Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Recommendations if you plan to visit Olive Garden

Some of you may or may not know that currently I am employed at The Olive Garden, "When you're here you're family". Which is true for the most part, at least at my location. The management at my location truly does care if you have a great experience. Having said that I would like to give my DOs, and DON'Ts, as an opinion from an employee perspective. I have had the chance to make 99.99% of everything on the menu and taste most of it. Most of the DON'Ts are because I have a problem with how the dishes are presented or their taste combos. It's not because any of them are poor quality, it's just I think they could be better. 


So lets start of with the DON'Ts. 

1) The new chicken Carbonara is a don't for several reasons. The sauce is very thick and pasty. It includes bacon bits in the paste already and then has pancetta added with red peppers. For me the taste isn't worth it. It's about a C+ to me. 

2) Stuffed Chicken Marsala: a double lobe of chicken with a cheese stuffing in the middle. Drenched in a creamy mushroom marsala sauce this dish is a no no. Most of the employees I work with have trouble getting this cooked correctly and as a result the chicken gets served very over cooked, if not burned. The mashed potatoes that are served with it are usually prepared incorrectly as well or sometimes old. The sauce can cover up a lot these weakness, but I think there are many other items worth eating on the menu to spend money on this. I give it a C- even though my wife likes it when prepared correctly. 

3) Steak Toscano: Now why on earth would ever go to an Italian restaurant and order a steak? Longhorn, at least in my area, is across the street. Getting the temperature right on this steak is often very difficult for the employees I work with because most have had little to no proper training on steak temperature. Also it comes with fried potatoes and a demi-gloss sauce. Really not worth the money. I give it a C- and you an F if you order it. 

4) Pizza: Really? You're going to eat pizza at Olive Garden? Try Pizza Hut, Dominos, or Papa Johns. You don't go to an italian restaurant and eat pizza. UNLESS you are going to get it as an appetizer and share it with people.  B- In taste and quality, D+ If you order it. 

5) Capellini Pomodora: This, to me, is the most boring dish Olive Garden serves. Angel hair pasta, marinara sauce, and a tomato basil mix. Great for vegetarians who aren't very hungry. I give it C, for being boring. 


DOs:

1) Steak Gorgonzola Alfredo: Fettucini Alfredo with spinach and gorgonzola cheese. This comes with 4 pieces of steak cooked to order. This steak is worth the price. Very tasty. I give this dish an A-

2) Lasagna Classico: Very good if done correctly. Tons of meat sauce, cheese and lasagna noodles. Super tasty. I give this dish an A. 

3) Tour of Italy: Chicken Parmesan, small portion of Lasagna, and a small portion of fettucini alfredo. Super awesome A+ and if it happens to be on special for a lower price even better. 

4) Braised Beef Tortellini:  A very nice mix of filled pasta, sauce, and meat. Beef is good, marsala sauce is decent, and the cheese tortellini is nice. B+ is about right for this dish. 

5) Seafood Alfredo: Sauteed shrimp, scallops, and fettucini alfredo. Very creamy, simple but very tasty if you like seafood. I give it an A-. 


Now it is important for the reader to know that these are my opinions and my tastes. They in no way reflect the opinions of the restaurant. Also these dishes, DON'Ts and DOs can be both bad or good depending on your local employees. Unfortunately, a good portion of Olive Garden employees don't have professional culinary training. They are however trained well enough that if they pay attention and care enough, they should be able to produce these entree's close to picture perfect. 

Enjoy!