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.

Now I want real Italian food. Or a trip to Italy.

Or maybe just lunch.

Hmmmm.

For me, Olive Garden's virtues are that it's a chain (so you know what it'll be even if you've never been to that particular one before) and they're easy to find if you're driving through some suburb or you've gotten off the highway to get gas.

If I'm going to go to a chain Italian-type restaurant I'd rather go to Carrabba's. Definitely much better and their Cesar salad is wonderful. Lots of garlic.

I don't think I've ever seen a Carrabba's. Are they regional?