 PM, George Leppla wrote:
>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>
>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>
>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>
>> George L
>
> I'm happy to hear the food wasn't horrific. As with any chain restaurant
> I'm sure it has to do with management and staff. You might have stopped
> at one an hour further away and hated it.
>
> Jill

you don't really think these types of restaurants actually cook their own
food, do you?

On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 12:17:16 -0500, George Leppla
> wrote:

> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
I agree. You have to choose carefully, but they seem to be trying.
If nothing else, there's always the bottomless bowl of soup and you
can choose a different one with every fill up if you want to try them
all at one sitting.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On 10/12/2014 1:57 PM, Pico Rico wrote:
> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
> ...
>> On 10/12/2014 1:17 PM, George Leppla wrote:
>>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>>
>>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>>
>>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>>
>>> George L
>>
>> I'm happy to hear the food wasn't horrific. As with any chain restaurant
>> I'm sure it has to do with management and staff. You might have stopped
>> at one an hour further away and hated it.
>>
>> Jill
>
> you don't really think these types of restaurants actually cook their own
> food, do you?
>
>

I'm guessing that the sauces are pre-made and packed in plastic
pouches... same for the soups and salad dressing. Dough for bead sticks
is probably frozen but baked on site. The pasta seems to be boiled on
site. Salads were fresh and lots of ingredients (pepperoncini, red
onions, olives, croutons etc besides the usual lettuces and tomatoes).
Fresh Parmesan cheese grated at the table.

The Italian Sausage was a surprise... it may have been pre-cooked, but
it was fresh off the grill, nice flavor and texture.

We can (and do) make better at home, but all in all, I can see why they
are popular. It was a good meal at a reasonable price.

George L

On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
>
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
>
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
>
>
> George L

I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make better Italian type food at home.

On 10/12/2014 3:31 PM, George Leppla wrote:
> On 10/12/2014 1:57 PM, Pico Rico wrote:
>> "jmcquown" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> On 10/12/2014 1:17 PM, George Leppla wrote:
>>>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch
>>>> at an
>>>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>>>
>>>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5
>>>> Cheese
>>>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>>>
>>>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large
>>>> chain
>>>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>>>
>>>> George L
>>>
>>> I'm happy to hear the food wasn't horrific. As with any chain
>>> restaurant
>>> I'm sure it has to do with management and staff. You might have stopped
>>> at one an hour further away and hated it.
>>>
>>> Jill
>>
>> you don't really think these types of restaurants actually cook their own
>> food, do you?
>>
I don't think you (Pico) know much of anything about cooking food.
>
Glad you enjoyed it, George & Becca.

> We can (and do) make better at home, but all in all, I can see why they
> are popular. It was a good meal at a reasonable price.
>
> George L
>
Jill

On 10/12/2014 3:31 PM, George Leppla wrote:

>
> We can (and do) make better at home, but all in all, I can see why they
> are popular. It was a good meal at a reasonable price.
>
> George L
>

Yes, we stop at one a few times a year on the way back from a late
appointment at the medical center. None of the chains are spectacular,
but all give an acceptable, predictable meal.

On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 13:35:28 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
> > Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> >
> > Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
> >
> >
> >
> > I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> >
> > sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> >
> > excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
> >
> >
> >
> > We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> >
> > restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
> >
> >
> >
> > George L
>
> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make better Italian type food at home.

The only thing I've eaten there that could be considered salty is the
bread sticks and I like them that way.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

"George Leppla" > wrote in message
...
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.


They aren't so bad. I love Italian food and while there's wouldn't stand up
to Mario or Lydia I don't expect it too. It's good for an empty stomach.
One of my clients is Yardhouse which is also a Darden's brand. Same
corporate concept. They have test kitchens in the place and they do a lot
of dish design for OG. Sure smells great when they are cooking and if I am
there at lunch time I get to eat from the buffet. If I was hungry I'd not
turn away a meal at OG.



