Elite Tasting: New Olive Garden Menu

Rule 1: When you go to OG, ask for Karen. She is awesome, and so is the name of her boat.
Rule 2: Believe Nikki when she says to come hungry for an event. So much food. Some of my favorites were the fried risotto balls and smashed chicken meatball sandwich. I like that OG is rolling out a brand new menu, and that they asked us to try it out!
Rule 3: Drinks at OG are sugary, fruity deliciousness. Two drink tickets — for anything? Sign me up.
Rule 4: Photo contests are awesome. I loved the photo contest during the event (especially because I won a gift card). I never saw that side of Olive Garden before, so it was neat to see them at work with all social media efforts.
Oh breadsticks, I forgot about the breadsticks. You can never have too many breadsticks. I’ve definitely improved my breadstick-​sense and can spot a perfectly cooked breadstick from 5 tables away.

Holy macaroni what a great event! …too late?
Absolutely had to take advantage of the fresh spread here at Olive Garden being a hardcore Italian myself. In my opinion OG has always been a pretty decent Italian joint for pretty incredible prices. Their regular menu has got some great dishes, but this event took it to a whole other extreme…
Ok so 11 courses. Yep, you heard that right– 11 friggin courses of fantastic food. Get yourself an idea by looking at the pics tagged here. There wasn’t a bad dish in the mix. If you find yourself in the OG sometime in the near future, you MUST order some (or all!) of these– Polenta Shrimp alla Greca, Lasagna Fresca, Smashed Chicken Meatballs, Crispy Risotto Bites, Artichoke Fritti, Garlic Rosemary Chicken. My fan favorite was the Lasagna Fresca.
Some of my notable feedback items were the Chicken Abruzzi and the Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad. I thought the Chicken Abruzzi could be better served in a soup fashion, like an Italian Wedding, rather than a salad. A lot of common ingredients. And as far as the Tomato Caprese Salad, it was spot on other than possibly benefitting from a balsamic vinegar dressing rather than the standard OG Italian dressing. Balsamic + Caprese = Amazing.
Believe me when I say, this menu really didn’t need much tweaking. Our desert plate was one worth forgetting– and in all reality, that’s just me. I’m not a big desert guy and I felt it had a specific texture that just didn’t appeal to me either. But ultimately, great flavors, and everyone else that isn’t completely odd seemed to love it.
Other than the amazing menu, each of us were given two free alcoholic drinks, which I took advantage of with two fairly top shelf whiskeys. It was no problem whatsoever and the drink was fairly strong and not watered down. Love that.
Throughout the night we had giveaways (which I wasn’t fortunate enough to win anything, typically) and each of us were given a gift card at the end of the night. I noticed their was a full $ 25 on this card later on.
The service and organization of this event could not have been better. The staff at OG did an amazing job and I greatly appreciated all they did for us. Nikki as usual one-​ups herself every time and I greatly appreciated her fitting me in for this event last minute.
Great photos taken by Pop Rock Photography and the rest of the group!

Thank you Olive Garden and fellow Unilocalers for making this an outstanding night. OG wined and dined us and I had trouble after the fifth course! All plates were so delish! Outstanding servers, managers and Unilocalers!!! Great job and I cannot wait for my next visit to OG!

Is that you, Olive Garden? My, how you have changed. 11 courses. Fried goodness. Pasta pasta everywhere and lots of wine to drink. Panna cotta? I want a lotta.
This event involved tasting some of OG’s newest menu items and giving feedback on our thoughts. I loved almost everything, and even the stuff I didn’t love I’d probably eat again (with the exception of the kale salad topper — not quite my cup of tea, though I’m not a huge fan of OG’s salad anyway, which I realize is weird). I think their stuff is still a bit too salty and cheesy sometimes, which I guess is what most of America wants when it comes to dinner time, but I wish they would inject a few truly healthy dinner options into their menu. Their drink options are solid, though I stuck to wine. Red, red wiiiiine. And I loved it.
Also, their service is top notch. I know this was a special event with some special staff, but everyone at this OG was so super nice. They offered to close blinds when the sun was shining in my face, made sure i was never short on silverware, and offered a steady stream of to-​go boxes when my belly couldn’t fit all of the food inside on that particular Monday evening.
The décor is the same, the layout is familiar (and by that I mean it is still a maze of booths that confuse me to no end), and the suburbia location is going strong. But the menu has gotten a wee facelift. And I think it’s moving in the right direction, though it’s not quiiiite there yet. Just a little more tweaking (as opposed to twerking, which I strongly discourage when this much pasta is involved), and you’ve got yourself a winner. Even now, it’s pretty darn solid.
Nikki gets another high five for another great event, which of course is no surprise to anyone. We have the best CM.

