Better than a Buffet: Olive Garden

It's a wonder how I've managed to have this blog for nearly a year and not yet have written a post about Olive Garden.

As chain restaurants go, Olive Garden is pretty consistent - service is friendly, portions are generous, and of course, the unlimited salad/soup and breadsticks that accompany entree orders deserve praise of their own.

Dickson and I hadn't been to the restaurant in quite some time (their long wait times are a deterrent for empty stomachs), but despite the expected 25 minutes of idle hunger that night, we stuck it out.

It didn't take us too long to decide on our dishes - I chose the Lasagna Classico (layers of pasta, meat sauce and mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan and romano cheese), while Dickson opted for the Chicken and Gnocci Veronese (sautéed chicken with traditional Italian dumplings and roasted red peppers in a parmesan and ricotta cheese sauce). Of course, we both knew the pasta would play second fiddle to his breadstick obsession.

After some salad, soup and breadsticks, our entrees arrived. I was curious to see how their lasagna would taste compared to Sorrentino's, and I'm sad to say that the latter won this battle. The pasta was a tad overcooked, and there wasn't enough sauce to moisten the too-dry meat contained within the layers. Dickson's gnocci, on the other hand, was excellent. I really should have ordered that dish instead.

Everyone has those select few establishments that seemingly can do no wrong. Olive Garden is one such place for me.

Lasagna Classico

Chicken and Gnocci Veronese