---
This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus protection is active.
http://www.avast.com

George Leppla wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On 10/12/2014 1:57 PM, Pico Rico wrote:
> >"jmcquown" > wrote in message
> > ...
> > > On 10/12/2014 1:17 PM, George Leppla wrote:
> > > > Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have
> > > > lunch at an Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20
> > > > years.
> > > >
> > > > I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a
> > > > 5 Cheese sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and
> > > > the sausage was excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also
> > > > good.
> > > >
> > > > We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the
> > > > large chain restaurants, but this turned out to be much better
> > > > than I expected.
> > > >
> > > > George L
> > >
> > > I'm happy to hear the food wasn't horrific. As with any chain
> > > restaurant I'm sure it has to do with management and staff. You
> > > might have stopped at one an hour further away and hated it.
> > >
> > > Jill
> >
> > you don't really think these types of restaurants actually cook
> > their own food, do you?
> >
> >
>
> I'm guessing that the sauces are pre-made and packed in plastic
> pouches... same for the soups and salad dressing. Dough for bead
> sticks is probably frozen but baked on site. The pasta seems to be
> boiled on site. Salads were fresh and lots of ingredients
> (pepperoncini, red onions, olives, croutons etc besides the usual
> lettuces and tomatoes). Fresh Parmesan cheese grated at the table.
>
> The Italian Sausage was a surprise... it may have been pre-cooked,
> but it was fresh off the grill, nice flavor and texture.
>
> We can (and do) make better at home, but all in all, I can see why
> they are popular. It was a good meal at a reasonable price.
>
> George L

You are right probably George, and not all chain places are bad. In
fact, if they are all bad, the chain fails.

In my experience most of the time when a chain store fails, it is over
poor management leading to poor service. The food is normally
reasonable.

Carol

--

Kalmia wrote in rec.food.cooking:

> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
> > Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch
> > at an
> >
> > Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
> >
> >
> >
> > I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5
> > Cheese
> >
> > sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage
> > was
> >
> > excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
> >
> >
> >
> > We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large
> > chain
> >
> > restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
> >
> >
> >
> > George L
>
> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I
> make better Italian type food at home.

Then eat at home. Pretty simple concept.

--

On Sunday, October 12, 2014 10:17:16 AM UTC-7, George L wrote:

> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good!

We dine out with an older couple every December. They watch their expenses,
so they select places with early bird specials or the like.

So, when they picked Olive Garden, I was prepared to be disappointed, but
it was actually not bad. OG even let us brown bag the wine. (They insist
on splitting the bill, but were happy to let us contribute the wine.)

George Leppla wrote:
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
> George L

I was similarly pleasantly surprised by Applebees when the boys finally
wore us down and made us take them there. The food was okay!

On Sunday, October 12, 2014 12:17:16 PM UTC-5, George L wrote:
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
>
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
>
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.

We ate at an Olive Garden for the first time a few years ago because someone gave us a gift card. Gah, it was horrible. First, they made us sit on some dumb bench seating next to a bunch of strangers. What the hell was up with that? And the "food", yikes. I'm not a picky eater by any means at all, but this stuff was just awful. And it had come straight out of a microwave. They seemed to spend a lot of time trying to get people to buy their shitty wine. And the Dago music blaring out of the ceiling was a bit over-the-top. Nope, never again. I'm glad you had a nice experience there.

On 10/12/2014 4:35 PM, Kalmia wrote:

>
> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make better Italian type food at home.
>

Sure, if you are 90 miles from home you can just go home, make a good
dinner, then come back.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/12/2014 4:35 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>
>>
>> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make
>> better Italian type food at home.
>>
>
> Sure, if you are 90 miles from home you can just go home, make a good
> dinner, then come back.

We used to eat there when daughter needed to eat gluten free as they did
serve GF pasta. But it used to come to them frozen. They have since
changed that and it is made fresh but... The Old Spaghetti Factory does
have better gluten free pasta. And chances are if you order it there, you
will get a comped meal and maybe even a gift card for a future dining
experience! You will also be very hungry by the time your food arrives,
some 2 hours later and if you are drinking wine, you may find yourself
pretty drunk by then. BTDT. I wasn't the one with the wine though.

