Olive Garden Italian Restaurant

Before Ordering

Earlier this week I attended the Italian Restaurant Olive Garden on Midlothian Turnpike to enjoy lunch on our half day. Before arriving at the parking lot of the restaurant I predicted the place would be packed since it was noon on a weekday, but to my surprise the restaurant was almost vacant. When I went in to be seated I was asked to wait fifteen minutes along with another party which really upset me since there was almost nobody in the restaurant. However, I waited fifteen minutes and was finally seated at a table. One thing I noticed at the restaurant is that the chairs around the tables had wheels which helped lower the amount of noise people created by dragging chairs along the floor and is also something I have never seen at another restaurant.  The waitress was very kind and attentive when she brought out my drink. When she came by to take my order I ordered an appetizer of fried calamari and an order of Fettuccine Alfredo.

The Lunch

Shortly after taking my order the waitress brought out a huge bowl of salad and a basket of freshly baked bread sticks. The salad had green, crisp lettuce, bright red tomatoes, crunchy croutons, and a homemade Italian style dressing with warm, fluffy bread sticks that are all complimentary with my meal. The salad and breadsticks were served prior to my appetizer. The waitress eventually brought my order of fried calamari which was fried to a light golden brown served with marinara and a white sauce. The fried calamari was simply amazing. Without out a doubt it is the best calamari I have had anywhere and I challenge anyone to find calamari that delicious at another restaurant. In case you are wondering what is calamari it is simply squid but don’t judge a book by its cover because squid normally taste way better than it sounds. After enjoying my amazing appetizer my order of Fettuccine Alfredo was brought to me. The dish included a generous portion of Fettuccine pasta covered with Alfredo sauce and a lot of butter. The dish had almost enough butter for me to taste all the cholesterol. Besides the large amount of butter and salt I enjoyed my meal. When I was brought the bill I realized why people eat at Olive Garden only once in a blue moon.

Final Review

I thoroughly enjoyed my lunch at Olive Garden even though it did cost more than an average lunch. The best part about my lunch at Olive Garden was the fried calamari and the rolling chairs. I was very impressed by the overall cleanliness of the restraint which I found very appealing. I would recommend the restaurant to anyone as long as you are willing to pay more than usual. All the Italian dishes seemed delicious, but I cannot think of another restaurant that has fried calamari as good as Olive Garden’s. 

You can find directions to the restaurant here.