Can you not get the salad at Olive Garden sans parmesan? I mean, it's the world's most boring house salad (at least if you take off the big black olives) and it's usually way over-dressed, but I mean... it's salad.

And I'm surprised that all of their pasta has eggs. Or is it the sauces that are all unvegan?

Probable post n run:

Hiya, Kalliope! May you truly be an inspiration.

Hil, not that I'm vegan, but that's one more reason for me to loathe Olive Garden. The other reason being that I've eaten their food twice and gotten sick both times.

Ginger, I wish I had a magic cure to suggest.

La la la, it's Friday.

Olive Garden isn't an Italian restaurant, it's a parody of an Italian restaurant. The only thing missing was the organ grinder and monkey.

ca-lie-a-pea

This one. She's one of the muses.

This was my belief as well! However, over in Natter Flea just said:

Yay Kalliope! I know a 6 month old Kalliope whose father is Greek and it's pronounced the Greek way, Kall-ee-OH-pee, and she's called Popi (POPE-ee). But I think Kall-EYE-oh-pee is beautiful too.

And I'm all WHAT?!?!?!?

Olive Garden. Feh. I belonged to an improv group that liked having their meetings there. And it was conveniently located and had a nice big table in a quiet room that we could get which is no easy trick in this city without spending a mint. It had its merits. I also thought it was kitchy fun...

It turned out that half of us thought it was kitchy fun but half of us ACTUALLY LOVED THE FOOD. It was one of the primary snob moments of my life.

Yay Kalliope!

Sparky had a muse!

And we have a new amusement.

Ginger, sorry for the pain ... but yay for the clean bill of health.

And Olive Garden - I also have a friend who's gotten sick every one of the few times she's eaten there. I never have ... and, from what I hear, never will.

And Tom, they could also add a gondolier singing "Santa Lucia".

I've eaten at Olive Garden a number of times with no ill effect. It was one of the few restaurants near the hospital where my parents both spent a lot of time, and I found their chicken parm to be pretty good comfort food, if not good Italian food. I don't think much of their salad, but that's not why I was there anyway.

My kids eat like bottomless pits at Olive Garden. That's reason enough for me to go.

I think I just ruined a new pair of Christopher's expensive work pants by not realizing they were dry clean. Feh.

I recall Olive Garden having excellent garlic bread, and little else to distinguish it.

Olive Garden isn't an Italian restaurant, it's a parody of an Italian restaurant. The only thing missing was the organ grinder and monkey.

Heck yeah! It may be decent chain restaurant food, but it's not Italian food.

My family loves Olive Garden. I've been there a lot. I like it.