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Olive Garden - when?

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  • #16
    Re: Olive Garden - when?

    I'm unclear as to what the all the fuss is about the Olive Garden. It's good...but only good as a national mainstream franchise specializing in Italian-style food can be.

    Here in RI, one of two largest ethnic groups in state are the Italians..the other one are the Portuguese. (Plenty of malassadas, pao doce, and bacalao to be had here!) Most people I know here, who are of an Italian heritage, and happen to know a little about Italian cuisine, think the Olive Garden is just mass-produced fast-food Italian...to call Olive Garden an exceptional Italian restaurant, in their view, would be analogous as, say, a native of Maine calling Red Lobster a "wicked good" restaurant for seafood.

    This area is blessed with so many restaurants that specialize in authentic Italian cuisine; the Federal Hill neighborhood of Providence and the North End of Boston are legendary for their restaurants that serve up superior Italian food. Quite frankly, with so many choices available in restaurants specializing in authentic Italian cuisine around here, I'm surprised that the Olive Gardens in existence here do so well; it seems that there is always a minimum of a thirty minute wait for a table at them here.

    To me, it seems the one common thing that all patrons of the Olive Garden enjoy, is, of course, the breadsticks and house salad combination...I'm constantly hearing about how good it are. Yeah, I've had the combo, and it does make a nice appetizer for the main meal, but beyond it, I think Olive Garden is just mass-produced Italian-style food.

    BTW, the breadstick and house salad combo is so popular, one can now order them as a meal by themselves at Olive Garden...it's an all-one-can-eat kind of deal.
    Last edited by Surfingfarmboy; September 6, 2006, 12:01 AM.

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    • #17
      Re: Olive Garden - when?

      Originally posted by lavagal
      Mediteraneo is also quite good. Isn't it somehow linked to the Cafe Sistina chef?
      I always assumed that the 'Olive Gardens',were just Italian versions of Sizzlers, or Tony Romas? Another words, nothing to write home about if you have eaten real Italian food before..or so I've been told

      Good Italian joints here in Honolulu....hard to find one of a San Fran, or New York quality.
      Speaking of Cafe Sistina, it was good when it first opened up...but now it has much to be desired in my opinion.
      Does anybody remember Cafe Cambio on Kapiolani blvd? To me they were the best Italian food in town hands down. It's unfortunate that the owners decided to part ways. One of them opened up Cafe Sistina, and I'm not sure what the other co-owner is doing these days. Cafe Cambio also delivered pasta to people's homes...damn...I miss Cafe Cambio!

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      • #18
        Re: Olive Garden - when?

        Originally posted by Dale View Post
        Does anyone know when an Olive Garden will get here to the islands? Very nice restaurant, and I thought they were going to go into Ala Moana Center, but apparently, they did not.

        Anyone out there in HT land that knows anything more about this?
        I haven't been to the new location of Olive Garden yet at the Ala Moana Shopping Center that opened in the location that used to be Buba Gumps starting on Thursday October 29, 2020.

        However I did add the tag olive garden to the threads that mention this place.

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