Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, January 31, 1992 TAG: 9201310397
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: E-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOLORES KOSTELNI
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
SERVICE MARS PROMISE OF OLIVE GARDEN
Monuments to the American mania for Italian foods abound: Swarms of pizza parlors, pasta palaces and kissing-cousin spinoffs are everywhere.General Mills, the giant food company, jumped on the Italian bandwagon 10 years ago when it opened the first Olive Garden restaurant in Orlando, Fla. The restaurant concept and menu were developed as a direct result of response to extensive market-research questions on what Americans thought Italian food should taste like.
About a month ago, an Olive Garden opened at Valley View Mall in Roanoke. It has equivalent standards in physical appearance, seating capacity, food, service and prices to the 300 other restaurants in the chain. So that there are uniform flavors and textures, some items come already prepared and prepackaged, such as the marinara sauce or, like the breaded calamari (the squid rings), just in need of deep frying.
A large menu lists both lunch and dinner items. Clear descriptions follow the name of each dish, every wine ($2.75/glass, $16.50/bottle), plus all desserts ($1.75-$3.50) and other beverages ($1-$2.95). This gives a reasonable idea of what you're getting. But nowhere, including the take-out menu, is the telephone number for this Olive Garden included.
Of the 11 appetizers, I've sampled seven. Soft, puffy pizza Americana ($5.50) is 9 inches around. Ours arrived with sloppy smatterings of both sauce and cheese.
Pasta e fagioli ($2.50), the beans and macaroni soup, is a meal in itself, especially if accompanied by the house giveaways of tender, soft bread sticks and salad. This version is uniquely Olive Garden's: a chunky, thick stew-like soup containing a large quantity of ground beef, a few different kinds of beans, and a short pasta in a surprisingly zippy broth.
A great way to get a little bit of everything is to try the Italian sampler ($5.50). This delightful array incorporates four other appetizers: ham-and-cheese stuffed Venetian shrimp ($4.15); zesty bread crumbs, clams, and Parmesan cheese filled mushrooms Italiano ($3.95); crunchy, greaseless, fried beef ravioli ($3.45); and nicely fried mozzarella triangles and zucchini wedges ($3.45).
Tender, sweet calamari ($3.95) are fried so perfectly, I could've eaten them 'til the cows came home, but without the sweetish marinara sauce.
More than two dozen typically favorite and well-known entrees are listed, but many times they are served with unfortunate results. Once, after waiting 30 minutes, the waiter served me a stinky grilled Tuscan-style swordfish ($10.95), a dish that never should have left the kitchen. The waiter offered to replace it with something else, but my appetite had been killed.
The accompanying side dish of pasta marinara, although edible, proved to be less than satisfactory: The telltale dry skin from standing around too long had formed on the mushy noodles.
Two other pasta dishes, linguine alla scampi ($11.50) and pasta and seafood ($8.95), fell short of expectations because of watery sauces.
Consider the Northern Italian combination platter ($11.50) for a delightful assortment of food in small portions: a thin, tender sauteed veal cutlet napped with a piquant lemon and caper sauce; and an au gratin dish brimming with creamy, delicious, fettucine Alfredo, although the marinated half a chicken breast was grilled to dryness.
For lunch, light as a feather and fat with a beef, veal and chicken filling are the oven-baked cannelloni ($5.65), a simply wonderful meal. Succulent deli calzone ($3.95) satisfies completely. It's a plate-sized wonder, full of salami, ham and stringy, molten cheese.
Each time I return to Olive Garden, service is less than satisfactory. On my last visit, after a long wait, our waiter did not clear the table before placing the next course before us. We had to lift our own dishes and hold them until his tray was clear. Sometimes courses follow too quickly; salad is warmer than room temperature, and beer is served in warm glasses - not the usual frosted mugs.
This is the fourth Olive Garden restaurant I've been to, so I have a substantial frame of reference for evaluating this one. I basically like Olive Gardens: flavors are clean, meals are usually consistent, dollar value is excellent, and they're fun. For this Roanoke Olive Garden, I feel stronger leadership and guidance from management is needed in every area of operation.
Dolores Kostelni has extensive experience in the food industry, having worked\ as a restaurant consultant, manager and chef.
OLIVE GARDEN\ Valley View Mall 362-0417\ HOURS: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m.\ BEVERAGES: Complete line of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.\ PRICE RANGE: Lunch, $2.50-$5.65; dinner, $5.95-$12.25.
CREDIT CARDS: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club, Discover.\ RESERVATIONS? Monday-Thursday, for groups of 15 or more.\ NON-SMOKING SECTION? Yes.\ HANDICAPPED ACCESSIBLE? Yes.
Dining Out's evaluations of restaurant accessibility to the handicapped are conducted by the Center for Independence for the Disabled, a non-profit organization.