I LOVE MY DADDY Giveaway Blog HopJune 16, 2011 - June 19, 2011

Come visit our featured I Love My Daddy Feature Sponsor. Feel free to shop from their site/ store and follow them through the social media links provided below to get ready in advance for the Main Giveaway.


The Buzz:

With 730 restaurants to their name and the reputation of bringing Italy to your plate, Olive Garden has wooed customers into their restaurants since 1982.


If you haven't ever visited an Olive Garden restaurant, I have to tell you that your taste palettes are missing out on something good!

My biggest weakness is the complimentary fresh salad generously topped with sprinkled cheese and hot bread-sticks that is brought out as you wait for your order to be whipped up in the kitchen.


I'm sure I can make this a meal in itself soon! I always have to remind myself to restrain from gorging on the salad and bread-sticks alone and that my "actual" meal is yet to arrive!!

On our recent visit we decided to try out the "special" everyone is talking about....


the Four Cheese Pastachetti.

Parmesan crusted lasagna squares, served with grilled chicken breasts and spinach in a garlic cream sauce

This delicious combination was by far our favorite pick for the day as the chicken was beautifully seasoned and juicy while the lasagna squares were any pasta and cheese lover's delight!

To further complement our meal, we also ordered the Grilled Chicken Flatbread (another recommended "must try" from the menu)

Grilled chicken, mozzarella cheese, roasted red peppers and basil on flatbread crust with alfredo sauce and garlic spread.

and the Lasagna Rollata al Forno. (A tasty, wholesome dish but not one that really intrigued or excited my taste buds.)

Lasagna rolls stuffed with ricotta, mozzarella, asiago, parmesan and romano cheese. Topped with mozzarella and seasoned breadcrumbs, baked in five cheese marinara.

I highly recommend ordering the Bellini Peach-Raspberry Iced Tea to wash this all down....refreshing!

For dessert we just had to order our standard favorite that Olive Garden just does so well- Tiramisu.


I think what makes Olive Garden's Tiramisu one of my favorite's is definitely the fact that it's not too sweet and you get that creamy custard taste with just the right dash of coffee deliciousness....yum!


Kid friendly?-

Overall this is a very kid friendly restaurant. Bunny Boo is going through this phase of "I need to be loud just because" and even though he was a tad bit noisy, his babbling was drowned out by the happy hum of chattering customers. That being said I have to add that this isn't a noisy restaurant. I'm sure the servers know exactly where to place you if you want to have a really quiet, romantic meal sans any babbling children!

I was slightly disappointed though when Bunny girl was handed a photocopied kids menu and 4 crayons. I'm not sure what they expected her to do with this!


On earlier occasions she has received a regular kids menu and while I do understand they may have run out of the same, I personally think it would have looked a little less tacky if they didn't give her a menu all together.

On the food front, Bunny girl ordered a platter of spaghetti and grilled chicken off the kids menu. She coupled this with a glass of chilled chocolate milk.

Grilled chicken breast with sides of steamed broccoli and spaghetti with tomato sauce

She enjoyed her generously sized meal while audibly wishing they had spaghetti and meatballs on the menu!


Value for Money-

Olive Garden ranks highly on my list of "Great food, Value for money Restaurants to dine at". The portions are filling and generous. Each time we've dined at the restaurant we've ended walking out with a doggie bag!


On this visit to the restaurant we spent a little less than 50 US$ for all the dishes featured in this post.
Now that's worth every penny spent especially when you consider the cuisine and ambiance,


Ambiance-

Service is quick and the servers are warm and friendly. The casual aura makes this restaurant a great place to take your family to especially if you have young children yet want to go out for a meal to celebrate a special occasion....
like Father's Day!


Love on the Sponsor-

- Like Olive Garden on Facebook.
- Follow me on Twitter and tweet ....

RT @ebmommy #Win a 50$ Olive Garden Gift Card for Father's Day at EBMR's #win4dad #Giveaway (June 16-19)


Win it:

One reader will have the opportunity to win a
50$ Olive Garden Gift Cardin one of the four fantastic prize packages during the I LOVE MY DADDY Giveawayon Energizer Bunny's Mommy Reports.



THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW LIVE &
WILL RUN TILL JUNE 19, 2011 10.59 PM CST ONLY!!

HURRY!!
ENTER HERE!







** EBMR Disclaimer: I was sent the featured product for review purposes only. This review has not been monetarily compensated and is based on the views and opinions of my family and/or self. Please note that the opinions reflected in this post have not been influenced by the sponsor in any way.**