I’ve often wondered if all Olive Gardens are the same. Â Seems like the menu with food, salad and drinks is the same. Â This last time we went, we experienced about a 10 minute wait before being seated in a booth. Â In previous times, we’ve had to wait up to 30 minutes.
After being seated, the “usual” Olive Garden atmosphere engulfed us. Â Noisy and bustling. Â I wonder if the types of buildings they buy are more conducive to noise or maybe they cram too many people in one place.
But — the predictability continued. Â We placed our orders and the breaksticks and salad were brought out. Â I have always enjoyed their breadsticks — warm and soft.
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| Olive Garden Breadstick |
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| Olive Garden Salad |
The salad had too much dressing this time.
I decided to get out of my predictability rut (I usually have the Apricot Chicken) and try their Ravioli with Chicken. Â Again, a bit soggy but overall it was okay.
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| Ravioli with Chicken pieces |
My husband had the Stuffed Chicken Marsala with Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes.
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| Stuffed Chicken Marsala with Garlic Parmesan Mashed Potatoes |
Uh, I think it was good. Â I wonder if his palette is not as discerning as mine.
I also had the strawberry mango lemonade which didn’t taste very much like mango and was served in a very tall glass. Â I had to ask the waitress to bring me a “short” glass so I could sip the drink with a straw.
Overall, there are things I like about the Olive Garden. Â But it’s hit and miss with some of the dishes they serve. The service we had was good even though it was crowded. Â This is probably not a place you want to go to for an intimate dinner though.
