My daughter's 17th birthday request....
ugh....but, the kid wanted it, so we weren't gonna trash her request.
It wasn't completely horrible....I got their version of a grilled steak on top of Alfredo. I figured that there's not much to screw up, and it wasn't too bad.
On a Sunday night, I was surprised that the place was half-full. Nice business model, I guess.
Those formed rib things reminded me of The McRib. Nothing says delicious like a formed meat product.
Applebees is, literally, a grade above institutional food.
Applebees is only there for beers and appetizers anyway
Shit, if I had a penny for every pack of Butter Crunch cookies I ever ate, fugghedaboutit.
Again would not go on my own but it is not as wretched as predicted here..
Umberto's and Rigoletto's.
Louie Greco and Arthur Ave Deli. Sono Buoni.
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Finally this weekend, my parents were in town for my son's First Communion. By this time, I had tried and enjoyed a new Maggiano's that opened up by me, and my wife was converted. I took my parents, and they were impressed.
"My neighbor suggested we go to Olive Garden for dinner, so I laughed at him for 20 minutes and then stabbed him. Everyone in the neighborhood agreed it had to be done."
"My sister was in town from Enid, OK and suggested we go to the Olive Garden. I was forced to go and only got water. The water was the worst I ever had."
"My mom ate at the olive garden when she was pregnant with my brother, and he was born with food poisoning that didn't pass until he was 11."
"My neighbor suggested we go to Olive Garden for dinner, so I laughed at him for 20 minutes and then stabbed him. Everyone in the neighborhood agreed it had to be done."
"My sister was in town from Enid, OK and suggested we go to the Olive Garden. I was forced to go and only got water. The water was the worst I ever had."
"My mom ate at the olive garden when she was pregnant with my brother, and he was born with food poisoning that didn't pass until he was 11."
too good, lmao
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way to the Yankee game. Antipasto Salad, Pork pizzaiola with a side of penne. Bee-you-tee-ful!
Umberto's and Rigoletto's.
Louie Greco and Arthur Ave Deli. Sono Buoni.
Umberto's is gone. Another seafood place there now.
The original one on Mulberry St was a shit house. It became popular because Crazy Joe Gallo was killed there.
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way to the Yankee game. Antipasto Salad, Pork pizzaiola with a side of penne. Bee-you-tee-ful!
Umberto's and Rigoletto's.
Louie Greco and Arthur Ave Deli. Sono Buoni.
Umberto's isn't on Arthur Ave any longer, but there is one downtown.
Roberto's is the best joint on Arthur Ave, hands down. Rigoletto's is really good, too.
I've eaten at a few Olive Garden's, usually when I'm on the road in a smaller market without great restaurant options. It will do in a pinch, but it kills me that I pass one on Rt 17 in Ramsey, NJ, and the place is ALWAYS packed. You could spit from the parking lot and hit better Italian joints.
I'd never pay to eat there but when I didn't have a choice, it wasn't awful. Its probably cheaper and more accommodating than a Romanos or Carrabas. Of course it's going to be made into something worse than it is on a site full of New Yorkers and/or Italians who probably grew up on the best homemade Italian food (myself included) =)
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In comment 12250955 Victor in CT said:
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way to the Yankee game. Antipasto Salad, Pork pizzaiola with a side of penne. Bee-you-tee-ful!
Umberto's and Rigoletto's.
Louie Greco and Arthur Ave Deli. Sono Buoni.
Umberto's isn't on Arthur Ave any longer, but there is one downtown.
Roberto's is the best joint on Arthur Ave, hands down. Rigoletto's is really good, too.
I've eaten at a few Olive Garden's, usually when I'm on the road in a smaller market without great restaurant options. It will do in a pinch, but it kills me that I pass one on Rt 17 in Ramsey, NJ, and the place is ALWAYS packed. You could spit from the parking lot and hit better Italian joints.
Sizzlin Steve's!!! Right by the Bing!
In the 23 years I lived in NYC, I went to Olive Garden exactly ONCE. I went with Big Al for giggles, as a BBI thing to do, and fortunately did not get the shits.
IIRC, I really enjoyed the salad. They have an excellent Italian dressing. I cannot remember what entree I had at all. So in other words, the salad was very good, but the entree/pasta dish was forgettable.
