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Olive Garden


DigitalSky

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How do we get beyond this? Other than "take a friend to a better dinner", I don't know.

Places like the Olive Garden cater to the vast number of people trapped in the system. Trapped like rats in a maze called wonderland with its endless promises of pleasure in its most marketable form. The rats don't know they are in a maze, they just accept this is the way things are. Sometimes a lucky rat will find the door out. Olive Gardens, with their medocre food and artificial make believe atmosphere, are a symptom of society gone wrong, not the cause of it.

Wonderland, is here to stay the only things that change are the names of the places that make it up. The best we can do is to try to keep from getting caught in it ourselves.

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I will suffer again when i leave the state of New Jersey with no more REAL italian food. I have been spoiled up here with the REAL thing for about 4 years now.

Pasatanos in Greensboro was suprisingly not too bad. Thats up on Lawndale Dr by Target (north of Battleground)

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  • 2 weeks later...

I think the big problem with the Olive Garden is that Darden has really beotchized the chain. The first time we went was in 1990 (in Orlando) and we had a really good meal. In the last 8 years or so the sauces have seemed canned (or bagged), overly thick, and reeked of cheap, jarred garlic. The salad is still good, but I didn't have a single pasta dish that I thought was any good.

For chain italian restaurants, the Olive Garden pales to Carrabbas and (especially) Maggiano's.

Perhaps the reason that the Olive Garden has floundered is that the local guys are actually winning out. My favorites are 518, Cafe Luna, Pulcinellas, and Amedeo's (best plate of spaghetti in Raleigh). Est Est Est was pretty good, too. All of them were reasonably priced and easy to get to.

You know what really isn't half bad is the pasta at the American Grill in Crabtree's food court. I've gotten the grilled chicken with tomato sauce and really enjoyed it.

The place to avoid, however, is this little pizza place in the shopping center at Western Blvd and Jones Franklin Road (HT anchors this one). UGH! It's the first italian food I've ever not been able to finish.

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Places like the Olive Garden cater to the vast number of people trapped in the system. Trapped like rats in a maze called wonderland with its endless promises of pleasure in its most marketable form. The rats don't know they are in a maze, they just accept this is the way things are. Sometimes a lucky rat will find the door out. Olive Gardens, with their medocre food and artificial make believe atmosphere, are a symptom of society gone wrong, not the cause of it.

Wonderland, is here to stay the only things that change are the names of the places that make it up. The best we can do is to try to keep from getting caught in it ourselves.

Getting off topic here, but... that's how I feel about a lot of things. The cutsey names given to subdivisions, shopping centers, and (yes) condo towers. Southpoint Mall in particular gives me that uneasy feeling, it has a vibe of mass-produced, shrink-wrapped, and artificial atmosphere.

But far more important than that, I've found that it's important to stay grounded in the real world. Don't be snotty, it's not a likable trait. Don't look down on people you percieve as being trapped in the system; that builds a self-superior mindset. Don't try to live in an idealistic dream world, either; you'll end up bitter and frustrated.

If you're with a group of friends or relatives and they all want to go to Olive Garden or Southpoint, don't say a thing. It's fine to make a suggestion, but don't insist - just go, and enjoy the company of your friends. :)

Anyway, this is probably common sense to all of you, but it's something that I had to learn for myself. And I don't worry, because I'm confident that Southpoint's manufactured atmosphere will eventually look just as tacky and gauche to the rest of the public as it does to me..

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But far more important than that, I've found that it's important to stay grounded in the real world. Don't be snotty; people will resent you. Don't get caught up in your own dream world of idealism, you'll end up bitter and frustrated.

Already there. You have to wonder why people frequent these places though. I think mainly its because they know they will get the same slop everytime and may have to think about 1 second on what they will order. These are the same people that go to Epcot to learn about foreign culture and eat at McDonald's when they are in a foreign country (if they ever make it overseas).

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It is not purely "rats in a maze" syndrome, and I do think the people here can be ambassadors to these places we know and love. By not doing so, we create our own mazes that never intersect with other well meaning people who don't know of the alternatives. I'm guilty of this too -- I never go to Third Place or other similar places because of stupid, self-created bias.

If a large group wants to go to Olive Garden, go. But if it's a one on one or group of four or less, suggest someplace else. Then they might like it and they'll be your allies in getting that larger group to go to the better local alternative later on.

When mom comes into town, she usually wants to go to golden corral. But once I took her to side street cafe in oakwood, and now she wants to go to GC half the time, but asks about side street and other options the other half.

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Maybe the predictability of the "slop" is what attracts people. Maybe they only go out once or twice a month and don't want to take any chances. Maybe their kids are picky eaters. Maybe cost is an issue. Maybe they care more about the experience of being served than satisfying their meticulously trained taste buds.

