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<\/a>The smashed chicken meatball sandwich with fries. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n
I loved the way this event was done.\u00a0 We got to sit at any of a number of group tables in one area of the gigantic eatery, and everything was served family-style.\u00a0 They brought out many different dishes, so there was at least something for everybody, and just about everything for most.\u00a0 My guest, Marcia, and I are both picky eaters, but we still left totally full and content.<\/p>\n
We’ll get to the fun menu in a minute, but, as I’m sure everyone knows, restaurants are about more than the food.\u00a0 They’re made-up of so many components, but none more important than the personnel, in my opinion.\u00a0 (Well, except for cleanliness, but that’s a story for another time.)<\/p>\n
And this Olive Garden excelled in that category.\u00a0 Yes, they were, of course, on their best behavior because we were an invited group, but I can always tell phoniness, and this was all very genuine, on\u00a0the parts of everyone there, from the lovely greeting we received as we entered to the servers to the managers to the bussers.\u00a0 Even a waiter who admired my scarf when I was exiting the rest room was personable, and he could not have known from whence I came.<\/p>\n
One extra mile they went was lovely, and right after my own heart.\u00a0 I absolutely hate wasting food, and know that it’s never an embarrassment to ask to have leftovers wrapped-up to take home, although I know that many people still cringe at having to ask.\u00a0 However, since this was all served family-style, to a table of virtual strangers, even I<\/em> would not have asked for doggie bags.<\/p>\n The Salmon Bruschetta. Photo by Karen<\/p><\/div>\n But, from the very first salad, the servers asked right away if they could pack-up the left-overs for any of us.\u00a0 When my table-mates all politely declined, I was happy to accept the offer.\u00a0 So, they happily boxed it for me, and did so with several other dishes because the portions were indeed generous, and we were trying several.\u00a0 They made those of us who did it feel comfortable, which I so appreciate. At the end, one of the guys even packed-up their signature break sticks for us!<\/p>\n It worked-out well for everyone concerned because, since I don’t eat most fish, I brought the Salmon Bruschetta, one of the new menu items, home to my salmon expert, Mr. X, and he loved it! He said, \u201cIt was really<\/em> good.\u201d\u00a0 He’s truly an expert on that dish, and he couldn’t stop raving over this one. And it turns-out that the accompanying risotto has crabmeat in it, which he doesn’t even like, but this time he did.\u00a0 So, I got a third reviewer out of the deal.\u00a0 Wait–actually, a fourth one, too, because I heated-up the paccheri pasta with creamy sun-dried tomato and chicken meatballs, (a dish you can \u201ccreate\u201d yourself,) the next day for Steph, my trusty intern, and she said, “The pasta was delicious! I haven’t been to Olive Garden in a long time, so I’m impressed with this new menu item.”<\/p>\n The Chicken Abruzzi. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n And the left-overs just continued to get more delicious. At the actual luncheon, I wasn’t that interested in the Chicken Abruzzi (an Olive Garden Specialty,) because I spied a lot of lemon on it, which I usually eschew. But I decided to give it a go at home, because, at only 540 calories a pop, and containing kale and cannellini beans, it’s oh-so-good for us.\u00a0 And I couldn’t get enough of it!\u00a0 I was shocked at how much I loved this dish!<\/p>\n But let’s get back to the in-eatery fare we sampled.\u00a0 The invite told us that “Olive Garden\u2019s new menu is designed to appeal to the evolving palettes and preferences of casual dining guests, while providing guests with more options to customize their meal experience at both lunch and dinner.”\u00a0 To that end, they made a lot of changes to the existing menu, both for lunch and dinner, including a “lighter” section (that features the above-mentioned Chicken Abruzzi,) and a “create-your own-pasta,” one, (such as the paccheri pasta with creamy sun-dried tomato and chicken meatballs that Steph liked.)<\/p>\n We tried two salads that are interestingly done–they’re both the same basic salad with their popular dressing, but you can order different “topper” combos for it.\u00a0 Clever.\u00a0 Everyone at my table enjoyed them, and I especially liked the one with chunky mozzarella bites and trendy kale.\u00a0 Marcia and I both appreciated the saut\u00e9ed shrimp served on creamy polenta, while my favorite dish was the “smashed” chicken meatball sandwich with roasted bell peppers and mozzarella on a focaccia bun, which was served with garlic parmesan fries.\u00a0 As a matter if fact, I’ve been craving it every day since this luncheon!<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>