Oddly enough the Olive Garden here is popular not for their food which many
say is not good, but for their host, Bob. He is very personable. And has a
mind like a steel trap. He seems to remember everyone's name, birthday,
anniversary, likes and dislikes, what city they live in, etc. If you look
at the restaurant reviews for this place, most people do mention him.

The last time I there, I ordered a flat bread that I think is no longer on
the menu. It seemed like a piece of unsalted Lavosh cracker with some
canned tomato chunks that hadn't been drained very well, then put in the
oven and baked until barely warm. Just gag-aroni. Only reason I went with
that as opposed to the gluten free pasta was that they give you far too much
pasta. There is no way I can eat it all or even half of it because of the
carbs in the stuff. And it sure isn't good enough for me to want to take it
home and eat it later.

Dang! Now I want a Lavosh cracker. Do they even make those things any
more? Haven't had any since probably the 1980's.

On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:28:46 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

> Dang! Now I want a Lavosh cracker. Do they even make those things any
> more? Haven't had any since probably the 1980's.

Yes. I can buy lavosh fresh (which I prefer) and dried.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:28:46 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>> Dang! Now I want a Lavosh cracker. Do they even make those things any
>> more? Haven't had any since probably the 1980's.
>
> Yes. I can buy lavosh fresh (which I prefer) and dried.

Wah! I have not seen any here and I did look for it.

On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
> George L

One chain restaurant that I actually like is Macaroni Grill. Their
"make your own pasta" option where you chose pasta type, sauce type
and added ingredients is actually very good. They're not national but
they cover a large part of the US.

http://www.richardfisher.com

projektilevomitchick wrote:
>George L wrote:
>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
>We ate at an Olive Garden for the first time a few years ago because someone

gave us a gift card. Gah, it was horrible. First, they made us sit
on some dumb bench seating next to a bunch of strangers. What the
hell was up with that? And the "food", yikes. I'm not a picky eater
by any means at all, but this stuff was just awful. And it had come
straight out of a microwave. They seemed to spend a lot of time
trying to get people to buy their shitty wine. And the Dago music
blaring out of the ceiling was a bit over-the-top. Nope, never again.
I'm glad you had a nice experience there.
+++

I've never been to Olive Garden. If I went to an Italian restaurant
it would not be for pasta, I can make pasta for 4 at home for $5. At
Italian restaurants I'm more interested in dishes like veal parm,
mussels marinara, scungilli, and great Italian baked goods with real
spumoni. Anyone can boil a pound of pasta and heat some
bottled/canned sauce at home in under 30 minutes.

On Sunday, October 12, 2014 9:03:46 PM UTC-4, tert in seattle wrote:
> George Leppla wrote:
>
> > Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>
> > Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> >
>
> > I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>
> > sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>
> > excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> >
>
> > We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>
> > restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
> >
>
> > George L
>
>
>
> I was similarly pleasantly surprised by Applebees when the boys finally
>
> wore us down and made us take them there. The food was okay!

We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too salty.
When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare. A canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.

George Leppla wrote:
>
> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>
> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>
> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>
> George L

OG has been busy lately trying to turn around their brand which was
getting stale. There food is better now, but of course it's still a huge
challenge to try to entice former patrons back in to give them another
try. OG may have reacted in time to save the brand, I think RL reacted
with too little too late and will eventually close down.

On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 04:04:12 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:28:46 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> Dang! Now I want a Lavosh cracker. Do they even make those things any
> >> more? Haven't had any since probably the 1980's.
> >
> > Yes. I can buy lavosh fresh (which I prefer) and dried.
>
> Wah! I have not seen any here and I did look for it.

Did you try Trader Joe's and Whole Foods? I even saw it at Cash &
Carry the last time I was there. I'll pay better attention when I see
it in a chain that I know you have up there... like Grocery Outlet
(not saying they stock it, just that I know it's in Washington).


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:41:21 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> wrote:

> We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too salty.
> When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare. A canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.

