CHAPTER ONE
1 Y'know, being a restaurant critic isn't all fennel and demi-glaze reduction. With so many hot new eateries and bistros opening left and right, sometimes a Prince of Darkness can get a little bogged down! Am I right, folks?
2 And these newfangled dishes! I mean, who really wants to eat something like radicchio-skate terrine with oxtail chutney? Phew!
3 Sometimes it's nice to just go to a spot where you know what you're getting, in a comfortable ambience—and all for a reasonable price.
4 Which is why, this week, I'm reviewing my favorite restaurant on God's green earth: the Olive Garden!
CHAPTER TWO
1 First of all, don't be fooled by the name—the Olive Garden serves a lot more than olives.
2 Let me just start with two words for ya: bottomless breadsticks.
3 That's right. The Olive Garden gives you all the breadsticks you want. In fact, they'll give you even more than you want! 3 And the salad's bottomless, too! (Although I admit, I don't always eat as much salad as I'm supposed to. I'm soooo bad!)
4 But it's that rich, creamy pasta that brings me back to Olive Garden again and again.
CHAPTER THREE
1 Confession time! I'm gonna come clean here: If the Five-Cheese Bacon Ziti were crack, I'd be a full-blown crackhead. There, I said it!
2 And the Deep-Dish Sausage 'n' Breadcrumb Lasagna—in a word, wow. I could live off that stuff for the rest of my life if I had to.
3 But the Fettuccine Ultra Alfredo might be my favorite dish of all. It's to die for—so rich and creamy. It's like drowning in warm, white, sticky goo!
4 Here's a pro tip for ya: Don't skimp on the freshly grated parmesan. It zazzes up just about every dish on the menu, and they'll keep piling it on until you say "when!"
5 Don't even get me started on the desserts. Like the Triple-Dipple Chocolate Tiramisu. Oh, my heavens. It's downright sinful!
CHAPTER FOUR
1 So you see, when it comes down to it, restaurant reviewer or no, I'm not a fancy guy at all. I appreciate the simple pleasures, just like you.
2 And I know what you're thinking: "The Olive Garden? Isn't that just another chain restaurant?"
3 Or: "Really? Can't I cook better food at home?"
4 Or: "Isn't the Olive Garden just a fecund, hellish cesspool of mediocrity and soul-sucking mung?"
5 You bet it is. And that's why I love it.
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