The Olive Garden, Altamonte Springs, FL

Predictability is a virtue

After five hours sitting in the hot sun and being rehydrated by Busch beer while watching a rather boring Daytona 500 that was only enlivened at the end by the photo finish; we were ready for the predictability in taste, service and price that comes at the better casual restaurants.  A quick search on Trip Advisor found the Olive Garden restaurant close to our hotel in Altamonte Springs.  An Olive Garden close to Orlando should be on top of its game since the Olive Garden parent company head office – Darden Restaurants - is a few miles away in Orlando, FL.

We were not disappointed.  Luckily a table was available promptly and Naome, our delightful waitress took our orders for drinks.  One slight disappointment was that no Florida draft beers were available so I opted for Yuengling, which at least used to be a craft beer in the not too distant past, and they do have a brewery in Frorida.  We chose the Stuffed Mushrooms as an appetizer to share.  These are baked with clams and several cheeses and are delicious.  Our breadsticks were delivered at the same time and the combination was delightful.

For a main course my wife ordered the Ravioli di Portobello.  This is ravioli filled with Portobello mushrooms and topped with a creamy cheese and sun-dried tomato sauce.  I ordered the Cucina Miai, a concept where you choose a pasta – I tried Wheat Linguine – then add a sauce – mine was five cheese marinara – finally finish with a topping – I couldn’t resist the Italian sausage.

While we waited for the main course to be prepared we enjoyed the mixed salad with lots of added Parmesan cheese, that is part of every meal at Olive Garden.

Our food was tasty and filling, we enjoyed the meal a lot. I enjoyed a glass of Robert Mondavi Cabernet with my pasta and the bill, including tip was $64 for the two of us.  We paid our bill using the Tablet that is on every table and received a copy of the bill by email.  The tablet is about the size of an iPad and can be used to order desert and drinks.  There are other functions including games for the kids which we didn’t explore.