I notice over salting more in individually owned and operated
restaurants. Like someone said - it seems like chefs are in a salt
contest. It reminds me of my first visit to Europe when restaurants
were still heavy handed with salt. That kind of over salting might be
fine for one or two meals, but it's not okay when you're eating out 3
meals a day for 30+ days. Apparently there was a big public education
program and subsequently, I thought salt was used in enough moderation
that my taste buds and body didn't object. Not saying I didn't notice
the difference when I got home - and yes, it was a relief not to be
bombarded by salt.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On 10/12/2014 3:35 PM, Kalmia wrote:
> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>>
>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>
>>
>>
>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>>
>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>
>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>
>>
>>
>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>>
>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>
>>
>>
>> George L
>
> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make better Italian type food at home.

Wish I had known, we would have gone to your house. ;-)

Since were out of town, we looked online and we found a mom & pop
Italian restaurant, George was in an Italian mood, and the restaurant
was only a few blocks away from our hotel. They were not open for lunch,
so we went to Olive Garden. I had not been there in probably 25 years,
and I was pleased, I ordered a salad and chicken soup with gnocchi.

Becca

"Becca EmaNymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/12/2014 3:35 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
>>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>>>
>>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>>>
>>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>>
>>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>>>
>>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George L
>>
>> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make
>> better Italian type food at home.
>
> Wish I had known, we would have gone to your house. ;-)
>
> Since were out of town, we looked online and we found a mom & pop Italian
> restaurant, George was in an Italian mood, and the restaurant was only a
> few blocks away from our hotel. They were not open for lunch, so we went
> to Olive Garden. I had not been there in probably 25 years, and I was
> pleased, I ordered a salad and chicken soup with gnocchi.
>
> Becca

"George was in an Italian mood". Conjures up all sorts of thoughts!

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 04:04:12 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "sf" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On Sun, 12 Oct 2014 22:28:46 -0700, "Julie Bove"
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> >> Dang! Now I want a Lavosh cracker. Do they even make those things
>> >> any
>> >> more? Haven't had any since probably the 1980's.
>> >
>> > Yes. I can buy lavosh fresh (which I prefer) and dried.
>>
>> Wah! I have not seen any here and I did look for it.
>
> Did you try Trader Joe's and Whole Foods? I even saw it at Cash &
> Carry the last time I was there. I'll pay better attention when I see
> it in a chain that I know you have up there... like Grocery Outlet
> (not saying they stock it, just that I know it's in Washington).

Nope. I try to stay out of there. I don't need the stress of a trip
through there. Plus I don't know if I could eat them. If their brand, for
sure not. If others, probably not. I just looked up the hearts that I used
to buy. The ingredients are a no go. Guess I can make my own as I have
found doable recipes.

"Helpful person" > wrote in message
...
> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>
>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>
>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>
>> George L
>
> One chain restaurant that I actually like is Macaroni Grill. Their
> "make your own pasta" option where you chose pasta type, sauce type
> and added ingredients is actually very good. They're not national but
> they cover a large part of the US.
>
> http://www.richardfisher.com

I ate there once many years ago. It was okay but I didn't have pasta. I
think I just had soup and salad. The problem with ours here is that it is
at the mall. Not bordering the mall but actually at the mall. They opened
a new wing when they re-did the mall and it is all restaurants. So if you
want to eat there you have to drive around and around for a parking spot and
then you may wait a long time once you get in there. Worse still, it can
take you next to forever to get out of that area due to the way the stop
signs and lack thereof are in that area of the mall.

"Brooklyn1" > wrote in message
...
> projektilevomitchick wrote:
>>George L wrote:
>>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>
>>We ate at an Olive Garden for the first time a few years ago because
>>someone
>
> gave us a gift card. Gah, it was horrible. First, they made us sit
> on some dumb bench seating next to a bunch of strangers. What the
> hell was up with that? And the "food", yikes. I'm not a picky eater
> by any means at all, but this stuff was just awful. And it had come
> straight out of a microwave. They seemed to spend a lot of time
> trying to get people to buy their shitty wine. And the Dago music
> blaring out of the ceiling was a bit over-the-top. Nope, never again.
> I'm glad you had a nice experience there.
> +++
>
> I've never been to Olive Garden. If I went to an Italian restaurant
> it would not be for pasta, I can make pasta for 4 at home for $5. At
> Italian restaurants I'm more interested in dishes like veal parm,
> mussels marinara, scungilli, and great Italian baked goods with real
> spumoni. Anyone can boil a pound of pasta and heat some
> bottled/canned sauce at home in under 30 minutes.

