200 North Galleria Drive
Middletown NY 10941
(845) 692-8232
This chain of Italian restaurants offers what I would consider, popular Italian dishes that Americans would understand and eat. An Italian friend of mine told me that the Olive Garden is not real Italian cuisine and I would have to agree to a point. Many of the dishes on the menu I have made at home so I knew the preparation and ingredients used. Simple and basic.
To start, I was with a large group of people (9) and had to wait for a large table to clear to accommodate us. The waitresses seemed flustered at having to wait on a large table but in my experience, they are usually the most fun and the easiest to handle. I quickly noticed that a large number of families come here to dine but that was probably because in this town, both parent's work and don't have time to cook a homemade sit down dinner.
We were escorted to a long, large, wooden table that comfortably accommodated 10. The walls were painted in a beige/brown Tuscan style with a various grouping of different Italian Majolica plates hanging from the walls. Two waitresses were assigned to us and then the ordering began.
I started with a glass of their Rosato blush wine ($5.25) which was a sweet refreshing wine.
My dinner companions all ordered entrees which came with a choice of soup or salad. If everyone decides on salad, two large plastic bowls of house salad arrive at the table along with their bread sticks. The house salad consists of romaine, radicchio, sliced red onion, tomato, banana peppers, and croutons tossed in their Italian dressing. The bread sticks were small and soft and I asked the waitress to bring extra virgin olive oil for dipping. The salad and the bread sticks were unlimited and that's what fills you up as you wait for your entree.
I ordered the Fettuccine Alfredo ($12.25). Nothing big deal to write home about. The creamy sauce was pretty decent and I used my bread stick to wipe up every last drop. Pretty tasty and acceptable in my standards but could have used a touch more garlic. I've had Alfredo sauce at other places where it was lacking in garlic or cream but this was pretty okay. The Chicken Alfredo seemed lack luster as the grilled chicken on top of the dish was thin and dry.
A gratuity charge is placed on large parties (which many restaurants practice) but overall the prices were good.
You can check out their dinner menu online here.
