By: Madison Huber
Student Submission
It has been such a long time since I spent good, quality time with my sister, niece, and mother. So when we went out for dinner, we knew it had to be a good, dependable place that we all knew and loved. My mother was always big into cooking all of us Italian food growing up, so we already knew we were going somewhere almost nostalgic for us. We were driving back to Midland, so we knew the area – and the restaurants – well enough to decide where we were going. My mom pulled up to this tall, brown building with the familiar “Olive Garden” sign by the road; we all agreed Olive Garden was the best choice because their service is kind and fast, and the food is high quality.
Centered in the heart of Midland, Olive Garden is located across the street from the Midland Mall and next to the Midland County fairgrounds. When you pull up, you will be greeted with a larger-sized parking lot in front of a tall, brick building with the familiar “Olive Garden” sign above the door. Once you come inside, you’re greeted with portraits of the Italian countryside, signs for their specials, an awfully large wine selection, and the laughter of others enjoying each other’s company. You’ll then hear a friendly “Hello” from the staff as they greet you and your party and come to take you to your table.
You will arrive at your table with your party and see large and small wine coolers and all the beautiful pictures of food, Italy, and wine on a tan, off-white wall as you breathe in the smell of cheese and breadsticks. The waitress walked to us with smile on her face and asked us what we would like to drink. We ordered our food and drinks at the same time since we all decided to get the special: the $8.99 never-ending pasta bowls.
We decided to take a look at the menus anyway just to see what they had to offer; I was surprised by the number of selections they had on the menu. You could find something for everybody, whether they wanted something sweet, savory, or something in-between; the same can be said about the dessert and wine menus as well.
We received our food and were met with a big surprise – the food. It looked delicious, the portions were huge, and the smell matched how the food looked. All together we were trying all the pasta: elbow, fettucini, spaghetti and gnocchi. The sauces went well with the pasta: four cheese alfredo, traditional alfredo, marinara and meat sauce. We decided to change up our order the second and third time the waitress stopped by, always attentive and always happy to see us. Each time we received our order the portions were always large, looked amazing and we were so happy with each bite.
It was time for the bill and we all looked at the price, for the portions we got the price was very reasonable. We even ordered another round of pasta to go home with us. The waitress refilled our drinks and we sat for another half an hour talking and catching-up with each other. As we left, the waitress that served us and the host that sat us both said to have a great day and they hoped we enjoyed our meals.
If you are looking for a restaurant with plenty of options, located in a great place near shopping and fun, that is calm, serene, and family-oriented, I will always choose Olive Garden.