PA has some really good Italian places that have authentic foods that you
aren't likely to find at your typical restaurant. I had some kind of pasta
at one that was vegetarian and had peas in it. It was very good and the
pasta was made fresh.

The Italian places in NY, while most were not bad, were just so cookie
cutter that I grew to hate them. Same pasta dishes, same pizza, same rice
balls, same soups, same salads, etc. Most of the pizza was actually good!
So I was very astounded to see that all of the kid's parties served Dominos
pizza. Nobody liked that stuff. I heard adults say, "Ugh!" when they saw
the boxes then they would merely thank the party giver and say that they
weren't hungry. And one kid even yelled, "Oh no! Pizza again!?"

"Kalmia" > wrote in message
...
> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 9:03:46 PM UTC-4, tert in seattle wrote:
>> George Leppla wrote:
>>
>> > Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at
>> > an
>>
>> > Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>
>> >
>>
>> > I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5
>> > Cheese
>>
>> > sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>
>> > excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>
>> >
>>
>> > We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large
>> > chain
>>
>> > restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>
>> >
>>
>> > George L
>>
>>
>>
>> I was similarly pleasantly surprised by Applebees when the boys finally
>>
>> wore us down and made us take them there. The food was okay!
>
> We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too salty.
> When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare. A
> canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.

I only tried Applebees twice, many years ago. Just not my idea of good
food. Gloppy sauces, weird flavors and too much fried crap. At least they
have added some salads to the menu. My dad wanted to go there once but when
I asked about getting a dinner salad, they said that they didn't have any
such thing. So we went elsewhere.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:41:21 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > wrote:
>
>> We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too salty.
>> When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare. A
>> canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.
>
> I notice over salting more in individually owned and operated
> restaurants. Like someone said - it seems like chefs are in a salt
> contest. It reminds me of my first visit to Europe when restaurants
> were still heavy handed with salt. That kind of over salting might be
> fine for one or two meals, but it's not okay when you're eating out 3
> meals a day for 30+ days. Apparently there was a big public education
> program and subsequently, I thought salt was used in enough moderation
> that my taste buds and body didn't object. Not saying I didn't notice
> the difference when I got home - and yes, it was a relief not to be
> bombarded by salt.

I have spoken to people who worked for Applebees. Most all of what the
serve is made elsewhere and comes to them frozen. They just nuke it.

"Becca EmaNymton" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/12/2014 3:35 PM, Kalmia wrote:
>> On Sunday, October 12, 2014 1:17:16 PM UTC-4, George L wrote:
>>> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
>>>
>>> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
>>>
>>> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
>>>
>>> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
>>>
>>> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> George L
>>
>> I won't ever eat in an O. G. again - tooooooooooo salty. Plus, I make
>> better Italian type food at home.
>
> Wish I had known, we would have gone to your house. ;-)
>
> Since were out of town, we looked online and we found a mom & pop Italian
> restaurant, George was in an Italian mood, and the restaurant was only a
> few blocks away from our hotel. They were not open for lunch, so we went
> to Olive Garden. I had not been there in probably 25 years, and I was
> pleased, I ordered a salad and chicken soup with gnocchi.

One issue that I do have with them is that they keep changing their menu. I
guess changing the menu would be overall a good thing but... I will get
something I like there once, only to find that it is never again on the
menu.