The only recollection I have is of mushy pasta. If the pasta isn't al dente, the whole restaurant needs to be dropped into the Lava Pit.
If you live in Enid OK, eating at Olive Garden is regrettable but forgivable. Kind of like those poor children in Nicaragua wearing Patriots 19-0 tee shirts.
"Who the fuck are the Patriots? HOORAAAAAAAY!"
"My neighbor suggested we go to Olive Garden for dinner, so I laughed at him for 20 minutes and then stabbed him. Everyone in the neighborhood agreed it had to be done."
"My sister was in town from Enid, OK and suggested we go to the Olive Garden. I was forced to go and only got water. The water was the worst I ever had."
"My mom ate at the olive garden when she was pregnant with my brother, and he was born with food poisoning that didn't pass until he was 11."
Yes. Same with 'mom and pop' shops.
Also true for local delis.
You really can't even get a decent sandwich anywhere anymore.
if they speak to you in an accent, and it's NOT an Italian accent, walk away.
if they speak to you in an accent, and it's NOT an Italian accent, walk away.
That's like 80% of all the pizza joints in NY. lol
Not every meal has to be "special", but if you have a choice, you could get better Italian food at most pizzerias in the northeast than at OG. So if you're going for Italian food, and there are better (and usually cheaper) alternatives nearby, why go to OG?
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In comment 12251340 Greg from LI said:
if they speak to you in an accent, and it's NOT an Italian accent, walk away.
That's like 80% of all the pizza joints in NY. lol
aint that the truth.. but hey, it will narrow it down to the top 20%! lol
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350 dinners a year, and starting as a 20 year old you develop a palate, you live to be 50 that is around 10,500 dinners, everyone of them has to be something special?
Not every meal has to be "special", but if you have a choice, you could get better Italian food at most pizzerias in the northeast than at OG. So if you're going for Italian food, and there are better (and usually cheaper) alternatives nearby, why go to OG?
If you're local and have a good handle on which places are good and which aren't, then you're right, there's no reason. If you aren't? Then you might very well choose to go with predictable mediocrity than roll the dice on a local place.
Why does every Giants game have to be a win? Why do we need to discuss what went wrong in a loss, or who's at fault, or what can be done better? Its just a football game! I watch it, I move on. I don't blog or tweet about the players or coaches. Who gives a fuck?
Odd, I thought the salad and bread sticks may have been the worst part of the meal. Huge bowl of chopped iceberg lettuce with some garnish, and greasy slimy soft crust breadsticks. Ewww.
That's probably visually appealing to you, but fair chance that cut of meat he was freshly slicing for your hero has probably been in the case for a week or so wrapped in plastic wrap anyway.
The busier the deli the less likely this is the case.
The Italian dressing is pretty good but the blue cheese its the BOMB - yum, yum yum!
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I live in the Bronx, a 5 minute drive from Arthur Ave. The bar is set pretty high for Italian food for me, it's actually one of my few rules of dining out*. For the most part I can't stand those chain places, Fridays/Applebees/OG/Unos... They are OK for young kids though, I wouldn't want to go to a real location and disturb everyone.
***One of my rules for dining out: If you're not at an authentic Italian restaurant, DO NOT ORDER AN ITALIAN ITEM!
And then, A Subway opened.....Thought I would try them out, and I saw them preparing it with gloves on....It was ok, nothing to write home about....
Then I went back to the local pizza joint, because their sub tasted better......the woman handled money, the register, the oven, and then proceeded to grab the bread and meat to make my sub......I asked her if she would wash here hands...she asked why.....had to leave that place because of Subway...eventually the Board of Health caught up with them....
As for the Olive Garden, you better love their salad dressing, which has too much vinegar...unlimited breadsticks? Sure, no taste to them and they fill you up....I only go in there if it's busy elsewhere and I have a coupon....
Speaking of breadsticks....years ago, when Legal Seafoods was in our area, they had the best "hard rolls"(you know the ones, hard on the outside, soft in the center, and warm.....the butter just melted in them)......have to admit, I would toss a few in my pocket before leaving, and ask for "more rolls" to eat...They were so good, they started packaging them and selling them.....and like anything else, the recipe changed and they have never been the same....