Reviews: Carino's Italian Grill and Olive Garden
Carino's Italian Grill
Sandy, UT
Dish: Vegetable Pasta Primavera (takeout)
Description: Angel hair pasta, fresh vegetables, garlic, red pepper and parmesan cheese.
Review: The marinated artichokes completely overwhelmed this dish. The vegetables were cooked together, instead of separately like primavera ought to be, and they all ended up with the same flavor. The carrots didn't work with the pasta for me. I am left wondering whether they gave me the wrong dish, but what I got wasn't great in any case.
Olive Garden
Salt Lake City, UT
Dish: Salad and Zuppa Toscana Soup (takeout)
Description: Garden fresh salad. Spicy sausage, russet potatoes and cavolo greens in a creamy broth.
Review: I don't normally comment on takeout presentation, but this was worth commenting. The custom salad container with places to hold the dressing and after-meal mint impressed me. The individual serving-size packet of parmesan was a nice touch. Breadsticks were included, in a bag that keeps the bread warm and soft. Olive Garden's salad is simple - lettuce, tomatoes, giant red onion circles, black olives, and topped with a peppercini - but is consistently fresh and well-prepared no matter the season or restaurant location. Reviewing the soup is almost cheating, as this is one of my favorite soups. I enjoy the zippy flavor, the varied textures of sausage and potatoes, and the added color of the greens.
Sandy, UT
Dish: Vegetable Pasta Primavera (takeout)
Description: Angel hair pasta, fresh vegetables, garlic, red pepper and parmesan cheese.
Review: The marinated artichokes completely overwhelmed this dish. The vegetables were cooked together, instead of separately like primavera ought to be, and they all ended up with the same flavor. The carrots didn't work with the pasta for me. I am left wondering whether they gave me the wrong dish, but what I got wasn't great in any case.
Olive Garden
Salt Lake City, UT
Dish: Salad and Zuppa Toscana Soup (takeout)
Description: Garden fresh salad. Spicy sausage, russet potatoes and cavolo greens in a creamy broth.
Review: I don't normally comment on takeout presentation, but this was worth commenting. The custom salad container with places to hold the dressing and after-meal mint impressed me. The individual serving-size packet of parmesan was a nice touch. Breadsticks were included, in a bag that keeps the bread warm and soft. Olive Garden's salad is simple - lettuce, tomatoes, giant red onion circles, black olives, and topped with a peppercini - but is consistently fresh and well-prepared no matter the season or restaurant location. Reviewing the soup is almost cheating, as this is one of my favorite soups. I enjoy the zippy flavor, the varied textures of sausage and potatoes, and the added color of the greens.