On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 20:36:54 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> wrote:

>
> "sf" > wrote in message
> ...
> > On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:41:21 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
> > > wrote:
> >
> >> We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too salty.
> >> When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare. A
> >> canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.
> >
> > I notice over salting more in individually owned and operated
> > restaurants. Like someone said - it seems like chefs are in a salt
> > contest. It reminds me of my first visit to Europe when restaurants
> > were still heavy handed with salt. That kind of over salting might be
> > fine for one or two meals, but it's not okay when you're eating out 3
> > meals a day for 30+ days. Apparently there was a big public education
> > program and subsequently, I thought salt was used in enough moderation
> > that my taste buds and body didn't object. Not saying I didn't notice
> > the difference when I got home - and yes, it was a relief not to be
> > bombarded by salt.
>
> I have spoken to people who worked for Applebees. Most all of what the
> serve is made elsewhere and comes to them frozen. They just nuke it.

As the middle class shrinks, the McDonaldization (you heard it here
first) of America increases. People eat at national chains because
they want predictable food. They don't expect anything novel or
innovative or even above average; they just want a meal they don't
have to cook "a good price".


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.

On 10/14/2014 12:23 AM, sf wrote:

> People eat at national chains because
> they want predictable food. They don't expect anything novel or
> innovative or even above average; they just want a meal they don't
> have to cook "a good price".
>
>

Exactly. They serve a purpose. It is not a place I consider when a
friend says "lets go out for dinner next week"They are a place to go
when you've been out all day and don't have the rime or desire to cook.
It is predictable and we can get out the door in less than an hour for
$35 or so.

We eat at one of the similar chains at least once a month for the
convenience. If we go out for dinner as a destination and want
something special, we go to the nicer places and will have a really nice
meal, bottle of wine, and spend a bunch more money.

OTOH, we took my grandson to the eye doctor today so while waiting we
grabbed a burger at McD for lunch because it was 100 yards away.

On 10/13/2014 11:38 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>


> One issue that I do have with them is that they keep changing their
> menu. I guess changing the menu would be overall a good thing but... I
> will get something I like there once, only to find that it is never
> again on the menu.

How often do you go there? They want the regulars to keep coming back
so they change the menu at leas 3 or 4 times a year to prevent boredom.

We have a small Italian place in town. The menu has not changed in 6 or
7 years since they opened. We'd probably go more often if they did.
They also have the best pizza in town.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 20:36:54 -0700, "Julie Bove"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> "sf" > wrote in message
>> ...
>> > On Mon, 13 Oct 2014 06:41:21 -0700 (PDT), Kalmia
>> > > wrote:
>> >
>> >> We have crossed them off our list too - again, everything was too
>> >> salty.
>> >> When you use very little at home, you really notice it in resto fare.
>> >> A
>> >> canister of salt lasts me probably 4 years.
>> >
>> > I notice over salting more in individually owned and operated
>> > restaurants. Like someone said - it seems like chefs are in a salt
>> > contest. It reminds me of my first visit to Europe when restaurants
>> > were still heavy handed with salt. That kind of over salting might be
>> > fine for one or two meals, but it's not okay when you're eating out 3
>> > meals a day for 30+ days. Apparently there was a big public education
>> > program and subsequently, I thought salt was used in enough moderation
>> > that my taste buds and body didn't object. Not saying I didn't notice
>> > the difference when I got home - and yes, it was a relief not to be
>> > bombarded by salt.
>>
>> I have spoken to people who worked for Applebees. Most all of what the
>> serve is made elsewhere and comes to them frozen. They just nuke it.
>
> As the middle class shrinks, the McDonaldization (you heard it here
> first) of America increases. People eat at national chains because
> they want predictable food. They don't expect anything novel or
> innovative or even above average; they just want a meal they don't
> have to cook "a good price".

Yes. That was always my dad's theory. It's predictable. Me? I'm not so
much into predictable. I like to try new places on the off chance that they
will be better. Of course there's a chance that they might be horrible but
that's a chance I am willing to take.

"Ed Pawlowski" > wrote in message
...
> On 10/13/2014 11:38 PM, Julie Bove wrote:
>>
>
>
>> One issue that I do have with them is that they keep changing their
>> menu. I guess changing the menu would be overall a good thing but... I
>> will get something I like there once, only to find that it is never
>> again on the menu.
>
> How often do you go there? They want the regulars to keep coming back so
> they change the menu at leas 3 or 4 times a year to prevent boredom.