There was so much food. And not in the huge-​bowl-​of-​pasta-​and-​cheese way that OG used to do things. Lots of new stuff that has more, you know, actual food. Great work by the OG staff and our Unilocal CM.

Such an amazing time at this event. Olive Garden staff was incredible and I was very pleasantly surprised by the menu. Great work all around from Unilocal staff and Olive Garden. The revamped menu is definitely worth a try. I’ll be interested to see if future experiences here live up to the same quality they offered for a «special event» night.

This was a great event and based on the number of photos, sixty-​three (63) as of Aug 6, this may be one of the most visually documented events I have ever attended.
Atmosphere — Forty-​five (45) Unilocalers ready to eat, lively, fun, friendly, informative
Food — I have heard of the endless soup, salad, and breadsticks… but this was over the top… ha! The food was truly endless as this was a well executed tasting event. While all dishes were presented well, here is a run down of the dishes that stood out to me based on taste:
My Hits:
* Smashed Chicken Meatball Sandwich (my favorite… had a little spicy flavor w/​smashed chicken meatballs on a nice crusty roll w/​marinara sauce)
* Crispy Risotto Bites (an appetizer of fried risotto balls… though difficult to eat due to the outer crust. If you try to cut w/​fork or knife… watch your shirt)
* Artichoke Fritti (a light, tempura style batter that allowed the artichoke flavor to shine through)
My Misses:
* Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad (the use of mature kale over powered the other ingredients… baby kale would have been a better choice)
* Chicken Abruzzi (the kale was a little tuff here too)
* Panna Cotta with Strawberries (while I liked the custard nature of this dessert… it needed more flavor than the strawberries provided. Maybe a dash of vanilla in the custard would have kicked it up a notch.)

Service — Awesome! My server for the entire night was Jim. He was attentive and prompt. Surprisingly, the last time I was at the OG Jim was my server too. He was just as good then as he was for this event.
Overall — Big thanks goes out to Nikki, the cooks, the servers, and staff at the Olive Garden as they did an excellent job. This truly was a great event and the Management Team from the Olive Garden really seemed to be interested in our feedback. I hope they got a lot of value from our comment cards.
I can’t wait to see the photos of the event from Tonya P. of Poprock Photography, which should REALLY rack up the total number of pics taken ;-)

Come hungry was the understatement of the century. It was more like come like you haven’t eaten in two weeks! 11 courses. I mean really people aren’t meant to eat this much, but it was glorious. Akin to a holiday meal… definitely one of the best events to date!
While I do not frequent Olive Garden on a regular basis, I was really impressed with the food quality. There were three favorites that really stood out; the artichoke fritti, the pappardelle pescatore, and the panna cotta with strawberries. In fact, I plan on using the giftcards we were graciously given to take my hubby there– because I think he was a little jealous!
I have to agree with the rest of the Unilocal reviews that the service was just plain awesome! Dayvid took care of our needs and did a great job explaining the details of each course. Overall it was clear that the OG staff is a hard-​working bunch who really went the extra mile in hosting us. Thank You !
Also a big thanks to Tonya P. of Poprock Photgraphy and of course Nikki for putting together this fantastic event!

Food galore! 11 course tasting menu, I am officially on a diet and going back to the gym tonight.
So I’m actually a fan of Olive Garden, mostly for their Zuppa Toscana (I don’t know if they still serve that). I know people think I’m being a «foodie sellout» for liking a chain restaurant (gasp!) but we all have guilty pleasures right?
Last night event was… epic. I got there a little late so I missed the door-​opening experience. But the fact that they had a troop of staffs dedicated to our group in the back speaks for itself.
I like that they took the time to explain each course, and the managers on staff were actively seeking feedbacks.
1 thing I learned about OG that I didn’t know before: Small plates! The fried risotto balls were yummy as well as the fried artichoke. And they seem to be fairly reasonably priced ($ 4ish a plate).
Some of the dishes were very heavy, but they have light fares. I’m surprised on how much they’re trying to incorporate kale (they do need to consider cooking them a little more for the entrée, and to use baby kale or something more tender for the salad topper). My personal favorite was the Pappardelle Pescatore… creamy enough but not too much (Lasagna Fresco was like BAM with the creamy-​cheesy sauce) and I love seafood. I have to agree that the smashed chicken sandwich was a surprise (and pack a little kick in the sauce).
Overall it was a memorable night, for me and my belly! Thanks OG for everything you brought to the table (literally and figuratively). Thanks Nikki for another successful Elite event!

