Susan H.
Yelp
So...I was looking through a coupon flyer and came across a coupon that got me thinking. Then, I cut it out, went to my husband and said, "You're probably going to think that I lost my mind but..." Now that got his attention! So, on I continued, "how about we go to the Olive Garden for Sunday's vegan dinner?" After he learned that they do have a few vegan items on the menu and that we would save $4.00, he said, "okay".
I jokingly refer to The Olive Garden as The Awful Garden. Not because the food is inedible but rather that it is in no way is authentic. My husband agrees with that assessment, too. We were spoiled growing up in MA with a plethora of decent red sauce places to choose from.
We hadn't been to The Olive Garden in years---and didn't miss it (obviously). We got here around 5 p.m. on a Sunday and noticed that it looked the same as it did the last time we were here years ago. The restaurant was doing a brisk business and got busier---and noisier as our meal progressed.
I have to ding them a bit when it came to service. It took longer than it should have before a server came to our table. When he arrived, he was friendly but told us that this wasn't his table , that it was Adrienne's table and that she was busy. He then took our drink orders. My husband ordered a glass of Chianti and I decided to go for an Italian Margarita.
The Italian Margarita consisted of "Sauza Gold Tequila, Triple Sec and DiSarrono Amaretto", served on the rocks with a rim of salt. This drink was strangely presented as the Amaretto was served in a small glass on the side (see my photo). It was a tasty drink and packed a punch. I saved the Amaretto and treated it as a dessert drink.
After the waiter brought our drinks, he then took our dinner order. We never did see any sign of Adrienne as he ended up being the one taking care of us.
For our main course, we both ordered Capellini Pomodoro. For those not wanting a vegan meal, for an extra charge you can add chicken or shrimp to this dish. Of course, the meal came with the "endless salad bowl" and garlic breadsticks.
The only lettuce in the salad was iceberg lettuce. With the exception of red onion, they were stingy with the other ingredients --- two tomato slices, two black olives and two Italian peppers. Olive Garden Italian salad dressing was added to the bowl. it wasn't a bad salad, just lackluster.
The garlic breadsticks were soft and fresh but only had a faint hint of garlic.
The Capellini Pomodoro was decent and the tomato sauce was chunky with bits of basil added. All in all, filling but nothing to write home about.
The amount of food given was just enough---not overly filling. I think the trick with The Olive Garden is to go there with reduced expectations and you won't be disappointed. We would consider going the next time I find a coupon LOL!