Olive Garden, Monroeville, PA

I’m not a huge fan of chain restaurants- I prefer small, locally owned eateries because they usually provide more interesting fare. This Saturday afternoon however, I met my mom and sister at the Olive Garden in Monroeville for a quick lunch.

The Olive Garden does big business- people like the food there because they can always count on receiving the same thing- no variations in taste or presentation. The food at the Garden is good- the pasta is tasty, and the breadsticks are buttery and warm.

My mom and sister ordered the soup and salad, which entitles one to an unlimited supply of greens with tomatoes, onions, seasoned croutons and the aforementioned delicious, yeasty breadsticks. I ordered a chicken Caesar salad.

Delicious Olive Garden Food

Our waitress quickly served the soup and salad, but I had to wait 10 minutes for my salad to arrive. My mom and sister repeatedly asked me if I wanted some of their salad, but I opted to wait for MY lunch, which finally arrived.

“May I please have some extra anchovies?” I asked.

“We don’t have anchovies…”

Hmmmm.

“How do you make your Caesar dressing?”

“It comes already prepared.”

Olive Garden peeps… please have a can of anchovies in the cooler in case someone wants them, OK?

The salad was good- the lettuce was fresh, and the dressing (even thought it was lacking anchovies) was zesty. Moist-free strips of chicken adorned the top of the romaine, and could have been cooked a little less.

Our check was dropped off at the table before we were ready to leave. We were also interested in ordering dessert, which our server never offered after our meal.

The Olive Garden is a good restaurant, but lacks authenticity. If you’re in the mood for a big bowl of pasta and a limitless supply of breadsticks, give it a try.