Olive Garden

The Critic and The Guys were away for the weekend.  When they returned, we decided to do a dinner out.  Restaurant of choice this time... Olive Garden.  Surprisingly delicious if you don't go too often!

Restaurant name:  Olive Garden
Food type:  Italian
Category:  We have been known to eat there several times, yes.
Location:  Tukwila, Washington
Reason for dining out:  Famished and just back from vacation
Bonus features:  The Big Guy ate TWO kids' meals.  They comped us one.  That was a huge huge score for us.
Food ordered:  I got the mussels which is an appetizer, but got it as my entree.  Note to self.  The Little Guy loves mussels and will easily eat them with me.  No need to waste money on the macaroni and cheese he will only eat half of.  P.S.  The bread sticks are delicious when dipped in the broth.

We had a good time.  The food was very tasty.  Like I said, The Big Guy came with a hearty appetite which has me fearing for the teenage years.  I'm guessing this blog will take a drastic change at that point.  Either we won't eat out much as a family or The Critic and I will plan to eat out alone.  Or we'll take money out of the retirement fund.  One of those.

Anyway, the disappointment was largely around the kids meals.  They changed their menu.  Boo!  We loved this place for the kids' pasta with broccoli and grilled chicken.  I distinctly remember the day The Big Guy first had it and first started eating broccoli.  That plate of food was $5.50 which is pricey for a kids' meal, but since he loved it and ate every bite, it was worth it.  That item is no longer on the kids' menu.  Instead, they have "create your own pasta" for $5.50.  Pasta and sauce choice.  Then the protein (i.e. the grilled chicken in our case) costs an extra $1.25.  All kids' meals come with a side now, but the choice includes broccoli and grapes (and our kids will always pick grapes).  Oh, they could have chosen mashed potatoes.  Not sure where that idea came from.  So they got grapes.  There were 9 of them.  Really.  When the kids' meal came, I immediately noticed how tiny it was.  He wolfed it down before anyone could ask if we wanted a refill on our drinks.  Well, that gets me to the other beef... the service was HORRIBLY slow.  And that's saying something for me to think so!  Anyway, we ordered him a second one which he also ate all of.  By that time, everyone else at the table had finished and we just sat there waiting for his second plate of food to come.  It was quite sad, really.  He was SO hungry.

The good news is that survey that they put on the end of the bill that you never really do?  Yeah, I'll be doing that.  At this rate, my "Big" 5 year old will have to eat off the adult menu!

But the mussels really are delicious.  I do love those!