Olive Garden Good Value

I've seen a lot of ads on television for Olive Garden (www.olivegarden.com) restaurants, but only recently have I had a chance to try one. In general I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but in this case I will make an exception.

A friend and I enjoyed dinner at the Olive Garden in Watertown, NY with a glass of wine each, and the bill came to $42 including tax but not tip. The food was good and filling, the service pleasant and the decor pretty. We both had the three course menu for $12.95, which includes unlimited soup of salad and breadsticks, a choice of several entrees (I had the pasta with shrimp,) and a small dessert or special coffee. We were especially fond of the mixed green salad, though we stopped at one generous portion.

Olive Garden has a Tuscan theme, and from my memories of Tuscany the food choices seemed pretty authentic. The decor was more homey than that found in most Italian restaurants, which at least the last time I was there tended to the modern and barren. It is strange, but many North Americans are disappointed with Italian restaurants when they visit Italy.

I don't think you will be disappointed by the Olive Garden, though. It offers very good value for money, in my view.