Olive Garden is one of my favorite restaurants. When it comes to Italian food, this is the best it gets around here.


Appetizers

I love appetizers. I’d rather get an appetizer before the meal than a dessert after. Olive Garden offers a ‘choose 2’ for $5.95 or ‘choose 3’ for $7.95 appetizer platter. Olive Garden doesn’t have the largest selection of appetizers, but they have one fantastic one that I must mention. Toasted Ravioli. This is the best appetizer ever. If I’m not really hungry, I’ll simply order toasted ravioli for my meal. They will allow you to double up on 1 appetizer if you choose. If I get the ’choose 2’ toasted ravioli appetizer, I get 12 of these raviolis. They are lightly breaded, fried, and come with marinara sauce on the side. They have a few other deep-fried appetizers to choose from. The fried cheese comes wedge shaped. If you order the ‘choose 2‘, you’ll get 6 wedges. If you order fried cheese with another appetizer, you’ll get 3. I like cheese sticks, but I avoid them here. They aren’t worth the money. There are also mushroom and peppers, but I avoid these as well.


Breadsticks and Salad

Olive Garden has great breadsticks. They are lightly seasoned with butter and garlic. You get an unlimited supply of breadsticks throughout your meal. With your entree, you have the choice of soup or salad. The soups aren’t bad, but I prefer the salad. The salad is excellent. They have the best Italian dressing I have ever tasted, and they sell it by the bottle. Like the breadsticks, you can have all the salad your heart desires.


Main Course

Olive Garden has a fairly wide variety of dishes. I like the Tour of Italy. It is basically a sampler that gives you a taste of the chicken parmesan, fettucine alfredo, and lasagna classico. I have tried each of these entrees individually, and they are all fantastic. Sometimes it is hard to choose just one, so the Tour of Italy is ideal. Occasionally, they will offer the Tour for $9.95. It is regularly priced at $12.95. You can also get all different types of pasta with chicken, veal, or seafood. Most entrees are priced around $9.00-$16.00. Olive Garden is a little more expensive than similar restaurants, but we always have leftovers that usually wind up becoming supper the next day. I usually don’t take home leftovers, because I generally don’t like the way food tastes heated up. Olive Garden is the only restaurant whose food is still great the next day.


Drinks

Would you like to start off with some wine? Some time ago, they began bringing a large bottle of wine to the table as soon you are seated. I’m not wine drinker, so I usually pass on it. They have a pretty wide selection of mixed drinks and coffees. My favorite mixed drink is the Italian Margarita. Unlike a regular margarita, it has a sweet taste. It is made with amaretto, and has sugar around the rim instead of salt. My favorite non-alcoholic drink has to be the raspberry lemonade.


Atmosphere

They have an Italian theme decor, most of which is centered in the lobby. You won’t find a lot of decorations on the walls like you might find at Applebee’s or other similar restaurants. You’ll be seated in an area named after a city in Italy. There are a few paintings on the walls, and vines hanging all around. You can usually expect to hear some Italian music or older jazz in the background.


Overall

My husband and I eat here often, not just in our home town, but in other cities as a result of my husband’s business trips. The food and service are always consistent. The food is a bit overpriced, but worth it! I give it 5 stars!

Recommended: Yes