I love Italian food. I do not normally love chains, but I must be in the minority, because every time I try to visit the Olive Garden for dinner it is wrapped up with people. It’s good, no doubt, but is it that good?

The Interior:

Olive Garden restaurants have a distinctive and pleasing look. You feel as if you have stepped into the heart of Tuscany…if Tuscany was made by Walt Disney. Ours is fraught with trellises with plastic grapes draped over each and vaguely Italian music playing in the background. The restaurant has about 5 separate dining areas, so you do feel like you have some measure of privacy. The restrooms here are spacious, with plenty of stalls, clean and pleasant.

The Service:

As with any restaurant, the service can be different every time you come. The front door is always opened for us by a staff member. On my last visit it was opened by a little old lady which made me feel slightly uncomfortable because I should have been the one holding the door for her. At any rate, we were greeted nicely and seated promptly. Our waitress this day, however, was not as pleasant. She did her job, but she seemed annoyed about something as she cut us off when we asked questions or ordered. Then when she delivered our food, she nearly slung our plates at us. We never got our drinks refilled either. It wasn’t enough to complain, but she only got tipped 15%.

The Food:

The Olive Garden has recently revamped their menu. It now includes a lunch menu with smaller portions and smaller prices and eliminated so many choices from the dinner menu. I like this change because it allows the restaurant to focus more on quality than quantity and in recent years I have seen the quality of the food in Olive Garden increase.

Beverages:

Each table is offered a sample of the wine of the day. We were given a choice of the Sangria or their house white. We were there for lunch, so skipped it, but I’ve been at other times and they give you a glass with about two sips in it. It’s a good way to sell the wine, because after tasting we did order the whole glass.

Appetizers:

I so rarely order appetizers here because you get garlic breadsticks and a huge bowl of salad with unlimited refills with every dinner! The Italian salad comes with iceberg lettuce, peppers, onions, tomatoes, black olives and croutons and dressed with Italian dressing. The server grates fresh parmesan cheese on top at your table upon request. You can also opt for the soup instead of salad. I have ordered a few appetizers though, usually for lunch or a light entrée. The stuffed mushrooms are delicious and cheesy baked with a bread stuffing. The menu says there are clams in the stuffing, but I did not detect them. I’ve also sampled the Hot Artichoke-Spinach Dip. It is delicious and very creamy. It is served with Tuscan bread for dipping and is my favorite appetizer.

Entrees:

My favorite meal of all time there has got to be the Chicken Parmesan. It is my Italian comfort food! Here they give you a fried crispy chicken breast cutlet, smother it with marinara sauce and bake it with mozzarella cheese on top. This is then served with a side of pasta marinara, but I usually request a side of fettuccine alfredo for only one dollar extra. All of that red sauce can be too much, otherwise.

On this day, however, I ordered the Portobello mushroom ravioli. It comes with a creamy tomato sauce and the ravioli is stuffed with a mushroom and ricotta cheese mixture. The whole concoction is topped with chopped tomatoes. It was absolutely delicious, though I was not overwhelmed by my portion. It was adequate for lunch for a regular appetite.

My dining companion got Capellini pasta with pomodoro sauce. It is best described as spaghetti with marinara sauce that incorporates fresh tomatoes and herbs into the sauce. It was nice, if not spectacular.

Children:

Olive Garden offers plenty of delicious choices for children: Macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, pizza, spaghetti and grilled chicken are the main choices.

Desserts:

We always eat too much to enjoy dessert afterwards, but I did have it with my girlfriends once. I tried the white chocolate raspberry cheesecake and it was absolutely fabulous. Can I swear it was made in house? No. I don’t care, I licked the plate clean.

Light Dining Options:

Olive Garden marks their light, low calorie, low carb and low sugar options clearly with an olive branch. It is nice to be able to easily distinguish the healthier fare should you want to!

If you are in the mood for Italian, and are in a pinch, Olive Garden can be satisfying. If you have the choice of an authentic Mom and Pop-owned Italian restaurant (or even a Carabbas), I’d suggest you try those.

For recipes from the Olive Garden, try this link: http://www.olivegarden.com/recipes/