Munchie Adventure: Olive Garden, Tulalip WA

Road Trip!!!! =D first time ever going with friends, and it was absolutely amazing. Not that going with my family isn't good, it's a different feel =)

It was around 3 when we got there, but it was packed! We had to wait for a table!! But look at the buzzer =O *easily amused* Annnyways, they have this deal where if you order an entree, you get unlimited soup refills or salad. AND breadsticks =) But judging from the prices, I'd say it's just included in the price =P







Restaurant: Olive Garden (visit their website here)
Location: 10326 Quil Ceda Blvd, Tulalip, WA
Cuisine: Italian, Pasta, Steak
Price range: $15-20




Date of visit: November 3, 2012
Atmosphere: 4/5
Staff/service: 4/5
Food variety: 3/5
Food quality: 3.75/5
Buck worthy? 3/5

I asked for hot water, and was surprised with this! Very nice, and who would've thought that tiny pot could hold so much water? =O

We were first started off with soup! There were five kinds to try from, I chose the Chicken Florentine (which wasn't on the menu). It was a creamy tomato soup with potatoes, carrots, spinach, chicken, and something else I can't quite recall xD It was very good!!

SW and AL got the Zuppa Toscana, which was also very yummy! I loved the taste of it, it was a white soup but you could taste the rich meat flavor. There was also Kale in it, which I remember SW telling me all about the goodness of =)

Then came the adorably wrapped breadsticks =P they came fresh out of the oven! =)

Look at how nice they looked, the texture was very good, liked it a lot, but I thought it was a bit too oily on the outside.

When our waitress asked if we wanted appies, I actually told her we wanted "These tomatoes please", but I meant to say "These mushrooms please" xD Aiiiii Oh well, we got the Stuffed Mushrooms ($8.35), and they were really good! They used clams to stuff them, and it was so fresh!! The juices looked oily, but so delicious that we didn't mind =P

Then it was Round 2 of soup for SW and AL, cuz I was pretty full already after the breadsticks, "tomatoes" and first bowl of soup. SW tried their Pasta e Fagioli, which was an Italian Chili (or so the waitress explained). I didn't try this, but it looked packed full of goodies, although I think the previous soups were preferred.

Onto the main courses! AL ordered their Chicken Parmigiana ($16.25) and swapped the spaghetti to angel hair. It looked really good!

SW went for their Grilled Lemon-Herb Chicken ($14.75), they even grilled the lemon! =P Looked quite healthy, but I felt it was a bit too burnt. It came with pretty Farfalle pasta though =D Such cute bow-like pasta!!! <3

I couldn't decide what to get, so I went for their Tour of Italy ($18.50), which included Chicken Parmigiana, Homemade Lasagna, and Fettuccine Alfredo. I only tried a bit of each, since I was pretty full already, the chicken was very crispy and the tomato sauce was light and tangy. The lasagna was pretty good, although I think the pasta part was a bit soggy. The sauce was nice. Lastly, the fettuccine, wasn't as good. I thought the sauce was a bit "rough" and wasn't as creamy as I expected. Taste was well balanced, but texture definitely could use some improvement.

Ended our meal with some Andes mints, haven't had these in so long that it tasted better than I remember.

Overall, it was a good experience, something different from the buffets I end up going to when in the states! I think they're a bit pricey, but I think most Western meals are relatively more expensive than Chinese food =P The decorations inside gave me this homey feel, and the friendly waiter and waitress (they switched off during our meal) made it very enjoyable.