People that work at Olive Garden are the nicest people in the world. There must be niceness challenges before they are hired to ensure they strike the perfect chord between genuine and cupcake.
They do sure know how to make a girl feel special. And fat. 11 courses. Brings a whole new meaning to unlimited soup, salad and breadsticks.
I’ll admit that Olive Garden isn’t my usual scene. There were a few hits on their newly launched menu refresh.
Their polenta with olives, capers and shrimp had real potential. The rosemary garlic chicken was under 575 calories and packed the most flavor of the list.
All in all their menu items were inventive and the service was bar none. Except there was a bar and their drink menu is affordable and endless, much like their food last night.
They do their staples best: sausage meatballs, salad, zesty tomato sauces…
Thanks for a fully loaded evening and shout out to my waitress Amanda. Your BFF bracelet is in the mail.

This was an excellent experience that I will not soon forget. I felt like the red carpet was rolled out for this event last night! Four smiling and enthusiastic managers held two sets of doors open for me as I walked in, and cheered when they found out I was with Unilocal… I knew I was in for an amazing night at this point.
We were treated to an eleven course tasting from appetizers all the way down to dessert. Not only was the food spectacular, but the service was what made the night memorable. The staff was incredibly friendly, attentive, and very enthusiastic about their food.
From the tasting menu we were presented, I enjoyed the Crispy Risotto Bites. To me, these were different and I loved the crust! The Polenta Shrimp alla Greca was also one of my highlights. The shrimp was spot on, the polenta was so creamy. I wanted more! The Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad Topper was also something different and unexpected for me. The kale and fresh mozzarella really made this salad pop. I think the Garlic Rosemary Chicken was on of my favorite entrees. The chicken was so tender and mashed potatoes so creamy, and it was all under 575 calories, not easy to do in an Italian restaurant. My other favorite entrée is on the lunch menu, and this was the Smashed Chicken Meatball Sandwich! As Guy Fieri would say, «that is Flavortown!»
I rarely come to Olive Garden and explore their menu. I know what I like and that is what I always get. Without this event I would have never tried these dishes and I would have been missing out! Olive Garden is really stepping up their flavors and making new and exciting dishes. I am excited to share these new finds with my friends and family.
Thank you to the Olive Garden staff for being so wonderful, to Nikki W. for hosting another great event, and to my fellow Unilocalers for being so kind, fun, and inviting!

I knew that when I walked through two sets of doors held open by four smiling people that this was going to be great. We were seated in a dining room just for our event filled with happy, energetic hosts and servers. We were forewarned: they had prepared an eleven course meal for us! The menus went from appetizer to dessert, plus, we received two complimentary beverages. I chose to eat only the vegetarian offerings, and that was food aplenty. My favorite was the Lasagna Fresco, which was stuffed with grilled vegetables and caressed in marinara and pesto. I proudly noted that some of the dishes gave a nice burn to the palate, such as the Bucatini with Diavolo Sauce (I sampled the pepper, pasta and sauce while avoiding the sausage meatballs) and the Pappardelle Pescatore.
I would like to give special thanks to Garrett, our server, for his attentiveness and cheerful spirit. Also, cheers to Poprock Photography for their ever sparkling presence. And, Nikki, thanks for organizing and being the lovely hostess that you always are. Olive Garden, you rolled out the red carpet and then some!

This was my first Elite event and it was everything I hoped it would be and more! There were several mangers from diverse stores in the greater Charlotte area who greeted us with a warm smile as we entered the building.
The eleven course tasting was fabulous! It featured some of Olive Garden’s new menu items. It was a diverse assortment that included seafood, pork, chicken and vegitarian items. My favorite course was the smashed chicken meatball sandwich. OMG, it was delicious. It was so flavorful with just the right amount of spice. It was served with a garnish of fresh arugula and marinara sauce. If not for this event, I probably would have never tried this item (I love their Lasagna Classico so it’s hard for me to order anything else :-). This sandwich is on the new lunch menu and it’s served with fries. I will definitely be back to order it.
I also thoroughly enjoyed the Polenta Shrimp alla Greca. The polenta was soooo creamy and delicious. It was sprinkled with olives and capers that complimented the dish well. This item is one of the small plates available for $ 4 Monday-​Friday before 6pm. What a great deal!
The tasting included a couple of the lighter Italian fare options which have less than 575 calories. I really liked the Chicken Abruzzi: a kale salad served with grilled chicken, cannellini beans, and garden vegetables. It was quite tasty.
Thanks a bunch guys for exposing me to the plethora of amazing new options at Olive Garden. I will be spreading the word about this fresh and inviting menu. Special thanks to Nikki W. for inviting me. The food, service and staff were all stellar. It was an amazing event. :-)