When you're here, you're family.

Sep 25th, 2003

Advantages:
Good food nice ambiance .

Disadvantages:
A bit pricey, and some portions are small .

Recommendable: Yes

Detailed rating:

Value for Money

Standard of Menu

Atmosphere

Standard of Service

signals

signals

About me:

Member since:14.09.2003

Reviews:68

Members who trust:5

Review rated by 10 Ciao members on average: very helpful

Note: This is somewhere in NY. The State not the city. Things may vary in your area.

There are five of these restaurants in my area. The one I frequent is on Erie Blvd. Although I have gone to the one on Route 31, a few times. (This was just to clarify for the double comments that don't make sense to me.)

I like the Olive Garden very much. It would be my first choice for eating out alone, with friends, or with a special some one. In this particular restaurant you almost feel Italian from the start. The art, the statues are all reminiscent of Rome in it's glory, and this is in the waiting area. The chianti wine bottles, maps of Italy, red-white-green colors abound, pictures that take an Italian or one who has been there back...again and again! This is the restaurant,with tables and booths, area. The waitresses are dressed in a simple Italian regional dress. Everyone I take there leaves very impressed in some way!

The food is *mwah*(kiss with fingers joined at the tips) DELICIOUS. You get all the breadsticks and salad you could eat. The breadsticks are soft and warm. The salad is very cold. The plate is cold. This seems to really bring out the flavor of the salad with their housedressing.

The main courses reflect the diffrent areas of Italy and traditional dishes. They sell tour dishes that are three dishes from a particular region. I love their lasagna. But any combination of their pastas are delightful, and their sauces are to die for!

In my area, they are currently running a special where you choose a pasta and choose a sause. This is great if you love one and not the other. Some of their sauces go with a pasta, and usually they don't change them.

They include a variety of dishes from pasta, seafood, chicken, steaks, pork, veal. My favorite is pasta in an Italian restaurant, but this doesn't mean that they don't carry more dishes. Everything is Italian, but for steak I go to a local hub, for chicken I go to KFC, etc.

Most of their portions seem rather small for the price that may seem reasonable. Their dishes run between $8-18(approx. 5-12 GBP), including salad and breadsticks. Drinks, Desserts, Coffee, Gratuity are not included. Alone I spend about $12 for everything. To impress a date I may spend $30 on everything. But the ambiance is great, and you will impress the one(s) you're with.

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