Olive Garden - Restaurant Review

Prior to going gluten and dairy free (GFCF), I used to love the Olive Garden restaurant. I'm not sure if it was the bottomless salad bowl (I'm a big fan of Italian salads with black olives and peppers) or the warm bread sticks I used to smother butter over. When I became GFCF and realized one day that I may never dine at the Olive Garden again, it almost brought tears to my eyes. I'm not sure why because it's not really that nice of a place but anyway you can imagine my excitement when I was told they now have gluten free pasta.

I decided to combine a needed trip to the Great Mall in Milpitas with a review of the Olive Garden. They have a full gluten free menu which includes Penne Rigate Pomodoro, Penne Rigate Marinara, Steak Toscano, Herb Grilled Salmon and Mixed Grill (steak and chicken). They even offered two kid's entrees.

I know this is hard to read. Email me if you want a bigger JPEG.

I was very excited over the prospect of our gluten free meal. I asked our server many questions which he patiently listened to and eagerly tried to answer. He was a little under trained on the new gluten free menu. He did however go the kitchen and proceed to cut the ingredient list from the bag of GF pasta - very sweet and accommodating. Turns out it is a quinoa and corn blend. He did verify that the two sauces both Pomodoro and Marinara are dairy free. He told me the salad dressing was both gluten and dairy free but then came sprinting back after I had eaten about three bites to tell me that there is cheese in the dressing. Oh man...he brought back a fresh salad bowl and I settled with olive oil and vinegar. It was disappointing especially when my "milk cramps and bloating" started about an hour later. 

Warning: the Italian dressing on the salad contains cheese!

I was further disappointed when the pasta came out. It looked over cooked and translucent. See the third photo below. The pasta was literally falling apart. From what I've read on the gluten free chat boards, this is a common experience at Olive Gardens across the country. One post read, "DO NOT ORDER THE GF PASTA AT OLIVE GARDEN." Unfortunately, I read that post after this visit.

Adult Entree of Pasta Pomodoro with grilled chicken

Kid's entree of Pasta Marinara with grilled chicken

Not very appetizing!

The taste was okay. It was not bad enough to send back but overall, I was disappointed with the meal. Maybe it was because my hopes were so high. Sammy seemed to enjoy his pasta. He's always happy to eat gluten free pasta in a restaurant though. They did not have any dairy free or gluten free desserts and no gluten free beer. They do bring out a small bowl of grapes for the kids. That was a special treat for them and served as dessert. I also love these capped children's cups (below). I like it when beverage spillage is just one less thing I have to worry about.

Being that there are only a few gluten and dairy free dining options at the Great Mall, I will probably be back there occasionally. I think next time, I'll try the salmon. Rather than give this Olive Garden experience a "thumbs down," I'll give it an "Okay" rating just because there are not that many other options at the mall and my son seemed to like it. It was a good atmosphere for children which was good for me since Sam kept popping in and out of his seat. No one seemed to mind.

Restaurant Review - Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi, Too!

I was truly shocked to hear that Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi, Too in Dublin had not only gluten free pizza but gluten free pasta as well. We decided to head over there last night. My son is always excited about the prospect of ordering gluten free pasta in a restaurant. This place has a nice family feel to it. We went around 5:30pm so we were seated right away. The waitress was really sweet and tried to answer all my ingredient questions the best she could (can you relate to this?) but what proceeded to unfold was pure disaster. Let me add that it did not help that I was starving.


We decided to order both the gluten free pasta and pizza so we could try both. The menu said that "vegan" options were available along with the "gluten free" but the waitress was not aware of any vegan cheese or alternative butter spread. So, I guess they meant no meat or cheese on your pasta or pizza for "vegan style." There were two options for the pasta, either marinara or bolognese. Since I don't eat meat very often and was a little leery to try the bolognese, we just ordered the marinara sauce. I tried to order meatballs for my son but the waitress said they had both bread crumbs and cheese in them.  We ordered a barbecue chicken style pizza with no cheese.


My son waited patiently for the food but when it came, this is when everything started going down hill fast. First, I could tell by the crust of the pizza (which was about one inch high on the plate) that is was not gluten free. Then I saw the waitress wince at the pizza and say, "Is that cheese?" (of course it was). She announced she would take it back and it would be another fifteen minutes. Since Sam and I would have to share the gluten free pasta, I asked for a small side salad. The waitress told me the balsamic Italian dressing was made in-house and was very good. I took a chance and ordered it which I usually do not do. I like to stick with olive oil and lemon juice in a restaurant. This way, I can be sure my stomach doesn't cramp up. I'm not sure what makes my body react this way to restaurant dressings. I think it may be canola oil if they don't use olive oil in their dressing. This is very common since canola oil is so cheap but is also a GMO. The salad was very good although it did not contain the most healthy greens and vegetables.

Side salad with house balsamic Italian dressing

The pasta with marinara sauce was good. I have a hard time believing the pasta was gluten free. It's a blend of rice and corn flour. The sauce does have a kick to it and was too spicy for my son.

Gluten Free Pasta Marinara

Meanwhile fifteen long minutes later, a man brought out another pasta dish. I told him it was supposed to be a gluten free pizza. He said it would be another fifteen minutes. AAAUUGGHHHHH! Fifteen minutes with a hungry five year old feels more like an hour. I told them to just take it off the bill. We decided to order a gluten free, barbecue chicken pizza (no cheese) from New York Pizza and just have it delivered to our house for Sam to eat.

 

Then, the bill came. I double checked it just to see if they had "gluten free" or "allergy alert" on the bill which I did not find but I also noted they charged us for the pizza we never received and the side salad they gave me. I truly thought the salad would be comped for all the hassle and waiting. I guess not. When I pointed out the pizza charge, I had to go over all the night's events with the waitress to help her understand why we should not have to pay for the pizza. Craziness. Meanwhile, my stomach had started cramping. I am swollen and sore this morning. I'm not sure if it was the salad dressing (very possible) or the pasta which I am not convinced was gluten free. There was nothing on our bill that indicated gluten free pasta or pizza (which is why I believe the pizza came out wrong). There was nothing on our dish that indicated gluten free and the wait staff did not announce "gluten free pasta" when it was delivered. At Jules Thin Crust Pizza, the paper or box that your pizza is delivered on/in is stamped "gluten free." This just gives me a warm fuzzy feeling that I've received what I ordered. I truly feel sorry for people with Celiac Disease when they order out. I can understand why they would just avoid it.

It's my opinion that restaurants who want to participate in the gluten free market should first of all, train the waitstaff properly and then should always mark the GF food appropriately so there are no mishaps. I waited tables for many years in college and am familiar with what a food line looks like. Usually, it is plates piled on top of plates waiting to be picked up. What would prevent a person from mistaking a regular pasta dish for a gluten free (unless it's marked)? I won't be back to Frankie, Johnnies and Luigi's Too any time soon. If you do go, I would be diligent about double checking that everything that you receive is gluten free. If you've had a positive gluten free experience at Frankie, Johnnie and Luigi, Too, I am anxious to hear about it and might consider giving it another try.  More restaurant reviews to come...