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Friday, February 11, 2000
By Woodene Merriman, Post-Gazette Dining Critic
His Honor wasn't excited about my idea of trying different Olive Garden restaurants, to see if they truly are alike. That was before the server at the Green Tree Olive Garden walked up to our booth with a jug of red wine, poured samples, and strolled away, leaving us to pour more if we liked.
This didn't happen when we ate at the Monroeville Olive Garden, just a week earlier.
"Maybe your waitress in Monroeville was busy and forgot," the Green Tree server apologized. "I like to bring the wine around."
Smart move. The jug of wine sitting there in front of us is so accessible that H.H. can't resist it, and soon has poured himself a refill. It's the honor system; we're keeping tabs on refills, $3.25 each.
Yes, the Monroeville Olive Garden was busy the night we went to review. The foyer was full of hungry people listening intently as a woman in an aqua sweater shouted out "Zefferelli for 2"and "Tomas for 15." We took our beeper and climbed up on bar stools for the one-hour wait.
Actually, it wasn't that long. We agreed to take a table in a back room where 20 women were having a party. (If you can't stand loud, shrill laughter, never do that.)
Which comes first, the appetizer or the salad? So many Pittsburgh restaurants do it wrong that I'm beginning to get confused myself. Our waitress certainly was. She produced the Olive Garden's traditional big bowl of iceberg lettuce, carrot shreds, ripe olives and thin onion slices first. When we're hungry, we'll eat anything -- and we did. Scarfed down the soft, warm and garlicky bread sticks, too.
The salad bowl was half empty when our real appetizer -- Bruschetta Caprese -- arrived.
What a beautiful (and delicious) appetizer! I could make a meal of the four slices of grilled Italian bread, topped with finely chopped, bright red tomatoes and mozzarella, tossed with basil and olive oil. The Olive Garden deserves kudos for getting really ripe tomatoes in the middle of the winter. (Some Pittsburgh restaurants don't even serve ripe tomatoes in late summer.)
Taking the advice of the bartender, who said he has never eaten here but everyone tells him it's good, I ordered the Tour of Italy. It's a big plate of soft, cheesy lasagna, heavily breaded and fried chicken parmigiana, and fettuccine Alfredo, which needed a little more of the artery-clogging sauce. The cutlets in H.H.'s veal parmigiana also were heavily breaded and fried until very dark (and unappetizing) in color.
For dessert, apple caramellina is the perfect finale -- baked apple, three scoops of low-fat ice cream and caramel drizzled over it all.
Now the question: If we order the same dishes at another Olive Garden on another night, will they be the same?
The answer: Yes, for the most part. Tonight at the Green Tree Olive Garden, the tomatoes aren't as ripe, so the Bruschetta Caprese isn't so outstanding. But the veal in the parmigiana is not so well-fried and dark in color, and the fettuccine seems to have more Alfredo sauce. The salad and the apple caramellina taste identical to what we had in Monroeville.
Service, however, has been different. H.H. is still smarting because no one offered him a free taste of the house red wine in Monroeville. No one gave us little Olive Garden candies or a comment card in Monroeville, either. Both restaurants were busy both nights -- did you ever see an Olive Garden that wasn't busy? -- so that's no excuse.
Menus and wine lists are identical. That's one of the advantages of a chain restaurant. Diners who like Olive Gardens know what will be on the menu, no matter where they travel. There's comfort in that familiarity.
At Green Tree, sales manager Casie Beran says the most popular entrees are the Tour of Italy ($12.75), Mediterranean Grille ($16.95) and Chicken Scampi ($10.95). The Mediterranean Grille is a grilled 16-ounce T-bone brushed with Italian herbs and served with garlic shrimp. Chicken scampi is boneless breast meat sauteed with bell peppers, roasted garlic and onions, served in a garlic cream sauce over pasta.
For lunch, Green Tree customers favor soup and salad. H.H. certainly favors the pasta e fagioli, a thick, hearty soup with ground beef, white and red beans, tomatoes, pasta. It's far too much to eat before dinner. Some people's eyes are bigger than their stomachs.
At Monroeville, manager Frank Burja agrees. Best sellers there also are the Tour of Italy and Chicken Scampi.
Olive Garden's menu has seafood, pizza, chicken and steak in familiar preparations, plus all the classic pasta dishes -- cheese ravioli, spaghetti and meat sauce, chicken parmigiana, many more. Nice touches are a selection of Garden Fare, or low-fat dishes, and wine suggestions with dinners.
Wines are available by the glass or the bottle. Sample prices: Indigo Hills' chardonnay, $5.25 a glass, and Robert Mondavi's Twin Oaks cabernet sauvignon, $4.95 a glass.
Other nice touches: Unlimited refills of soup, salad and breadsticks. The food at Olive Garden in general is acceptable, but not outstanding. Prices are reasonable, and there are enough choices to provide something for everyone. Judging from the crowds, it's just what many people want. And they keep coming back.
The No. 1 best seller, Burja says, is something that is not on the menu, but regular customers, those who keep coming back, know it's available: Wedding soup. It's popular at Green Tree, too. This is, after all, Pittsburgh.
The Olive Garden
971 Greentree Road, Green Tree, 412-922-7200.
Also: 260 Mall Blvd., Monroeville, 412-372-5017;
527 Clairton Blvd., Pleasant Hills, 412-653-5897;
6000 Oxford Drive, Bethel Park, 412-835-6353;
8400 McKnight Road, Ross, 412-369-9686.
Hours: Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Bethel Park location closes at 9 p.m., Sunday through Thursday.The basics: Italian restaurant chain known for unlimited refills of soft bread sticks, soup and salad. Appetizers range from dipping sauce for breadsticks ($1.95) to Sicilian scampi ($7.95); pizzas ($5.95 up); soups ($3.95), dinners from spaghetti with meat sauce ($7.95) to Mediterranean Grille ($16.95); desserts ($3.75 up). Parking areas around restaurants; most locations seat about 300; children's menu; usually not excessively noisy; wheelchair accessible; major credit cards; reservation policies differ.The last word: 2 stars