Attaching some sort of moral significance to a person's choice in restaurants is exactly the self-superior mindset orulz was talking about. It's douche-baggery of the highest order. I almost always go to locally owned places, but even then I have a small list of favorites that I typically stick to. Does that mean I'm trapped in the maze? Do I lose some of my internet message board cred because I don't try a new place every week?

People like what they like. It doesn't mean anything.

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Just stumbled across this thread. No, I won't let it die. I think that beneath the topic there's a good discussion to be had regarding mom and pop places versus mega chains.

I don't think chains are that bad of a thing. There are good chains. I've yet to have a bad meal at Maggianos. I feel that the Cheesecake Factory is the devil.

Regarding "The OG," you get a harmless okay meal at a reasonable price. And Grandma loves it. And that's okay. I love Cinelli's. The italian place at City Market is quite good. I used to really like 518 but the last couple of times I've had a really bad experience.

But I'd rather go to someplace smaller where the employees remember me. Every time I go to Thai Villa, Sushi Thai, Royal India, Ole Time BBQ, etc... I feel like Norm in Cheers.

All I ask is that we keep the mega chain out of downtown.

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What about a Morton's (as discussed in another thread)? Or is that a small enough chain that it justifies being downtown? I think it is, as is Sullivans.

There's a difference between a high end chain and what is referred to as a "trough." Technically Nobu is a "chain" but it's a top tier restaurant.

I suppose it comes down to quality. I've never eaten at a Morton's but I hear amazing things. I'd love to see one open downtown.

Outback Steakhouse? Now that's another story. :o

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  • 3 weeks later...

I could never figure out why the Olive Garden in Durham closed down. I was really disappointed. I heard a rumor that there was a hepatitis outbreak (which is a death wish for any restaurant--think of Joe's Crab Shack) but I never heard anything about it on the news. It just mysteriously closed one day. I even knew a guy who worked there, and he didn't know why either.

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The Glenwood location might be cursed or something. Since it was built, it has gone from Olive Garden to Houlihans to Sam Sneads to (just recently) Blinco's. There is a Ragazis down the road, but I doubt that would be a deciding factor. The Johnny Carinos in Brier Creek seems to do ok. Part of me thinks the Brier Creek area is oversaturaed with dining options, but if they get a lot of East/North durham business, they may be ok.

Has anyone been to the italian restaurant in Frankie's Fun Park? I used to go to the arcade after work some fridays to let traffic die down, but have not been out that way in months.

I could see Olive Garden opening up a location somewhere off 64 in Knightdale. There are few options over there other than fast food, barbecue, and waffle house there now.

Also, for me, douchebaggery is reserved for people who chose to not eat downtown or anyplace different because "I don't want to get approached for money/mugged/stabbed/shot/raped/whatever" and "there is no place to park."

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I went to Olive Garden for the first time in Myrtle Beach in 2001 and thought it was ok, the salad was really good, then I went again in 2003 outside of Worcester, MA and had the same experience, great salad, ok food. Olive Garden is nothing to get excited over but at least it's an option...

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Places like the Olive Garden cater to the vast number of people trapped in the system. Trapped like rats in a maze called wonderland with its endless promises of pleasure in its most marketable form. The rats don't know they are in a maze, they just accept this is the way things are. Sometimes a lucky rat will find the door out. Olive Gardens, with their mediocre food and artificial make believe atmosphere, are a symptom of society gone wrong, not the cause of it.

It's like the Matrix... don't swallow the red pill!!! :rofl:

People that go to Applebee's or Olive Garden are fine people I'm sure. It's funny, but i used to like those places. There came a point in my life where I realized I wanted something more than just the typical mass-marketed restaurant chain food (or cookie-cutter home with a pudgy snouted garage in front), especially since I moved downtown. I have to say that I do catch myself being a bit of a snob from time to time judging others on their choices, but I realize that they could do the same with me, so I catch myself. There is nothing gained by judging another.

I think if you live in America, and not western Europe for example, on some level people ought to accept the existence of mass market restaurant franchises. In most US cities, they are nearly unavoidable. I wish this weren't the case, but it's reality, and I think it's best to take the viewpoint that we ought to try to make the best of an imperfect situation. Otherwise, you might as well move to Paris.

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I was not aware that Carraba's was a "chain." We have one in Hickory, but I thought it was a unique place... Guess not, but it sure is popular here. I have never been in it, though.

If I am going to go to a chain restaurant, it is usually Olive Garden or Ruby Tuesday. I'd rather pick an original restaurant than anything else.

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