GastroBlog
normally, i wouldn’t write about a chain at home, but i’ve been paying a lot of attention to my stepblog lately, and thought i should get a post up here. plus, this was a little out of the ordinary. well, actually, no it wasn’t, and that’s the point.
when pam and i were married, our “reception” was at olive garden. and one of our first apartments was right across from one. so close, in fact, that there was a neon green glow on our patio at night. we would have lunch or dinner there 2-3-4 times a week, easy.
at some point, we kind of stopped going to olive garden because they started to overprice their value, i thought, and it got boring. but we still like to go every now and then.
tonight we went because it was the closest place to where we were at the time. we haven’t been there in a long time, and everything was quite good. we had a sampler appetizer with the toasted ravioli and the stuffed mushrooms, which haven’t changed at all in the 17 years we’ve been going. they’re my favorite. for entrees, pam had a chicken and gnocchi that was good, and i had braised short ribs with asiago tortolloni also good.
that’s not what i’m writing about.
first, i was devastated to see one of the new menu items it lasagna fritta. fried lasagna. paula deen has infiltrated the olive garden menu. i wrote about this previously, and i was not happy about it. (click here to read.)
second, it’s in pinellas park. it’s the closest one to our house, and it just makes me sad whenever we go there. generally speaking, we see hairy armpits coming out of a tank top. or a domestic disturbance. or something else remarkably disturbing.
tonight, there was a big party sitting next to us. it was a family. it was grandma’s birthday. there were two siblings with their spouses and their five teen-ish kids. i’m guessing on all this. but i’m right.
first, the teen with his back to us had pants that wouldn’t stay up, and he wouldn’t stay down. he was wearing blue plaid boxers. i know this for a fact. i wish i didn’t, but i do.
then, mom and all the kids started throwing croutons at each other. i was stunned. for the rest of dinner, boxer boy was shooting hoops with the croutons into one of his cousins’ glasses. it went on and on
sadly, this wasn’t the only dysfunctional family in my line of vision. at the table next to them was a couple with a new baby and the grandparents. i couldn’t believe i was watching this but i did: the guy twisted up his napkin and spent a solid five minutes snapping it at the woman. i haven’t seen this happen since the locker room in middle school.
there is nothing wrong with the restaurant. our waitress was great. the entrees came out pretty quick after the appetizer, and she apologized profusely and didn’t charge us for the appetizer. it was a little awkward, but it wasn’t that big a deal. but i didn’t argue at having it taken off the bill. all the food was good.
there’s just something about pinellas park. i don’t think its olive garden, because i have never had an experience like this at any other, and i have them every time at this one. but it’s close. and gas is expensive.
oh well.
Sunday, July 6, 2008
olive garden, pinellas park