Not often now. I think the last time I was in there was perhaps 2 years
ago. We had such an unpleasant experience that I have not wanted to go
back. And it extended beyond my bad flatbread.

We were celebrating something. A holiday or birthday. I can't remember
which now. There were 8 of us and one person was eating there every Monday
for lunch at that point in time. I will refer to this person as "the
regular".

Our waitress who was new, approached the regular customer at our table and
said that she had shorted her a large amount of money. The regular had put
a $50 bill in the folder along with some smaller bills such as a $5 and some
$1s. All that was in there were the smaller bills.

We never did figure out what had happened. The regular suggested that
perhaps she had dropped the $50 out on the way to the till as she was
carrying 3-4 folders from our table. The waitress acted like the regular
was some sort of criminal, trying to stiff her. We all saw her put the
money in the folder but just to make certain, she checked her wallet and
there was no $50 bill in there. She had come in with only the one bill.

So... It either dropped out on the way to the till or the waitress stole
it. We will never know which and at least at that point in time there were
no security cameras set up to check for this. Not on the route to the till
anyway. But the odd thing was that we saw the waitress walk to the back
with the folders, as through she were going into the kitchen. The regular
did question her on this becuase the till is in the front! The waitress
tried to tell us that the till was in the back. At this point, the regular
asked for the manager who immediately recognized her, apologized for the
incident and said that they would just eat the missing money since she knew
that the regular was a good customer and was always in there.

The regular does still eat there and has said that she has neverr seen that
waitress again. The regular did not go back there for a while as it was a
very embarrassing incident. We felt like everyone was staring at us because
of the actions of the waitress and the loudness of her voice. However, the
regular no longer goes there once a week. Now it is more like once a month.

Prior to that, I suppose since we moved back here, we went there maybe 4-5
times a year. But when we lived here before, I went much more often.
Mainly because my husband and coworkers loved the place. I say "loved"
because my husband has not asked to go back once since we moved back.
>
> We have a small Italian place in town. The menu has not changed in 6 or 7
> years since they opened. We'd probably go more often if they did. They
> also have the best pizza in town.

barbie gee wrote:
>
> On Mon, 13 Oct 2014, Pete C. wrote:
>
> >
> > George Leppla wrote:
> >>
> >> Becca and I were on a short road trip and we decided to have lunch at an
> >> Olive Garden. I hadn't been to one in over 20 years.
> >>
> >> I was surprised... the food was pretty good! I had pasta and a 5 Cheese
> >> sauce with Italian sausage. The sauce was fine... and the sausage was
> >> excellent. Salad and bread "sticks" were also good.
> >>
> >> We prefer to eat in local places when we can rather than the large chain
> >> restaurants, but this turned out to be much better than I expected.
> >>
> >> George L
> >
> > OG has been busy lately trying to turn around their brand which was
> > getting stale. There food is better now, but of course it's still a huge
> > challenge to try to entice former patrons back in to give them another
> > try. OG may have reacted in time to save the brand, I think RL reacted
> > with too little too late and will eventually close down.
> >
>
> Here in Chicago, the first Olive Garden just opened and the crowds are
> huge. Around here, you had to drive to a suburb of Chicago to find an
> Olive Garden, so this one is a big deal.
>
> Most of the news covering the opening has been weird, but this article
> isn't too bad:
> <http://www.bizjournals.com/chicago/news/2014/09/24/the-scoop-on-what-really-matters-about-the-first.html>

Not sure why OG would be a big deal, I believe you've had the Macaroni
Grill and Magiano's twins for some time, both of which are better than
OG.

On Tue, 14 Oct 2014 11:30:09 -0500, "Pete C." >
wrote:

> Not sure why OG would be a big deal, I believe you've had the Macaroni
> Grill and Magiano's twins for some time, both of which are better than
> OG.

I've never been to Macaroni Grill, but the Maggiano's in Santana Row
(San Jose, CA) is so good, I was surprised to learn it was part of a
chain. It's also more expensive than OG, so OG still serves a valid
purpose.


--
Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold them.